TMZ Sports - Page 50

Rajon Rondo has settled a lawsuit in Los Angeles, according to court filings ... stemming from a 2020 incident where the NBA star was accused of assaulting a woman in a parking lot.

In docs obtained by TMZ Sports, the attorney for the plaintiff, Toktam Jorshari -- who sued Rondo for assault and battery -- filed a notice in an L.A. court, indicating the parties had reached a settlement.

Now, a judge must dismiss the case ... which should be a formality.

We broke the story ... Jorshari sued Rondo after claiming she was injured during an altercation with the hooper and his GF outside an apartment complex in July 2020.

In the suit, Jorshari alleged the former Clippers PG was upset about how close her car was parked to his pricey, $300k Rolls-Royce ... which she says led to Rondo's GF attacking her.

TMZ Sports obtained video of the incident (which didn't have audio) ... and Rondo appears to nudge the woman with his elbow, causing Jorshari to confront his GF.

Jorshari claimed she suffered injuries from the confrontation ... after being punched in the face and head multiple times by Rondo's GF

At the time, Jorshari's attorneys said of the incident ... "no man should ever put their hands on a woman."

"Especially an NBA basketball player with superior height and strength. The video speaks for itself," they continued.

Cory Sandhagen says simply defeating Yadong Song isn't enough ... the #4 ranked fighter tells TMZ Sports he's gunning to destroy his opponent this weekend in grand fashion.

We talked to the 30-year-old star UFC fighter ... who admitted he wanted a higher-ranked opponent for Saturday's fight, but since he didn't get one, he must put on a spectacular performance.

"I just gotta beat these guys and I gotta beat them impressively and I gotta show that I'm one of the best guys in the world," Cory told us.

He continued ... "Against a guy like Song, I don't really feel like winning will be just enough for myself. I need to go out and dismantle Song and make him look like he doesn't really belong. That's gonna be the goal."

FYI, 24-year-old Song is ranked 10th in the UFC's Bantamweight division. Yadong is 8-1-1 since entering the promotion.

And, if Cory finds himself up a few rounds Saturday night ... don't look for him to coast.

"I think that that's a pretty bad mindset in a sport where it can end like this (snaps finger)."

Sandhagen is coming off two consecutive losses for the first time in his career. Cory lost to former champ T.J. Dillashaw in July 2021 at UFC Fight Night. Then, he was defeated by Petr Yan -- also a former champ -- at UFC 267 in October 2021.

Even though he lost to the absolute highest level of competition, Cory takes no solace. To him, a loss is a loss.

"I really don't give myself that excuse. All the losses feel the same. They felt the same when I was an amateur and they feel the same now as a professional even against the best guys. Nah man, the burn still burns the same."

Three losses aren't an option for Sandhagen ... who says he couldn't handle it.

"There's a little bit of an extra motivator there because I definitely hate losing and I don't know that my soul can take another hit. I don't know if it can take another third loss in a row and my pride and my ego, I don't think it can do that either."

Odell Beckham Jr. got on the phone and delivered a hell of a pump-up speech to Canelo Alvarez before his fight against Gennady "GGG" Golovkin ... telling the star boxer to straight up "kick his ass!"

The convo happened via FaceTime on Friday -- the day before the Canelo-GGG trilogy fight will go down -- and OBJ was super hyped to hop on the horn with the fighter.

The NFL star told Canelo he's actually the reason he in fell in love with boxing.

"Big fan of you!" OBJ said on the phone. "You made me like boxing."

"Let's go ahead, let's kick his ass," the Rams wideout added. "Let's show him one, two and the third one is all you."

Canelo appreciated the love ... and promised to deliver a victory "for you, my friend."

The two sports giants have never met each other -- but Odell told Canelo he was hoping to catch up with him in person soon.

The Canelo-GGG tilt, meanwhile, is slated to happen at T-Mobile Arena in Vegas on Saturday when Alvarez will be defending several belts -- including the WBA Super title.

This will be the third time the two have fought -- back in 2017, their bout ended in a draw, and in 2018, Alvarez won by majority decision.

