TMZ Sports - Page 50

How'd Andre Drummond feel when he saw LeBron James playing in an L.A. pickup game this week with Kevin Durant and Kawhi Leonard?

"I was mad I was not there!"

Drummond's also out in L.A. getting some offseason workouts in -- mostly at UCLA, where Bron and company got it in on Tuesday ... so he stopped by the TMZ office to hang out.

The Detroit Pistons superstar says he LOVES playing pickup hoop with other NBA stars -- especially those guys -- and he gave us the lowdown about what happens in those games.

Shocker ... Drummond says Kevin Durant dominates, telling us he's easily the #1 pickup player alive.

"He's very fun to watch and play with ... I think he's very unguardable."

Drummond also tells us why Kawhi Leonard is an absolute freak of nature -- just look at the size of his hands!

There's more ... Drummond also just dropped his new album, "Fyi" -- and says it solidifies his spot as the "best artist in basketball."

Ohio State has suspended head football coach Urban Meyer for 3 games without pay after an investigation determined he permitted misconduct to continue involving ex-WR coach Zach Smith.

However, school officials state neither Meyer nor Athletic Director Gene Smith covered up or condoned the alleged domestic abuse by Smith, but rather ... "failed to take sufficient management action relating to Zach Smith's misconduct and retained and Assistant Coach who was not performing as an appropriate role model for OSU student-athletes."

Meyer is suspended through September 2 and for the games on Sept. 1, 8 and 15 without pay. The final decision came after officials met with Meyer and Smith for more than 10 hours Wednesday.

As we reported ... Meyer was placed on administrative leave August 1 after the coach admitted he lied to the media when he initially claimed he had no knowledge about a 2015 domestic violence incident involving Smith.

Smith was fired from his job on July 23rd when details from the 2015 arrest went public. Smith had been arrested for felony domestic violence and felonious assault for allegedly attacking his then-wife Courtney Smith.

Courtney claims she told Urban Meyer's wife about the abuse -- but no action was ever taken by the University.

On July 24, 2018 ... Meyer was asked about the incident at Ohio State Media Day -- and claimed he had no knowledge of it.

Meyer told reporters he got a "text late last night" that "something happened" involving Smith back then but insisted "there was nothing."

Meyer said, "Once again, there’s nothing. Once again, I don’t know who creates a story like that."

Smith began coaching on Meyer's staff at 2005 as a graduate assistant at the University of Florida. He also happens to be the grandson of former Buckeyes coach Earle Bruce -- who Meyer has referred to as a mentor.

Courtney Smith claims Zach began abusing her in 2009 while Zach was working at Florida. He was arrested in '09 for aggravated battery on a pregnant victim but Courtney ultimately decided not to move forward with charges.

When asked about the '09 incident at the OSU Media Day in July, Meyer said the Smith's were a "very young couple" at the time and he did not push for an internal investigation because he wanted to "let the experts do their jobs."

He added, "We’re certainly not going to investigate. It came back to me that what was reported wasn’t actually what happened."

Courtney ultimately divorced Zach in 2016. However, their relationship is still very bad -- she got a civil protection order against him last month.

For his part, Zach claims he never abused Courtney but admits things did get physical between the two during heated arguments.

"There were several times where things got out of hand between us and I’m not saying that as I restrained her and moved her out of my way to exit the house to get out of a volatile situation ... it’s completely possible that she got a bruise or a mark," Zach said during a radio interview.

In addition to the alleged domestic violence, Zach's ex-wife Courtney claims he performed sex acts in the Ohio State athletic dept. offices with a female OSU staffer and documented it in photos and video.

She also claims Zach took multiple selfie penis pics during the OSU trip to the White House in 2015 when the team was invited to meet with President Barack Obama.

There's more ... Courtney also claims Zach ordered several sex toys and other adult items from Amazon and had them shipped to the OSU athletic officers, where staffers would have to open the boxes and deliver them to Zach.

Richie Incognito's father's death was unexpected -- and the Pro Bowl lineman took it extremely hard in the time leading up to his arrest at an Arizona funeral home ... TMZ Sports has learned.

As we previously reported, Incognito was taken into custody Monday after officials say he went off the rails at a mortuary following the death of his father. He was released from jail 24 hours later.

