TMZ Sports - Page 50

LiAngelo Ball wondered if his stealing incident in China was the reason he didn't get selected in the NBA draft ... saying, "the sh*t I did off the court" might have cost him.

It all went down in the latest episode of the family's Facebook docuseries, "Ball In The Family" ... where cameras caught the middle Ball bro's reaction to not being picked to join Lonzo in the Association.

"I don't know, I guess it's the way I play, I guess," Gelo says of why he thinks he didn't get drafted.

"Or the sh*t I did off the court."

Of course ... Gelo -- along with 2 teammates from UCLA -- were detained in China after stealing several pairs of designer sunglasses and other accessories from multiple stores in Hangzhou.

LiAngelo was suspended from the Bruins indefinitely ... and LaVar eventually pulled him from school to play ball in Lithuania.

Ball joked about the whole ordeal in a Foot Locker ad released just days before the draft ... but it doesn't seem he found it very funny after not being picked.

"Sucks that I didn't get drafted tonight," he said on the show.

Gelo's been hooping in the JBA -- LaVar's startup basketball league -- ever since, waiting to catch on with any NBA team that'd be willing to add him to the roster.

Ball has previously told us he's had interest from NBA teams -- but so far, no one has pulled the trigger on signing him to a deal.

Forget Roger Federer ... the real show at the U.S. Open was in the stands -- where Joe Jonas was slammin' beers and making out with his smokin' hot fiancee, Sophie Turner!

TENNIS TURN UP!!!

Joe and Sophie were on a double date at Arthur Ashe stadium in NYC with his bro Kevin Jonas and his wife Danielle -- when they decided to screw with the photogs by putting on a show in their VIP box.

There was some fake tongue action -- and very REAL beer drinking ... including a moment where the Jo-Bros linked arms, chugged and then busted out the FLOSS dance!

Earlier in the weekend, Sophie stuffed a seat pad under her shirt to goose some reporters into going with a pregnancy story. It didn't work, as most pregnant women don't have square baby bumps.

Good times ...

"Nike, n***a! Nike!!!

That's Maino -- one of the most respected street rappers in the game -- praising the hell out of the Swoosh (and blasting haters) over the Colin Kaepernick deal.

Maino was FIRED UP after the news broke on Monday telling TMZ Sports, "We about to go buy Nikes right now, for real!!!"

"I think it's dope for the culture that they supported him and they was actually behind him and didn't allow the pressure of the NFL to stop them from doing business with him."

And, to the haters? Maino politely invited all the people burning their Nikes to "Eat a d**k!!"

"He didn't have a job. So, the fact that Nike stood next to him, supported him? One time for Nike!"

W also got Tony Yayo -- who was also stoked for the QB.

"I think it's a great move" ... adding, "Colin Kaep is the man."

Colton Underwood's in pure bliss, even though he's a virgin, because he's America's next 'Bachelor.'

The big reveal came Tuesday morning on 'GMA' as Colton -- famous for choosing football over sex -- gives love a third try. Remember, he was on Becca Kufrin's season last year and stunned her with the virgin bombshell. He still made it to the coveted hometown dates but was eliminated shortly thereafter.

Colton -- a former tight end who spent some time on practice squads with the Chargers, Raiders and Eagles -- later appeared on "Bachelor in Paradise" before breaking things off with Tia Booth. The 26-year-old says despite the taunts from fellow contestants after revealing he's never gone the distance, Colton says he'll remain true to himself as he tries to woo the one.

Fun fact: Colton was born on Super Bowl Sunday and was named after the Indianapolis Colts. Yeah, the team. Giddy up!!!

Seems Tom Brady and his old pal, Donald Trump, don't agree when it comes to Colin Kaepernick -- because the G.O.A.T. spent his Monday showing PUBLIC SUPPORT for Colin's new Nike deal.

Brady made his mark on Instagram -- where he "liked" four different posts featuring Colin's new Nike ad. The images were posted by LeBron James, Chris Paul, Kevin Durant and GQ -- all of whom were praising the deal on social media.