Alvarez is the favorite to win this weekend -- both at the sportsbooks ... and, clearly, in Odell's heart!

Dennis Schroder is back with the Lakers ... he's just not getting paid anything close to $84 million!

The NBA guard signed a one-year deal with L.A. on Friday, according to Shams Charania ... and the deal is reportedly worth $2.64 million (obviously, nothing to scoff at).

Unless you previously turned down $84 million ... which, in 2021, Schroder did in arguably the biggest fumbling of the bag in modern history.

DS rejected the 4-year, $84 mil. contract ($21 mil. average annual salary) ... and ended up signing a 1-year, $5.9 million deal with the Celtics when all other offers dried up.

His stay in Beantown didn't last long. Dennis -- along with Enes Kanter Freedom and Bruno Fernando -- were traded to the Rockets. He suffered a shoulder injury which ultimately kept him off the court for much of his time in Houston.

Now, the 29-year-old is getting a second chance with LeBron James and the Lakers.

FYI, Schroder averaged 15.4 points, 5.8 assists, and 3.5 per game with the Lakers in 2020.

"This past year didn’t feel right," Schroder said on Friday via Instagram, "I felt misunderstood & nobody really knew the story! I'm coming back to the biggest organization to make s**t right!"

Sports and rap fans patiently waiting for Antonio Brown to release his "Put That S*** On" music vid can stop waiting -- the former NFL superstar just dropped it with huge cameos from Young Thug and Gunna.

On Friday, AB released his "Get In My Bag" video ... a collab with the now-incarcerated Young Thug, which is on Antonio's "Paradigm" album.

The smoke-filled visual finds AB and Thug posted up rapping inside a bowling alley ... flocked by tons of female partygoers. Gunna also blends into the mix ... a stark reminder the "Drip Too Hard" rapper is far removed from the days of his freedom.

Thug, Gunna and several other YSL members have been jammed up since May on a 56-count RICO indictment in Georgia.

AB has been tight with YSL for some time. Shortly before Gunna was busted, they celebrated good times like Styles P and shared a massive blunt ... which we're sure will be waiting for him whenever he gets free!

Mark Cuban isn't waiting for the NBA season to start to hit the court -- 'cause the 64-year-old Dallas Mavericks owner had a shooting session with a famed trainer, and his jump shot is sick!!

Cuban had a 1-on-1 sesh for almost 3 hours with Chris Matthews -- referred to as "Lethal Shooter" by his millions of followers online -- where the two worked on everything from form, mechanics, and footwork.

In the video, you see Matthews working with the billionaire on a series of mid-range jumpers and three-pointers, and the "Shark Tank" star did his best Steph Curry impersonation.

"His dedication to the game was unreal, didn’t want to leave the court," Chris said of Cuban's performance. "Now that’s locked in! Keep doing your thing, brother," he added.

Matthews has worked with NBA superstars Kevin Durant and Anthony Davis most recently, and his prowess as a shooter has garnered the respect of LeBron James.

Matthews, 37, is one of the most sought-after shooting coaches in the world ... and that's why NBA and WNBA stars regularly go to him when they want to work on their J.

Cuban looked damn good on the court ... and seemed to grasp the techniques and tips Chris was employing during their workout, knocking down shot after shot.

Kofi Kingston is in awe at how fast Logan Paul has transitioned into a WWE Superstar ... telling TMZ Sports the YouTuber's skills in the squared circle are unreal!

We recently caught up with Kofi -- a 14x WWE tag team champ -- out at LAX, and he told us Paul's star power, coupled with his ability to pick up the craft quickly, makes him a perfect fit for WWE.

"To me, it just makes sense," Kingston said. "When you think about how popular Logan Paul is and even his entire story. His come-up and what he's been able to do in the world of boxing and entertainment in general, it would only make sense for us to be hand in glove."

Kofi praised Paul -- who alongside The Miz, wrestled his first match against Rey and Dominik Mysterio at WrestleMania 38 -- saying, "he has a bright future ahead of him."