Now, Richie's Las Vegas attorney, Joseph Ganley, has issued a statement on Richie's behalf.

"Richie Incognito would like to thank everyone who has reached out to express their condolences and concern over the last several days. Richie had a tremendous relationship with his father; he admired him, he emulated him, and he loved him."

"His father, Richard D. Incognito, Sr., served this country bravely and honorably during the Vietnam War in the United States Army, which made his sons extremely proud. Mr. Incognito’s unexpected death this past weekend was traumatic for the entire Incognito family."

"Richie’s lawyers are investigating the complete circumstances surrounding his misdemeanor arrest on Monday by the Scottsdale Police Department, and may have more to report when that investigation is concluded."

Here's advice from an ex-NBA superstar on how to handle yourself in a booty club -- take whatever you've got in your wallet ... AND CHUCK IT AT STRIPPERS!!!

The sage wisdom is brought to you by former Celtics star Glen "Big Baby" Davis ... who we got at OHM Nightclub, where he was judging an open audition for V Live L.A.

After explaining to us what he looks for in great strippers ... he unveiled advice to all the normal folk who have no idea how to be a big baller around butts.

"You gotta thrown what you can, man," Glen says. "Throw what you can, that's my motto."

The Yankees, Red Sox rivalry continues ... this time, Darryl Strawberry thinks Pedro Martinez was out of line when talking about the Baby Bronx Bombers.

It's all over a tweet Pedro posted on Tuesday, saying, "The Yankees don’t seem to have the energy of a winning team. I understand some key players are injured, but they don’t seem to be hustling out there."

We asked Straw (who famously played for the Yanks) if he thought Pedro (who played for the Sox) was just trying to motivate the talented squad -- but Darryl wasn't havin' it.

"I don't know why former players always have something to say about other teams," Darryl said ... "It's not really important for us to be able to say things about the teams. You just wish them well!"

So, how does Darryl feel about the Yanks this season? He admits he doesn't really "deal with baseball anymore" ... but thinks the Yanks are only scuffling 'cause of injuries.

2:42 PM PT -- GOLDBERG IS PISSED!!

We just shot the WWE legend in Atlanta and he WENT OFF about the hacking situation ... telling us he's working with the Secret Service because he wants the hacker punished to the fullest extent of the law.

"I'm sick and flippin' tired of people trying to steal people's identity because it's happened to me a number of times. These people are bullies and I'm sick and tired of it."

"This time when I got hacked, I called the Secret Service on my own and I'm taking them down."

10:56 AM PT -- Goldberg's rep tells us the wrestling legend has already been in touch with the Secret Service regarding the tweets from his account threatening President Trump.

As we reported, Goldberg claims he was hacked -- and now, we're told Goldberg and his team have offered to do whatever they can to help authorities catch whoever's responsible.

WWE Hall of Famer Bill Goldberg insists he did NOT call President Trump a "spatastic sh*t head" in a series of violent tweets directed at the POTUS ... claiming he was hacked.

Goldberg's official Twitter account started going off about Trump on Wednesday. The first tweet read:

"Why have you been threating me and my wife you dick head just because you're the president doesn't mean you can make threats using your new found power we should go into the ring together no secret service just you and me."

A follow-up tweet to Trump said, "I challange you to a fist fight you spatastic sh*t head ill f**king kill you."

We reached out to Goldberg to see what the beef was about -- and his rep, "Uncle Louie" Gregory, told us he was the victim of social media hackers.

"The Official Goldberg twitter continues to be a target for opportunistic hackers with bad intentions who are seeking notoriety and revenue. Team Goldberg will continue to address this issue while Goldberg is in ATL with Tu Lam working on his show 'Knife or Death' for the History channel."

Goldberg was once friends with Trump and appeared on 'Celebrity Apprentice' back in the day. But the two had a falling out and are no longer friends.

KSI's getting some last minute work in the ring before trying to bash Logan Paul's face in this weekend ... putting his skills on display in a boxing sesh and TMZ Sports has the footage.

The 25-year-old YouTube star hit the gym in Manchester, England for a public workout session in front of fans and media. We're told KSI has been training like a maniac, taking the fight very seriously.

KSI and Logan Paul will face off on August 25 -- the two have been promoting the event like crazy ... and both have dreams off launching into pro fighting careers afterward.

