TMZ Sports - Page 50

Edmonton Oilers star Evander Kane says a number of Kings supporters turned a dream trip into a complete nightmare for a young fan last week ... accusing L.A. backers of harassing and spitting on her jersey during a Stanley Cup playoff game.

Evander shared the allegations via social media ... saying 10-year-old Cecily Eklund -- who is battling cancer -- was singled out for wearing a Kane jersey during Game 3 of the Kings vs. Oilers series at Crypto.com Arena on Friday.

"I'm disgusted and appalled at what happened to this amazing little girl in the stands and in a women's restroom where she was harassed for wearing her jersey and was spit on by a LA fan for doing so," Kane said.

"This type of behavior is gross and unacceptable."

Kane went on to call the alleged conduct "pathetic" -- especially considering Cecily is a young warrior going through challenging times.

What makes things even worse -- Kane later shared a follow-up from someone DEFENDING Kings fans over the whole thing ... stating the awful human beings behind the alleged hateful actions had no other choice because he's "such a f***in scum bag."

"You make us spit on kids for being a dirty mother f***er," the user added.

Evander and Cecily have been tight for some time now -- the two met through the Ben Stelter Fund, which helps young kids battling illness have once-in-a-lifetime experiences.

Ben Askren might be sleeping on the couch tonight ... and it's all 'cause he accidentally insulted his wife in what was supposed to be a super sappy appreciation post!!!

The former UFC star unleashed the blunder on both his Twitter and Instagram pages Tuesday afternoon ... when he was trying to praise his spouse, Amy, for being a great mother.

In his comment -- which was left as a caption on a photo of him with Amy and their kids -- he wrote, "I've seen some guys posting on social media lately about how they are winning bc their wife is attractive, while I don’t disagree I think finding a wife who is a great mother is 500% more important!!!"

He added, "Thanks [Amy] for being such a great mom to our kids."

The problem ... there appeared to be an insinuation in his post that perhaps his wife, who he's been married to for over a decade, isn't attractive.

Fans were quick to note the gaffe -- they slammed Askren on social media for the way he worded his compliment ... with many urging him to take it down before she saw it.

But, a little over an hour after he wrote it ... Askren blasted those who thought he was inadvertently calling his wife ugly.

"For those of you who are too dumb to realize multiple things can be true at once. My wife is both very hot and a great mother," the ex-fighter said. "Being a great mother is way more important as I originally stated."

Oscar De La Hoya says he has a good explanation for not showing up to Gervonta Davis and Ryan Garcia's post-fight press conference on Saturday ... he received death threats, and was concerned for his safety!

The 50-year-old former boxer broke it down for fans on social media ... after people noticed ODLH was a no-show after Tank KO'd his Golden Boy Promotion boxer in the 7th round.

"My security team told me 'boss we gotta get the f*** out of here' because I received death threats," ODLH said in the video.

"You guys don't know this, I received death threats throughout the whole week and they just said it was simply too dangerous, so we got out of there."

Oscar also explained why his partner, Bernard Hopkins -- former champion boxer and current Golden Boy promoter -- was also MIA following the fight, saying he was accused of trying to touch Davis with a banned substance during weigh-ins the previous day.

"Bernard Hopkins was accused during the weigh-in of having testosterone cream on his hands and touching Gervonta Davis when he only wanted to help him because he was going to fall off the stage," ODLH said.

"So, PBC, Gervonta's promoter, banned him from everything. He couldn't get inside the ring. He couldn't do anything during the promotion."

You can actually see Tank on video yelling at Hopkins, demanding he not touch him during the pre-fight event.

Bottom line is Oscar is attempting to put all the speculation to rest, insisting he didn't go AWOL when Garcia needed him after his first-career loss. In fact, ODLH says he's proud of his boxer and Tank for putting on an exceptional event.

"The best man won," ODLH said. "Tank Davis you're a great fighter."

"Ryan Garcia, I have your back. Bernard has your back. We're with you 100% and you will be back stronger than ever, better than ever. Guaranteed."

After the fight, 23-1 Garcia made it clear he wants to rematch 29-0 Davis down the line ... and many King Ry supporters, including UFC superstar Conor McGregor, definitely want to see that happen.

Gervonta "Tank" Davis is winning in life ... the 29-0 fighter was gifted a $250K "Gumbo" chain minutes after knocking out Ryan Garcia, all to commemorate a new strain of weed named after the boxing superstar.

TMZ Sports has learned Davis recently signed a deal with cannabis company Gumbo Brands, who are releasing a strain called "Ape S***."