"To see what he did in the ring is very impressive," Kofi said.

"Especially as a performer who has seen a lot of people and has gone through the whole learning process, he shouldn't be that good, that quickly."

Kingston -- 1/3 of the "The New Day" -- said he takes Logan's word when he says pro wrestling is harder than boxing  ... adding it's a "true art."

"Well, I've never been a professional boxer, but it's awesome to hear him say that and kind of put respect on the grind that is WWE."

Kingston also said Big E's injury -- where he was dropped on his neck by Ridge Holland following a botched move -- reminds him how scary it is being a WWE performer.

"With E's situation and him breaking his neck ... you're reminded of just how dangerous what we do is," Kofi said. "It only takes one second for everything to go awry."

A surfer's day on the waves quickly turned into a fight for his board -- 'cause a sea otter stole it from him as he was dippin' in the Pacific Ocean, and refused to give it back!!

The wild scene all happened off the shores of California on Monday when an otter plopped itself onto Nick Ericksen's ride as he was hittin' the waves.

Video shot by one of Ericksen's friends showed despite all of the surfer's efforts to displace the animal -- it wasn't budging.

The two then engaged in a standoff for several moments -- with the otter in absolutely no mood to get back in the water.

At one point, Ericksen managed to get the otter off the board for a few seconds -- but it climbed back on and, again, didn't want to leave.

Finally, another surfer came to the rescue ... and pulled the board away long enough for Ericksen to hop back on it.

The whole thing was pretty funny -- but also a little scary, 'cause the pissed-off otter followed the surfer for a while!!!

According to one of Ericksen's friends, the surfer had considered getting an otter tattoo recently, "but this may have changed his mind."

A fan was so hellbent on getting Lionel Messi's attention ... he rushed the pitch during a match between Maccabi Haifa and Paris Saint-Germain, running up to the soccer star at midfield, and hugging him!

The funny/scary moment happened Wednesday at Sammy Ofer Stadium in Israel ... when a man wearing a black shirt and blue jeans hopped the wall during the UEFA Champions League Match in an effort to reach the 35-year-old legend.

Video shows the fan -- who lost one of his shoes in the process -- nearly taking a nasty spill as nearby security attempted to grab the fan. The dude got away (security, out of frustration, threw the shoe at him 😄) ... and ran full speed at the players on the field.

The guy ran past several players, and made a beeline for Messi, hugging him.

Messi -- who was caught off guard -- halfway embraced the intruder ... before being mobbed by security.

PayPal has an ultimatum for the Phoenix Suns and Robert Sarver ... either their disgraced owner resigns, or one of the biggest companies in the world pulls the plug on a lucrative sponsorship deal.

CEO/President of PayPal, Dan Schulman, released a strongly worded statement Friday morning ... and he didn't mince words.

"PayPal is a values-driven company and has a strong record of combatting racism, sexism and all forms of discrimination. We have reviewed the report of the NBA league's independent investigation into Phoenix Suns owner Robert Sarver and have found his conduct unacceptable and in conflict with our values."

The statement continued ... "PayPal's sponsorship with the Suns is set to expire at the end of the current season. In light of the findings of the NBA's investigation, we will not renew our sponsorship should Robert Sarver remain involved with the Suns organization, after serving his suspension."

Of course, a lengthy investigation revealed the 60-year-old Suns owner allegedly used the n-word on at least five occasions. He's also been accused of making sexually inappropriate comments to women and treating women in the workplace differently, among other troubling allegations.

For his behavior, the NBA suspended Sarver for one-year and fined him $10 million ... the maximum amount allowed under NBA bylaws.

Still, many people, including some of the biggest NBA stars in the world, have publicly said the NBA screwed up the punishment ... 'cause they went far too easy on Sarver.

LeBron James went to social media and tweeted ... "I gotta be honest…Our league definitely got this wrong."

Chris Paul, a Phoenix Suns star, cosigned Bron's sentiment, saying "the sanctions fell short in truly addressing what we can all agree was atrocious behavior."

Despite Sarver's ugly and offensive behavior, PayPal did note the Suns have many talented people within the front office.