Logan was a star high school wrestler and placed in the Ohio state tournament his senior year. He's a real deal athlete and pro fighters have told TMZ Sports they're genuinely impressed.

KSI already has a fight under his belt -- he beat up YouTube star Joe Weller in a bout earlier this year and has been focused on training ever since.

Check out the training video -- dude's got some quick hands.

While Logan vs. KSI is the main card, their younger brothers Jake Paul and Deji are the undercard. They've been talking all sorts of crap for months ... and Jake even SLAPPED Deji during an altercation at a fan meet and greet on Wednesday.

Donald Trump is taking his beef with ESPN to the masses -- he's launched a petition to try and get the "spineless" network to play the national anthem during the "Monday Night Football" broadcast.

ESPN president Jimmy Pitaro had said last week that "We generally have not broadcasted the anthem and I don't think that will change this year."

Trump was PISSED and sent an email to his supporters announcing that he's started a petition to get "The Star-Spangled Banner" on TV.

"Just after we heard a sitting governor trash America, ESPN has now decided it will no longer play the National Anthem before Monday Night Football," the email from Trump said. The governor referred to is NY Gov. Andrew Cuomo ... who made headlines last week for saying America "was never that great."

Trump's email continues ... "If 'America' is too offensive for anyone in our country, then what are they doing in America?"

"I’m calling on you to join me in denouncing this SPINELESS surrender to the politically correct liberal mob. I was the first person to sign this petition. Now I need you to follow my lead and be the second."

Trump began railing against ESPN at Tuesday's rally in West Virginia -- where he told the crowd, "It was just announced by ESPN that rather than defending our anthem, our beautiful, beautiful national anthem and defending our flag, they just won't broadcast when they play the national anthem."

"We don't like that," Trump added.

"So, while the players are kneeling, some of them not all of them at all, you're all proudly standing for our national anthem."

Ice Cube knows the chances of Kobe Bryant playing in the BIG3 next year are slim to none -- but ya can't score if you don't shoot!!

Cube's BIG3 co-founder Jeff Kwatinetz got everyone's hopes up on Tuesday when he told the media that a "credible source" informed him Mamba was joining the 3-on-3 league in 2019.

Kobe's people quickly shot that down -- so, when we saw Cube in NYC early Wednesday morning, we asked him to clear everything up.

Cube told TMZ Sports he hadn't spoken to Kobe yet, but says when it comes to a basketball comeback, "I think he's done."

Still, he left the door open a crack ... and even pitched Kobe about why he should add BIG3 to his resume.

Kobe hasn't played pro basketball since he retired from the NBA at the end of the 2015-16 season -- and his wife, Vanessa Bryant, was adamant he ain't EVER coming back.

Shaquille O'Neal doesn't seem convinced, however, recently telling TMZ Sports his former Lakers teammate was coming back for one last hurrah with LeBron James.

Don't hold your breath ...

Insane moment for ex-UFC fighter Dean Lister ... who pulled a firearm on a man who was robbing his house -- and the whole thing was captured on video.

42-year-old Lister -- who was 13-7 as an MMA fighter -- says he arrived to his San Diego home around 8 PM on Saturday when he saw a tatted up bald dude inside of his kitchen.

The man was super sketchy and told Lister he thought the home was a church -- but when Lister continued to press, the man picked up a hammer in a very threatening manner.

"Off camera, I drew a sidearm and he stopped advancing toward me," Lister said.

"I LET him escape with his life through a window. Cops said I was legally good if I killed him."

Lister says the man stole a bunch of cash out of the home and he published the video publicly in the hopes someone can identify the INTRUDER.

"Police are on it but if anyone knows who he is please help me,,, thank you very much."

Jake Paul just gave Deji -- the guy he's fighting in Manchester -- a Rick James welcome to his fan meet and greet ... introducing his 5 fingers to Deji's face, SLAPPIN' THE HELL OUT OF HIM!!

The slap to Deji's face all went down when KSI's little bro crashed Jake's gym ... where he was meeting up with fans for autographs and pics.

The YouTube star walked in -- talked trash -- and then had his face smacked to the moon by Logan Paul's baby bro.

"Deji showed up at my gym unannounced to try & talk shit," Jake said of the altercation.

"As soon as he walked in I slapped him in the face like the Bitch he is & then he left like a bitch..."