In the video, you see Tank smiling ear-to-ear as owners Alexis Majors and Karim "Luca" Butler put the expensive piece of bling -- a pendant and diamond tennis chain from Pristine Jewelers -- around his neck.

We're told former NBA star Stephen Jackson, who met with the champ in the locker room after the fight, helped facilitate the partnership between Davis and Gumbo.

Of course, Davis was already a hot commodity heading into the fight ... and even more so now that he's ended Garcia's undefeated streak, eliminating any doubt he's the king in their division.

As we reported ... Tank opted to keep things relatively low-key following arguably the biggest win of his career, celebrating the victory with some friends at Ghostbar in Vegas.

Shane McMahon is back in the gym just weeks after tearing his quad at WrestleMania 39 ... and the WWE talent was in great company -- 'cause he was sweatin' it out with All-Pro Tennessee Titans running back Derrick Henry!!

Shane -- donning a large brace on his left leg -- posted video of his workout on Tuesday ... showing him going through a series of exercises as he attacks his rehab.

The two were accompanied by famous athletic trainer Melvin Sanders -- who works with all the biggest names in the NFL -- as well as Luke Miller, who is Dak Prescott and Zeke Elliott's physical therapist.

Remember, Shane-O-Mac -- who hadn't appeared on WWE programming since the 2022 Royal Rumble -- came out during a segment featuring The Miz and Snoop Dogg at WrestleMania at SoFi Stadium.

Snoop set up an impromptu match between Shane and The Miz ... but it was called off after McMahon tore his quadriceps.

53-year-old McMahon suffered the injury after his knee buckled following a leapfrog -- but thankfully, WWE's medical team was able to intervene swiftly.

Snoop Dogg ended up saving the day -- he fought Miz in place of Shane ... and defeated the former WWE champion using The Rock's signature "People's Elbow" finisher.

Shane has a reputation for his death-defying stunts over his career -- and has always prided himself on staying in shape in case the moment arises to entertain WWE fans.

Colin Kaepernick is mourning the death of Harry Belafonte ... paying tribute to the legendary singer and civil rights activist by thanking him for his mentorship and leadership.

The former NFL quarterback took to Instagram after news of the "Day-O" singer's passing broke on Tuesday ... sharing a photo of them together with a sweet note.

"Thank you, Mr. B, for all of your years of mentorship, guidance, and lifetime of activism fighting for a better future for all of us," Kaepernick wrote.

"You will be missed by many, but your memory and impact lives on. I'm eternally grateful for our time together. Rest in Power."

Belafonte -- who was famously known for marching with Dr. Martin Luther King Jr. in the 1960s -- was a huge Kap supporter ... and applauded the ex-49ers star for standing his ground despite all the backlash he received for protesting racial inequality during the national anthem at NFL games.

"When a Black voice is raised in protest to oppression, those who are comfortable with our oppression are the first to criticize us for daring to speak out against it," Belafonte said of Kaepernick in an interview with NewsOneNow in 2016.

"I think that it's a noble thing that he's done. I think that speaking out and making people aware of the fact that you are paying homage to an anthem that also has a constituency that by the millions suffer is a righteous thing to do."

Belafonte added, "The fact that these people are having these ‘How dare you speak out against lynching?’ and all of the things that racism stands for or the conclusions to racist acts permit – I think is a statement about America."

"I think he's a noble and a courageous man having done that."

Belafonte was 96 and leaves behind his wife, four children, two stepchildren, and grandchildren.

Nate Diaz is now a wanted man in Louisiana ... cops said Monday afternoon they've issued an arrest warrant for the former UFC star -- after he was seen on camera choking out a man on Bourbon Street.

The incident happened late Saturday night after Diaz had attended the Misfits Boxing 6 event in New Orleans.

In footage of the altercation, you can see Diaz got a man in a headlock during what appeared to be a large dispute -- and he didn't let the guy go until he was unconscious.

The man later took to social media to say he suffered a gnarly head wound during the incident.

According to MMA Fighting, authorities said they reviewed the footage, and an arrest warrant for Diaz for second-degree battery was ultimately issued.

Diaz is not currently in custody.

The 38-year-old fighter has yet to publicly comment on the situation ... but sources close to the fighter tell TMZ Sports he did not believe the man he choked out was acting as a peacemaker -- saying there was a larger fight happening in the area and the guy was part of that group. They're adamant Diaz was simply defending himself.

Diaz, who's slated to box Jake Paul later this summer, had been in a separate altercation earlier in the night -- when he threw a water bottle at reality star Chase DeMoor while ringside at the boxing event.