And, it's not a brand loyalty thing from Brady -- he's not a Nike athlete. TB12 actually has a deal with rival sports apparel brand Under Armour.

Of course, the bigger issue is Brady and Trump -- who used to be close (REALLY close) until their friendship suddenly went way south.

Remember, Brady even sported Trump's MAGA hat in his locker at one point. But, Tom's wife, Gisele, has been an outspoken critic of Trump since the election and it seems politics may have been the dividing factor for Tom and Donald.

Now, with Trump calling for the NFL to fire "sons of bitches" who don't stand for the national anthem -- a line has been drawn in the sand ... and it appears Tom has chosen his side.

Nike and Colin Kaepernick have support from a major NFL owner -- with Oakland Raiders' honcho Mark Davis telling TMZ Sports he thinks it's a good move!

Davis was leaving Dan Tana's in West Hollywood when we asked about the biggest news of the weekend ... Nike signing Kaep to a huge deal to be a part of their "Just Do It" 30th Anniversary campaign.

Of course, the deal puts Nike in an interesting spot -- doing business with both the NFL and the guy suing the NFL for collusion.

In fact, Nike just signed a new uniform contract with the NFL that will extend to 2028.

So, how does Davis feel about Nike signing Kaep? He loves it ... saying enthusiastically, "Why not?!"

There has been some backlash from people like country music star John Rich and UFC fighter Tim Kennedy who feel signing Kaep is disrespectful to U.S. military vets.

We also asked Davis about the big move trading superstar linebacker Khalil Mack to the Chicago Bears -- and once again, Mark told us he "absolutely" supported it and supports head coach Jon Gruden.

"I have a lot of faith in Jon Gruden," Mark told us.

Dallas Cowboys owner Jerry Jones was also asked about Kaepernick's Nike deal on 105.3 The Fan's "Shan & RJ show" ... and while Jones says he has "tremendous respect" for the company, he couldn't really say anything else because of the collusion case.

File this under:

WHY HASN'T IT HAPPENED?!!

Here's Shaunie O'Neal -- Shaq's ex-wife -- telling the world that Kobe freakin' Bryant has PERSONALLY offered to train her kids in basketball ... but for some reason it hasn't happened yet.

What?

We got Shaunie at LAX, and asked her about her son, Shaqir, being teamed up on the court with LeBron James Jr. at Crossroads school in Santa Monica.

We wanted to know if LeBron would be personally training the two boys, and while Shaunie couldn't answer that, she did tell us about another Laker great who's offered.

"Kobe always offers ... we're just so far from each other, but he always offers."

33,643 career points (3rd of all time), 2 NBA Finals MVPs, 5 championships. That's what Shaunie won't travel down the 5 freeway to have her kid get trained up by.

We at TMZ Sports demand somebody fix this.

John Rich -- one half of the country band Big & Rich -- is FURIOUS at Nike for the mega deal it made with Colin Kaepernick ... and says his sound guy is already planning on burning his Nike gear.

As we previously reported ... Nike signed Colin as part of its "Just Do It" 30th anniversary campaign -- a deal that includes a custom shoe, custom apparel and other Kaepernick-centric merchandise.

John Rich feels the deal is an insult to law enforcement -- and points to the incident where Kaepernick wore a pair of socks featuring a pig dressed up in a police uniform. "Hey @Nike, if you're gonna make the shoes, make the PIG SOCKS to match. Right? Cmon, people will LOVE that," Rich tweeted. He also wrote, the deal "makes me sick."

ICYMI ... Colin wore those socks during training camp in 2016 when he was the 49ers QB. He later clarified, "I wore these socks, in the past, because the rogue cops that are allowed to hold positions in police departments, not only put the community in danger, but also put the cops that have the right intentions in danger by creating an environment of tension and mistrust."

Kaep added, "I have two uncles and friends who are police officers and work to protect and serve ALL people. So before these socks, which were worn before I took my public stance, are used to distract from the real issues, I wanted to address this immediately."

In addition, Rich says the band's sound man "just cut the Nike swoosh off his socks. Former marine. Get ready @Nike multiply that by the millions."