"While we strongly reject the conduct of Robert Sarver, we remain supportive of the team, its players and the experienced and diverse talent now leading the organization, including Head Coach, Monty Williams, General Manager, James Jones, Assistant General Manager, Morgan Cato, and Senior Vice President of People and Culture, Kim Corbitt."

Former Cowboys cornerback Brandon Carr -- who famously signed a five-year, $50 MILLION contract with Dallas back in 2012 -- was arrested for DWI on Thursday, TMZ Sports has confirmed.

A spokesperson for the Collin County Sheriff's Office tells us Carr was arrested at around 2:30 AM on Thursday morning. He bonded out at around 5:30 PM later in the day.

Further details surrounding the arrest were not immediately available.

Carr was a solid starter in the NFL for over a decade. He was initially picked by the Kansas City Chiefs in the 2008 draft ... and eventually left the team for Dallas four years later.

He played for the Cowboys for six seasons -- tallying seven interceptions and 80 starts for America's Team.

He went on to play for the Baltimore Ravens for three seasons, before finishing his career back with the Cowboys in 2020.

The 36-year-old ultimately played in 195 games in his NFL career.

John "Bad Dude" Stearns -- a beloved New York Mets catcher and four-time All-Star -- has sadly died at 71 years old.

Former Mets exec Randye Ringler announced the news on his social media page ... saying Stearns -- who played for NY from 1975 to 1984 -- passed away on Thursday.

"May he be setting up to catch Tom Seaver in Baseball Heaven and Resting in Peace," Ringler said. "He left us all with so many wonderful memories."

A cause of death was not revealed ... but Stearns had been battling prostate cancer.

"No one played the game with more spirit or determination than John Stearns," Mets president Sandy Alderson said Friday morning. "He literally willed himself to attend Old Timers' Day last month so he could visit friends and old teammates."

"Despite his illness, he even managed to step into the batting cage to take a few swings. His nickname, 'Bad Dude' couldn’t have been more appropriate. A four-time All Star, John was one of the most complete catchers in Mets history. Our thoughts and prayers are with his friends and family."

Stearns started his career in the show with the Philadelphia Phillies in 1974 -- but only played one game before he was traded to the Mets.

He went on to become a fan favorite for the way he played behind the dish. In one of his most memorable moments as a catcher, he broke Pirates outfielder Dave Parkers' cheekbone after he tagged him to end a game in 1978.

Stearns' most famous moment, though, came in 1980 ... when he subdued a fan who ran onto the playing field. Stearns also gained notoriety for his involvement in a bench-clearing brawl weeks later.

After retirement, due to career-ending injuries, Stearns held several roles in the league including being a scout for the Mets, Brewers and Reds.

He also became an ESPN broadcaster in 1993.

Jeff Bezos had one of the best seats in the house at Arrowhead Stadium Thursday night -- taking in the Chargers-Chiefs game with Roger Goodell from the NFL commissioner's suite.

58-year-old Amazon founder was in the building with Goodell ... as the game was the first broadcast by Prime. Amazon won exclusive broadcast rights for "Thursday Night Football" through 2033. The Chiefs-Chargers game was the first on the platform.

Bezos, worth about $150 billion, according to Forbes, was shown during the game sitting next to the commish ... and the men appeared to be having a good time as two of the best teams in the AFC battled down on the field.

Of course, seeing Goodell and JB chop it up at the game had the Internet buzzin' -- as social media users wondered what the two tycoons were discussing.

Chiefs owner Clark Hunt and Chargers owner Dean Spanos also got some facetime with Bezos on the field before the game kicked off.

There was more for Goodell to celebrate than just the first Prime game. The home game marked the 50th season the Chiefs have played at Arrowhead Stadium -- opened in 1972 -- one of the best in all of football.

David Beckham jumped in line to pay his respects to Queen Elizabeth II on Friday morning ... waiting hours with thousands of mourners to eventually see Her Majesty's coffin.