Shakur Stevenson says Ryan Garcia wasn't on "Tank" Davis' level Saturday night ... but he knows someone who is -- Shakur himself‍!

The 25-year-old undefeated boxer, one of the most talented fighters in the world, joined Babcock on the TMZ Sports TV show (airs weekdays on FS1) where he broke down this weekend's megafight ... and previewed a potential scrap with Gervonta.

"I felt Tank looked sharp. He was real sharp. He boxed real good. I think Ryan was preschool. Ryan wasn't on that top level," the 20-0 fighter said.

"I ain't think Ryan was that good. I ain't taking no credit away from Tank. Tank did what he was supposed to do but Ryan wasn't that."

Where'd Garcia go wrong?

Shakur explained it like this ... "He ain't know his distance. He was looking for one left hook the whole entire fight. He threw a left hook three times in a row and got clipped. Anybody knows that when you're fighting Tank, you can't do something three times in a row because his brain is like a computer. He picks up on it."

Of course, Davis beat Garcia by 7th-round knockout ... delivering a crushing liver shot to Ryan's body, ending a fight years in the making.

We also talked to Shakur about the KO, and people criticizing Garcia for not getting up before the 10-count (Stevenson says the critique isn't fair).

After the fight, the chatter started ... the real fight to make, and the guy who poses a true threat to Tank, is Stevenson, who is coming off a TKO win in April.

The good news is Shakur says he really wants the fight ... and soon.

"I would love that fight. I think that's the biggest and best fight in the sport of boxing."

Stevenson believes Tank, like him, is an all-time fighter ... and he used a sports analogy to put the matchup into perspective.

"You got like a Michael Jordan that came around in his era. Then you got a LeBron that came around in his era but they wasn't in the same era so we never got to see them go against each other."

Stevenson summed up the future Stevenson vs. Garcia fight like this.

"With me and Tank, you got two special fighters that been special our whole careers and our whole lives. When it comes down to it, it's going to be the biggest and best fight in boxing."

More troubles for the Univ. of Alabama men's basketball team ... Jaykwon Walton, a top hooper who was slated to transfer to the Tide this season, was arrested over the weekend -- and now, he's been dropped from the team over it all.

Walton was busted for possession of marijuana at around 10:11 PM on the Strip in Tuscaloosa on Saturday night -- just three months after former Tide guard Darius Miles was arrested in the same area following allegations he was involved in the shooting death of Jamea Harris.

According to Tuscaloosa Police, a vehicle that Walton and two others were in reeked of marijuana ... and when officers eventually searched the ride, they said they found "a rolling tray, a baggie containing approximately 20 grams of marijuana, and a half-rolled blunt in the passenger side floorboard."

Cops also noted there were three loaded firearms in the car as well.

Walton was taken into custody and booked on a charge of second-degree possession of marijuana. He was released on $500 bond a short time later.

Bama head coach Nate Oats, though, said the former Wichita State star was no longer in the plans for his team's 2023-24 roster after the arrest.

"Alabama is no longer recruiting Jaykwon Walton," Oats said in a statement Monday night. "He will not be a student-athlete at the University of Alabama."

Oats had previously caught heat for the way he handled Miles' arrest and the ensuing allegations surrounding it back in the winter. While he did axe the guard from the team ... when authorities said star Brandon Miller had a connection to the case, Oats opted to not punish him.

Miller, who declared for the NBA draft this offseason, didn't miss a single game ... and eventually helped lead the Tide to the Sweet 16.

Travis Kelce went from 3rd round draft pick to an 8x Pro Bowler, 7x All-Pro, and 2x Super Bowl champion ... so, with just three days until the NFL Draft, we asked the future Hall of Famer what advice he'd give soon-to-be rookies.

"The biggest thing for me is taking advantage of your opportunities. If you're blessed enough to get drafted," Kelce told Michael Babcock on the TMZ Sports TV show (airs weekdays on FS1), continuing, "take advantage of those opportunities and don't feel accomplished just because you finally made it to the NFL."

Travis added ... "I know it's going to be a very accomplishing feeling, but there's still a lot of work that you gotta do. You gotta mesh with your new teammates and everything like that. So the opportunities at hand, just make sure you take advantage of it."

33-year-old Kelce wasn't exactly seen as a can't-miss prospect coming out of college, after spending 5 years at the University of Cincinnati. However, Travis did have a productive senior season, catching 45 passes (he caught 59 in his entire Cinci career) for 722 yards and 8 touchdowns.

