TMZ Sports - Page 50

Adam Levine's getting dragged for his cheating scandal, but as he gets ready for a big gig in Vegas ... he's getting strong support from the man throwing the event ... Shaquille O'Neal.

Shaq tells TMZ Sports ... Adam is still good in his book, despite the Maroon 5 frontman's alleged infidelity, because Adam's always done charity work for children in need.

Adam and Maroon 5 are getting set to perform this weekend at The Shaquille O'Neal Foundation's annual fundraising gala, "The Event" in Las Vegas ... and Shaq says Adam's dedication to charity shows his true character, in his book.

While there's a lot of anticipation to see Adam on stage for the first time since multiple women accused him of sliding into their DMs -- including one who says they had a physical relationship -- Shaq says the only thing that matters is having Adam and Maroon 5 there to help raise money.

The way Shaq sees it ... he's not in a position to cast judgment on Adam.

For what it's worth, Adam and his pregnant wife, supermodel Behati Prinsloo, are presenting a united front -- this week they hopped on a private jet for a getaway before his Sin City gig. Adam's also denying having sex with any of his accusers, but admits he "crossed a line."

37,008 showed up to watch Aaron Judge hit his 61st home run Wednesday night -- but one of the fans in attendance couldn't have been sicker to see history ... 'cause he dropped the historic baseball, costing himself a small fortune!!

Judge hit the blast in the seventh inning of the Yankees' blowout win over the Blue Jays in Toronto -- officially tying the American League watermark set by Roger Maris back in 1961 -- and one fan was in a perfect position to nab the ball as it crossed over the left field wall.

He had his glove ready ... and when he reached over some railing in front of him to catch it -- the legendary cowhide touched his mitt's webbing!!!

Unfortunately for the guy, it caromed off his hand and landed safely in the Jays' bullpen ... something that clearly crushed the man.

Video from the game's broadcast in Canada showed the guy was absolutely devastated over the fumble -- throwing his mitt and hat in disgust afterward.

Of course, the guy had every right to be sad ... the ball would have been worth a HUGE payday for the Jays fan.

David Kohler of SCP Auctions told TMZ Sports earlier this month it could sell for as much as $250,000 on the auction block!!

As for what ultimately ended up happening to the ball -- Toronto bullpen coach Matt Buschmann initially grabbed it. He gave it to Jays closer Jordan Romano ... who then passed it off to Yankees reliever Zack Britton, who returned it to Judge.

Judge held onto it for a while -- but in a super sweet moment, he turned it over to his mother.

Mark Zuckerberg's Little League "career" is worth a lot of money to some folks ... because a baseball card from when he was a kid sold at auction for six figures!!!

The Facebook honcho's autographed Little League card from back in the day hauled in $120,750 in a fierce, five-day long auction.

The folks at ComicConnect.com started the bidding at $1 ... so the final sale price shows there was a ton of interest in the card.

The anonymous buyer told the auction house the Zuckerberg card would join a collection already featuring rookie cards for MLB legends Babe Ruth and Mickey Mantle, plus an Action Comics #1 ... summing up Zuck as "the Babe Ruth, Mickey Mantle and Superman of social media rolled up into one."

The signed card -- which is from 1992 -- was also sold as an NFT, and that went for $1,345.

Mark played Little League in Westchester County, NY ... where the trading cards were a novelty offered to families.

The card previously belonged to Mark's former camp counselor, Allie Tarantino, and Zuckerberg signed it when he was 8 years old. Allie says he sold the card to help pay for his kids to go to college.

Mark even posted about the card last month on social media, fueling speculation he might try to swoop the card for himself. The buyer is anonymous, but as far as we know, Zuck doesn't own Babe and Mantle cards ... so, seems like someone else got it.

LeBron James has a new team -- the four-time NBA champ is the newest owner of a professional pickleball team ... and he's teaming up with a group of other hoops stars!

Major League Pickleball announced Wednesday an ownership group, LRMR ventures, led by LeBron James and business partner, Maverick Carter, had purchased a new squad.

Joining the four-time MVP in his latest business venture is his former teammate in Cleveland, Kevin Love, and his good friend and rival over the years, Warriors star Draymond Green.

As MLP expands, the list of high-profile names wanting to associate with the growing sport rises.

Retired NFL quarterback Drew Brees became the owner of the Mad Drops Pickleball Club in July ... joining Lakers co-owner Jim Buss who is a part of the ownership group.

James already has an ownership stake in Fenway Sports Group, the owner of the Boston Red Sox, Fenway Park, and Liverpool F.C., the English Premier League soccer team.

And now, James can add this latest acquisition to his impressive portfolio.