You can tell who won the Dodgers vs. Cardinals game just by looking at Jon Hamm and Jason Bateman.

Hamm -- easily one of the biggest Cards superfans on the planet -- had a front row seat for St. Louis' 5-2 win over Bateman's Dodgers on Tuesday ... and he made sure J.B. never heard the end of it.

The Dodgers are currently in a tight race for the playoffs ... but have lost 7 of their last 10 games (which might explain why Bateman looks like he just saw a dog get hit by a car).

It wasn't all sadness for Bateman, though ... at least he got to see Manny Machado hit a dinger.

A dance battle broke out on the streets of Queens on Tuesday -- Good Vs. Evil -- and the winner gets Serena Williams!!

There was definitely a Luke Skywalker-type vibe with Serena -- a bunch of "dark side" lookin' dancers tried to dance-pull Serena down some stairs ... while some "light side" dancers resisted and yanked her the other direction.

So ... what the hell was going on?!!?

BEATS, BABY!

It was all for a Beats By Dre headphones commercial -- but since the production didn't bump the music out loud, we don't really know what song they're all dancing to.

Still, everyone slaaaaaayed ... and Serena got paaaaaaaaid.

Only the finest for The King ...

LeBron James and his wife, Savannah, had a romantic date night in Bev Hills on Tuesday ... returning to one of his favorite restaurants in the city and TMZ Sports has the video.

The James' hit up Avra -- the same high-end Greek restaurant where Bron dined with Leonardo DiCaprio and Al Pacino last month.

No mixing with the normies for Bron and Vannah, they were ushered through the back by a security team into a waiting Maybach with a chauffeur.

We tried to talk Trump with the Los Angeles Lakers superstar, but he wasn't in the mood.

Earlier in the day, LeBron worked out at UCLA with some of his NBA superstar friends ... including Kevin Durant, Kawhi Leonard, Cedi Osman and Toronto Raptors assistant coach Phil Handy.

The photo fueled rumors that Bron could be recruiting KD and Kawhi to form a superteam in L.A. next year.

Forget every NFL player ever that's rocked No. 26 in their careers ... 'cause Clinton Portis says HE put that digit on the map -- and he's downright HAPPY Adrian Peterson chose it in D.C.!!

Portis dominated the Redskins' backfield from 2004 to 2010 -- and he did it the whole time in the two-six ... a number Washington just gave to A.P. after signing him Monday.

Portis tweeted after hearing the uniform news, "put some R E S P “I” C T on my #! I love AP but damn it’s plenty jerseys to pick from! DOUG,BRUCE ,DAN 👀 thanks lower management."

But, Portis tells us that was all just a joke ... and he's actually HONORED the future Hall of Famer is rockin' the number he says he helped make cool for guys like A.P., Le'Veon Bell and Saquon Barkley to wear today.

In fact ... Portis tells us he's so fired up about Peterson's jersey choice ... he's got a message for the tailback heading into his first Redskins game this week.

Jim Brown says he's throwing his support behind President Donald Trump -- even though he knows he'll be vilified in the black community.

The NFL Hall of Famer appeared on "The JT The Brick Show" on Fox Sports Radio and since he's met with so many Presidents in the past, he was asked how he felt about Trump.

"I should be criticizing Trump on every level because he does certain things that call for criticism but when I look at television I see all these announcers become experts and they're pointing the fingers and they're not doing a doggone thing but pointing their fingers, I find myself really pulling for the president."

"Now, that would make me very unpopular in the black community, very unpopular with a lot of Americans ... but I think that there are certain good things that are coming out of this Presidency because we've never seen anything like it."

He added, "I mean there's confusion. A lot of people are retiring. A lot of people are giving their opinions and we have to really dig deep down inside to come with the right kind of an answer."

Brown -- who also doubled down on his stance against NFL kneelers -- also had this to say to people who believe he's not a good American.

"I believe that I have to work on myself first to be as good a person as I could be to back up my country as best as I know how."

"And the second situation I should be helpful to those people who need help that don't have life as good as I have it and if I do those two things, I think I'm making my contribution."

Brown famously went to Trump Tower right after Trump won the election to talk about how he can make a positive impact in the black community.

Floyd Mayweather also famously met with Trump during the transition but he has since distanced himself from the president. Brown clearly feels differently.