On the other side, Colin is getting TONS of support from celebrities like Serena Williams, who posted "Love this." Other stars like T.I., Ava DuVernay and Swizz Beatz have expressed their support for Nike and Colin as well.

One thing's for sure ... this story ain't going away any time soon.

2:03 PM PT -- As part of the new deal Colin negotiated with Nike, the Swoosh will be putting out a new signature shoe and apparel ... and making substantial contributions and donations to Colin's Know Your Rights foundation.

It's true, Colin had a preexisting deal with Nike but we're told his team renegotiated -- it's essentially a new deal.

Colin Kaepernick has signed a new deal with Nike to become the face of the "Just Do It" 30th anniversary campaign -- a deal that was put together in the past couple of weeks and will pay the QB fresh cash ... TMZ Sports has learned.

Colin posted the new ad that reads, "Believe in something. Even if it means sacrificing everything. Just do it." Our sources tell us Colin's legal team -- Mark Geragos and Ben Meiselas -- put the deal together recently. Kaepernick has been in business with Nike before but we're told Nike cut him a brand new check for this particular campaign.

What's interesting is that Nike also has deals with several NFL teams. And with Colin's collusion case getting the green light to move forward it puts the sport's apparel giant in a precarious position. Clearly, Colin has a strong fan base -- that includes celebrities like Jay-Z, Serena Williams and Meek Mill -- and Nike feels it's worth to align its interest with someone many people feel is a warrior for social justice.

Cristiano Ronaldo and GF Georgina Rodriguez got super handsy with each other on a pretty awesome yacht in Sardinia.

Christiano and his baby mama soaked in the sun during their vacay. Gotta say ... she looks incredible just 9 months after giving birth to little Alana.

The soccer star wore his signature tight shorts, while Georgina gave the Kardashian girls a run for their money ... from behind.

The 33-year-old Cristiano was a finalist for best FIFA Men's Player Awards for 2018.

Dennis Rodman's giving away signed Chicago Bulls jerseys ... just ask this Australian fan who's getting two of 'em after he was spotted wearing The Worm's Lakers jersey while on vacay.

Here's what happened ... Matt from Australia was out with his son in Hawaii over the weekend when Rodman's rep, Darren Prince, spotted him in the No. 73 Lakers jersey. Cool and kinda rare sighting, so Darren dials up Dennis to connect him with the fan.

Dennis tells him "this is the real Dennis Rodman" before Matt jokes about the Hawaiian weather that gets Dennis laughing off his ass. Check it out ... Matt gets quite the surprise when Dennis says he'll send along signed jerseys. Matt's all about it ... saying he'll add it to his Rodman collection. Really.

Matt says he's got Rodman's Pistons, Bulls, Lakers and even a Dallas Mavericks jersey where he had a short stint in 2000. The Hall of Famer then tells a funny story about his No. 70 jersey with the Mavs ... prompting Matt to call ex-NBA commish David Stern a d***. Watch.

Imagine being told the rare diamond you sold for $3.75 MILLION is now back on the market for around $7 MILLION ... and could be worth more than $10 MIL. How would you react?

Drew Brees could only shake his head ... according to legal docs obtained by TMZ Sports.

It's all part of the QB's war with his old jeweler, Vahid Moradi -- who Brees is suing, claiming he's been ripped off for millions over the years.

One of the pieces at the center of the war is a 4.09 carat blue diamond Drew bought in 2015 for $8.1 million.

As we previously reported, Brees suspected he was swindled by his jeweler so he brought it to another appraiser who valued it at a mere $2 million.

Now, according to new legal docs, we've learned Drew sold the ring in the spring of 2018 for $3.75 million ... a number he seemed satisfied with based on the low appraisal.

But Moradi's attorney, Eric George, suspected something fishy went down -- since the man who appraised the diamond got a commission for brokering the deal with the new buyer.

During the deposition, George hit Brees with a bombshell -- saying, "Would it surprise you to know that it's being offered right now at a wholesaler's for $6.8 million?"

Drew's response according to the transcript -- "[Brees shakes head]."

Yeah ...