A fan at Tuesday night's Nationals game got so upset with a stadium usher that he hit the man in the face -- before biting him.

The wild altercation happened at Nationals Park during the ninth inning of the Nats' loss to the Atlanta Braves ... when several venue staffers appeared to try to boot a fan from his seat.

A video shot by a bystander shows fans near the guy chanting, "Get him out!" over and over again -- but the two staffers were having trouble getting him to leave.

Eventually, another usher came to the area to nudge the man away from his seat ... and that's when things took a violent turn.

You can see in the footage, the fan elbowed the usher in the face two times -- before he seemed to bite the man's hand.

Thankfully, two police officers arrived and separated the men before the situation escalated further.

Video shows the fan suffered a bloody head in the skirmish. It's unclear if the usher was injured.

We've reached out to both police and the Nationals for comment on it all, but so far, no word back yet.

Ryan Garcia and Gervonta "Tank" Davis were apparently close to fighting recently -- but, it wasn't inside of the ring ... it was at a nightclub, where Garcia says the two boxers got into a heated altercation.

Garcia explained the situation on an Instagram Live stream on Wednesday ... saying he and his friend approached Tank's table at a club and asked the 27-0 boxer when they were going finally set up a fight.

"I guess he got offended by that," Garcia said of Davis. "Got all worked up."

Garcia says Tank grabbed onto his chain ... but, thankfully, the star fighter claims to have kept his cool.

"There's so many security guards there," Garcia said. "I knew he wasn't gonna take my chain or do anything really. He just wanted to seem tough."

Garcia says Tank eventually let go of his chain ... but they continued to exchange words.

"Outside the ring, you can act tough all you want," Garcia said. "Inside the ring, it all changes. I'm not with the acting tough. I'm tough only when I need to be."

Garcia and his promoter, Oscar De La Hoya, have been clamoring for a fight with Tank for a while ... in fact, the 23-0 boxer told us this summer he's ready to put his rival to sleep.

Browns head coach Kevin Stefanski says there's still a chance Myles Garrett could play on Sunday against the Falcons ... this despite the Cleveland star being involved in a wild rollover crash on Monday.

Of course, there's still a very good chance Garrett could sit out the game ... but Stefanski told reporters Wednesday, "I'm not ruling anybody out on Wednesday."

"We'll kind of do what we always do," Stefanski said, "which is take in information every single day."

Garrett suffered a shoulder sprain and a bicep strain when he flipped his Porsche 911 Turbo S in Sharon Township, Ohio a few hours after Cleveland's workout on Monday. Police video showed he was also bleeding from his right hand.

But Stefanski said he's spoken to the 26-year-old defensive end recently, and "he's doing OK." The coach expected the pass rusher to return to the Browns facility on Thursday.

"I'm grateful that he's OK," Stefanski said. "We'll see him in here tomorrow."

Police say they are still investigating the cause of the accident. Sources close to Garrett, though, told NFL Network's Tom Pelissero -- he crashed the car while trying to avoid an animal in the roadway.

Cops do not believe alcohol or drugs were involved.

Dana White was so touched by the story of a Muay Thai fighter who's trying to make a comeback to the ring after losing his legs in a tragic work accident last year, he opened up his wallet and donated $10,000 ... TMZ Sports has learned.

The fighter's name is John Esposito -- and back in December 2021, his life changed forever while he was doing his job as a road worker.

Esposito says he was filling in potholes on the side of a highway, when a car sped into the work area and hit him from behind, pinning him against a trailer. The 30-year-old said the amputation of his legs "happened on the spot."

"Halfway through the flight on the medivac, I flatlined," Esposito said recently while recalling the incident. "They were able to resuscitate me, though, and bring me back to life."

John -- who fought regularly prior to the accident -- has worked tirelessly the last nine months to get back in between the ropes ... hitting mitts from a wheelchair while he learns to move around with prosthetics.

After hearing of his journey, Liam Tarrant, founder and president of The Muay Thai Project, alongside friends Chris and Sarah Romulo, started a GoFundMe to help Esposito on his road to recovery.

And, after Tarrant appeared on UFC fighter Angela Hill's "Ceremonial Weigh-In" podcast to speak about it all ... White ended up donating $10K to the cause.

Tarrant tells us thanks to White's generosity -- as well as other donors -- the GoFundMe has already exceeded its initial goal ... and is approaching $30,000.

Tarrant says the cash will ultimately go toward Esposito's recovery costs "in the coming months & years."

Mike Bibby is back on the bench -- well, four benches, really -- 'cause the former NBA star is joining the newly formed Fan Controlled Hoops, and he's going to serve as coach for the entire league.