Beckham told reporters at the line that he showed up to the London queue at 2 AM hoping to avoid massive crowds -- but he said "everybody had that in mind," so he's been hanging patiently with normies for a while as the throngs of people slowly make their way into Westminster Hall.

Beckham dressed to the nines despite knowing the hours of standing he'd have to do to pay his respects, wearing a suit, shirt, tie and hat.

He said while waiting that he felt it was important to be there.

"I grew up in a household of Royalists and I was brought up that way," the soccer legend said. "So if my grandparents were here today, I know that they would have wanted to be here so I am here on their behalf and on behalf of my family and to celebrate with everybody else here."

It's been reported that lines to see the Queen could last as long as 14 hours on Friday ... but Beckham made it clear he didn't mind spending the time to make sure he got a glimpse of it all.

Phoenix Suns minority owner Jahm Najafi followed in the steps of his team's star player, Chris Paul, this week by calling for harsher penalties for Robert Sarver -- saying the owner should give up his position.

Najafi -- the Suns' second-largest stakeholder -- sent a letter to Phoenix employees Thursday ... saying that Sarver should resign ASAP after the NBA found he's used racist language and bullied employees during his tenure.

"Similar conduct by any CEO, executive director, president, teacher, coach, or any other position of leadership would warrant immediate termination," Najafi said in his letter.

"The fact that Robert Sarver 'owns' the team does not give him a license to treat others differently than any other leader. The fact that anyone would find him fit to lead because of this 'ownership' position is forgetting that NBA teams belong to the communities they serve."

He continued, "I cannot in good judgment sit back and allow our children and future generations of fans to think that this behavior is tolerated because of wealth and privilege. Therefore, in accordance with my commitment to helping eradicate any form of racism, sexism and bias, as Vice Chairman of the Phoenix Suns, I am calling for the resignation of Robert Sarver."

Following a months-long investigation into claims Sarver was inappropriate in the Suns' workplace -- the NBA announced this week it did find he used the n-word on multiple occasions.

Investigators also said he made unprofessional comments about female employees, and did not treat them equally. The probe also found Sarver engaged in inappropriate physical conduct toward male employees.

Sarver was banned one season and fined $10 million as punishment. Paul said following the announcement he believed the penalties should have been more severe.

"This conduct especially towards women is unacceptable and must never be repeated," Paul said. "I am of the view that the sanctions fell short in truly addressing what we can all agree was atrocious behavior. My heart goes out to all of the people that were affected."

Tyron Woodley's ready to give the people what they want ... a fight between the future UFC Hall of Famer and YouTube star-turned-boxer, KSI!

Some backstory -- KSI blasted out a poll to his 8 million Twitter followers, asking a simple question ... would you like to see me fight T-Wood, Dillon Danis, Slim, or Dr. Mike in January?

And, the winner (at the time we're writing), with 264,446 votes or 36% of the followers polled ... Tyron Woodley. So, we asked the MMA star if he was interested in the fight.

"KSI, I like that he's energetic, he's all into it, he's all over the place but he's gonna get f****d up playing around me. My new slogan is 'don't get f****d up by having me f****d up' and he's had me f****d up for a long time talking shit about my name."

40-year-old Woodley then sent a message directly to the 29-year-old YouTuber.

"KSI, I know you watching because you watch everything I do. You probably was a fan of me like everybody else. If you're watching this, you wanna be a fighter, you want the respect, get the full training camp to yourself as you requested."

"I'll get the full training camp. January, we can get it cracking. We can get it cracking in White Castle. We can get it cracking in U.K. We can get it cracking in Vegas."

As for the fighter's resumes ... Woodley, of course, is one of the best MMA fighters of all time.

But, KSI isn't a scrub. He recently fought twice in one night ... albeit against overmatched opponents. He knocked out Swarmz and 2-5 pro boxer Luis Alcaraz Pineda at the O2 Arena in London.

Woodley also broke down some of what he was dealing with behind the scenes leading up to the second Jake Paul fight, and he expressed interest in a scrap with Tommy Fury.

Bottom line ... Tyron is anything but retired, and he's ready to dole out an ass whoopin'!