George then told Brees if the diamond were to be sold at a retail store like Tiffany, the price tag would be in excess of $10 million!!!

We reached out to Drew's attorney, Andrew Kim, for comment who told us the new price tag may not reflect the true value of the diamond -- and doesn't take away from the fact Drew feels scammed by Moradi.

"[The wholesaler] is offering it at what he's offering it. The real story is what he's able to sell the piece for. We'll be fairly surprised if he gets anything close to what he's asking for."

Zip, zero, zilch, bupkis ... according to Bill Simmons, that's how many championships the great LeBron James will win as a Laker ... and Bill ain't playing around.

We got Simmons -- an NBA expert -- at LAX, and asked him a couple questions in his wheelhouse about the Association, including when he thought the Lake Show would be back in the finals.

Good news for L.A. fans, he said two years, and he said they'd get there with some combination of Jimmy Butler and Damian Lillard on the team.

The bad news came when we asked how many rings LeBron James would win in a Laker uniform, and Bill said not one, not two, not three, but NOT ANY ... holding up a zero to our camera.

Do the math. That means Bill thinks a team with LeBron, Damian, AND Jimmy Butler can't win a championship?

It's not Le'Veon, Zeke or David Johnson ... no, according to Christian Okoye -- the best running back in the NFL is Kareem Hunt!!

Of course, the Chiefs' legend is super biased.

But, still ... the Nigerian Nightmare is convinced Kareem is the league's top runner -- saying K.C.'s superstar is a clone of one of the all-time greats.

"You know who he reminds me of? Walter Payton," Okoye tells TMZ Sports.

Christian broke it all down for us ... saying Kareem's a small dude like Walter -- but he lays the hammer on defenders just like Sweetness!!

Okoye also told us there's another back in the league he likes ... but just not as much as Kareem.

As for Hunt ... dude did have a monster rookie season, leading the league in rushing yards -- just the sixth first-year player to ever do that. The others?? Ezekiel Elliott, Edgerrin James, Eric Dickerson, George Rogers and Earl Campbell.

Yeah, maybe Christian's got a point.

The UFC is the gift that keeps on giving, especially if you're one of the guys who sold it for max profit ... and later got some of the biggest names in music for your kid's wedding.

Frank Fertitta's daughter, Kelley, got hitched this weekend in Vegas to her man, Tyler, in what turned out to be one hell of a shindig -- 'cause they got guys like Bruno Mars, John Mayer and Seal to perform live. Needless to say ... that can't come cheap.

It all went down Saturday at the Red Rock Casino, with Bruno clearly being the biggest name on the bill. Based on video that was taken up close, it looks like he had close to a full band performing with him ... and belted out a few songs as part of his set.

John Mayer's performance from the rehearsal dinner appeared to be a bit more low-key and subtle (that's kinda his thing) ... but Seal's time on the mic day-of seemed to be the most intimate. He was on the dance floor singing to (and with, honestly) the crowd around him. Other notable guests of honor included EDM DJ Marshmello ... and none other than the king of UFC himself, Dana White.

In case you weren't familiar, Frank and his brother, Lorenzo, bought UFC back in 2001 for $2 million ... and sold it just a couple years ago for a reported $4 BILLION. So yeah ... the Fertatti family's set for life. It's no wonder they could snag such A-list talent -- they're freakin' loaded!!

So, Floyd Mayweather walked into a strip club with a backpack filled with $50k cash ... and wanna guess what happened next?

Yeah, it RAINED in New Jersey!!!

TMZ Sports has footage of the boxing champ's recent trip to Scores Atlantic City ... where Floyd was spotted throwing massive wads of cash out of his bag while vibin' to Lil Wayne's "Cannon."

Get this ... we're told Floyd threw SO much money, the cleaning crew found thousands of leftover bills all over the place the next morning -- from the ceiling vents to the furniture.

And, if that's not enough money spent, we're told Floyd and his crew ate at Robert's Steakhouse earlier that night ... and bought a $5k bottle of Louis XIII cognac for his table (dude doesn't even drink, he just likes his friends THAT much.)

WYD, Conor?