TMZ Sports talked to the former #2 overall pick (1998 NBA Draft) ... when he broke the news, he's coaching again!

"My main thing getting back into [coaching] is just so I can mentor these kids, get them on the right path, just teach them basketball, all the knowledge I have," Bibby told us.

FCH, like Fan Controlled Football, is different from other leagues ... fans control select aspects of the actual gameplay. What play will the team run? Fans vote. There's a ton of interaction ... and the court will even look different.

"It's gonna be great. Just the concept of the whole thing is gonna be amazing," Bibby says.

"I think once everybody sees it, the LED court, just the concept of how players can get power-ups, the paints lit up, you get 3 or 4 points for a dunk, there's a lot that's gonna be changed. It's gonna be a fast-paced game!"

The inaugural season will feature four different teams ... made up of college and professional players, and possibly even influencers.

We asked Bibby, who's just 44 years old, if there was a chance he might come off the bench and actually play.

"No, no, no, no, no, I'm twice these guys' age. My playing days are over. Ya know, I'll get out there and maybe play a little pick up, maybe get into practice a little bit to where there's no cameras. But, when the camera come on, I gotta sit down. There's not gonna be any embarrassment of me."

Bibby isn't the only former star hooper who's a part of the FCH. Baron Davis is also involved as an advisor and team owner.

It's likely other celebs will come on board. The FCF has team owners like Quavo, Richard Sherman, Steve Aoki, and more ... and Bibby says the star power is likely to follow them to the FCH.

Jared Goff is officially closing the book on Los Angeles ... 'cause the Detroit Lions quarterback just sold his California home for $6.4 million -- a discount from his original ask!

The 5,369-square-foot home sits on 1.42 acres in Hidden Hills (home to the Kardashians) -- 30 miles west of downtown L.A. -- comes with 4 bedrooms, 4 baths, a large kitchen with wine cellar, game room, and a 3-car garage.

The backyard has breathtaking mountain views ... and there's a custom pool and spa, fire pit, barbeque area, and a private mini-golf course.

There's also a 1,075-square-foot guest house that Goff used as an entertainment room.

The 27-year-old signal-caller bought the home in 2018 for a little over $4 million while suiting up for the L.A. Rams ... but when Goff was traded to the Lions in March 2021, the QB put the house on market.

The initial listing price of the home was $7.49 million. Jordan Cohen of Re/Max One represented Jared and the buyers.

Sister Jean is proving yet again that age is only a number -- the famed 103-year-old Loyola Chicago chaplain threw out the first pitch at the Cubs game, and she brought the heat!!!

The most famous nun in sports was rocking a custom No. 103 jersey as she took to the diamond on Tuesday night at Wrigley Field ... just one month after she celebrated her 103rd birthday.

Sister Jean's battery mate was Clark, the Cubs' mascot, and after he received her pitch, he hugged her as the fans in the stands roared with applause.

Sister Jean's popularity grew during the 2018 NCAA tournament when her public support of the Loyola Ramblers men's basketball team seemingly became a good luck charm.

Loyola Chicago, an 11th seed from the South bracket, went on an improbable run, knocking off Miami, Tennessee, Nevada, and Kansas State en route to the Final Four.

Sister Jean's love for the Ramblers became one of the most talked-about storylines of the tournament ... as Loyola was two wins away from winning the NCAA championship.

Unfortunately for Loyola, their fairytale story ended after they lost to Michigan, 69-57, but Sister Jean cemented herself as a superfan in the hearts and minds of college hoops fans.

Hilaree Nelson -- a world-famous ski mountaineer -- has tragically been found dead after she fell from a mountain following an avalanche in Nepal this week.

She was 49 years old.

According to the New York Times, Nelson and her partner, Jim Morrison, were attempting to ski down Manaslu -- the eighth-highest mountain in the world -- on Monday when she was knocked off course by a massive snowslide and went missing.

Authorities say they immediately launched a search for her -- though bad weather hampered their efforts. Finally, on Wednesday, government officials said they located her body.

Sachindra Yadav, an expedition liaison officer, confirmed Nelson's death to the New York Times.

"Her body has been brought to Kathmandu for autopsy," Yadav said. "It's intact but covered with snow."

Nelson was a legend in the extreme skiing sport, The North Face -- one of her sponsors -- called her "the most prolific ski mountaineer of her generation."

Her bio on her personal website said her "expedition career has led her to many 'firsts' in the world of ski mountaineering including linking two 8000m peaks in one push, first ski descents in Baffin Island, a first American ascent and ski descent of Papsura peak in India and a first ski descent of the 4th highest peak in the world, Lhotse."

The mother of two was named National Geographic Adventurer of the Year in 2018.

It's not every day you can wakeboard in the street ... so when the weather from Hurricane Ian caused a huge flood, a Florida man was there with his board!

A bystander in Marathon, Florida caught the performance on video ... where a pickup truck,  submerged in water, pulled the wakeboarder through the flooded streets.

There were even spectators there ... cheering on the wakeboarder.

Even though it looks fun (heck, is fun), Hurricane Ian is no joke. The storm could bring 155 MPH winds when it slams into Florida on Wednesday, according to Weather.com.

Last week, Hurricane Ian struck the Cayman Islands and Cuba, leaving at least 2 people dead in Cuba and millions without power.

This is the second major hurricane of the 2022 season.

Several sporting events in Florida, and even South Carolina, have been postponed due to the severe weather, including UCF's game, originally scheduled for Saturday game, that's been moved to Sunday.

As of now, the Buccaneers-Chiefs game is still on for Sunday night at Raymond James Stadium in Tampa, but an NFL spokesman said the league is "monitoring the storm and continuing to talk to both teams."

Harrison Bader took a page out of Stone Cold Steve Austin's playbook on Tuesday night -- chugging three beers at once to celebrate the Yankees winning the AL East title ... and it was EPIC!!!

The New York outfielder -- who's only been a member of the Pinstripes for a few weeks after being acquired by the team in a trade with the Cardinals last month -- was seen hitting the party trick in the locker room following NY's 5-2 win over the Toronto Blue Jays.

The 28-year-old nabbed three Bud Heavies, cracked 'em all open, then proceeded to pour each one down his face. At one point, one of his teammates even threw ANOTHER beer into the mix!!

Following the initial chug, Bader let out a burp -- and then went back for more!

Of course, he wasn't the only Yank gettin' after it following the big victory ... the team's MVP, Aaron Judge, was also spotted in the locker room enjoying a face full of champagne.

Judge didn't hit any homers in the contest -- he walked FOUR times and still remains one dinger shy of tying Roger Maris' 61 mark -- but he clearly didn't care ... even opting to sip on a Bud later in the celebration.

No word when the guys finally wound down the celly -- but it had to have wrapped up sooner than later ... they've got a game Wednesday at 4 p.m. PT.

Tekashi 6ix9ine's recent brawl in Dubai won't be his last one ... not if the DJ he punched that night has anything to say about it!!!

TMZ Hip Hop caught up with the DJ, Lucasdirty ... who wants to resolve the whole thing mano a mano in a real boxing ring.

Lucasdirty's looking to finish what started last weekend ... he tells us he was alerted by the club's management that 6ix9ine was indeed in the building, so he was asked to spin his tunes.

He refused, though, because he says 6ix9ine's music goes against his core beliefs and morals -- and that's what sparked the nightclub melee captured on video.

You can see how things blew up ... 6ix9ine approached the DJ booth 10 minutes after getting rejected, some words were exchanged and then the club was flipped upside down.

Now, Lucasdirty is looking ahead to the recently announced exhibition fight between Floyd Mayweather and YouTuber Deji this November in Dubai, and sees it as the perfect opportunity to settle his differences with Tekashi.

Lucasdirty doesn't even fancy himself a boxer, but he's willing to put on the gloves if it means punching the rainbow.

Maryna Moroz is showing the world a different side of her and making history in the process ... becoming the first fighter in UFC history to be featured and pose nude for Playboy Centerfold.

The 11-3 MMA fighter has made a name for herself by punishing opponents inside the Octagon ... but Moroz tells us she's embracing and leaning into a sexier, gentler side.

"Before, I was a very closed person," Moroz said. "Now, America changed me, and now I'm open, and I feel more energy when I show nude pictures."

Maryna says whenever she would post content where she was showing her body, she noticed the responses she received were largely positive -- and she liked the attention.

Moroz was so eager to tell the world about her newfound opportunity with Playboy ... her manager had to tell her not to prematurely reveal the big surprise too soon.

Although Moroz is stepping into a new arena, she reminded the combat world that fighting remains at the forefront of her mind as she prepares for her upcoming bout against Jennifer Maia in November.

"My life is like train, my pictures, rest, food, and that's it," Moroz said. "Super big fight for me, and I'm ready for it because I work hard and focus is always in training. I love my job!"

Maryna told us she's happy that her scheduled fight with Maia is still on after it appeared to be in jeopardy, but she's equally ecstatic that she gets to work with Playboy.

Moroz knows that working with Playboy may be viewed as deviating from the norm for fighters, but she's not worried about public perception, and most importantly she's happy.

"Playboy is super big for me," Moroz said. "It changed everything in my life, and now I am different. I am a different person."