That was good enough to make Kelce the 63rd overall pick. Of course, if teams were to re-draft now, Travis would almost certainly be the #1 pick.

We asked Kelce what he'd say to players who feel disrespected or overlooked with their draft positioning.

"It's naturally going to fuel you and make you want to work harder, and prove yourself even more."

FYI, Kelce, with hindsight, isn't the first or last guy to be drafted way too late. Tom Brady was a 6th round selection, going 199th overall. Hall of Famer Shannon Sharpe went in the 7th round, 192nd overall. Rodney Harrison, 145. Roger Staubach, 129. Bart Starr, 199. And so on.

Kelce says ... just go in and make your mark, regardless of where you're drafted.

There's more! We also talked to Kelce about his upcoming music and food festival, Kelce Jam -- coinciding with the draft in Kansas City -- where they're expecting over 15 thousand fans in attendance at the Azura Amphitheater on Friday.

Travis hit up some of his celeb musician friends to perform, locking down Machine Gun Kelly, Tech N9NE, Rick Ross, and more.

Conor McGregor feared it was curtains for his UFC career after breaking his leg against Dustin Poirier nearly two years ago ... admitting he thought the injury would force him into an early retirement.

McGregor made the revelation in the trailer for his new Netflix documentary, "McGregor Forever," which dropped this week ... where he spoke about the severity of his injury from the hospital bed shortly after the July 2021 bout.

When the interviewer points out many experts thought the break would be impossible to return from, McGregor agreed ... which he says explains his bizarre post-fight rant.

"I thought it was over as well, that’s why I flipped into a different mode," 34-year-old McGregor told the cameras.

"Now, it was the adrenaline as well and I know it would’ve calmed down and part of me is thinking 'Jesus, imagine it was just taken from me like that.'"

"I would be a different person and it was a bit scary, to be honest. But, it’s McGregor forever. That’s it. It’s done. It’s McGregor forever and don’t you forget it."

Prince Harry and Meghan Markle were just a handful of celebs who bent the knee for HRH last night -- and no, we don't mean King Charles ... we're talking LeBron James.

The Duke and Duchess of Sussex had box seats Monday at Crypto.com Arena -- having come on down from the Santa Barbara area to catch the big playoff game against the Grizzlies  ... which King James and co. secured in down-to-the-wire dramatic fashion.

Their presence came as a surprise to many when the TNT broadcast showed them in their private suite up in the stands -- and they seemed to be enjoying themselves ... flashing grins.

Later, they were caught on the Kiss Cam ... with their image being plastered on the giant jumbotron. The couple didn't really lock lips or anything, though ... they just giggled until the camera cut to someone else. However, it does seem PH might've considered a smooch.

Pretty neat to see 'em in such a public setting like this ... considering we hardly ever do. Harry and Meg tend to stick to the 805 area code, more or less, and hardly venture to the heart of L.A. And if they do ... they come privately, as they're hardly snapped by paps here.

Like we mentioned, they were in good (famous) company yesterday -- other stars in the building included Kim Kardashian, Adam Sandler, Timothy Olyphant, Flea and more.

We'll see more of Harry next weekend for his dad's coronation -- where Harry's expected to be front and center for the actual crowning ceremony on Saturday. Meghan won't attend.

Three weeks after getting chokeslammed through a table by Damian Priest, Bad Bunny got his revenge on the WWE superstar ... cracking him over and over with a kendo stick live on Monday Night Raw!!!

The scene at Allstate Arena in Chicago was wild ... Bad Bunny showed up out of nowhere after Priest was DQ'ed from his fight with Rey Mysterio -- and then went into full-on attack mode.

The "Tití Me Preguntó" singer beat the hell out Priest with the wooden weapon -- hitting him right in the ribs and the back ... before he chased him out of the ring.

The attack, though, didn't stop there -- Bad Bunny got in a few more swings ... before Priest hightailed it out of the area.

Eventually, the rapper grabbed a microphone ... and challenged the wrestler to a street fight at WWE Backlash -- a Pay-Per-View event set to go down on May 6 in San Juan, Puerto Rico.

"Damian, I don't know if you know," Bunny said, "but I'm not hosting Backlash anymore. Now, I'm going to Puerto Rico to kick your ass. May 6. Backlash. In mi casa, Puerto Rico. Damian Priest. Bad Bunny. In a street fight."

Seems Priest accepted ... and now the two will finally look to settle some beef that's been stewing ever since the WWE talent chokeslammed Bad Bunny through a table on Raw earlier this month.

Of course, things weren't always contentious between Bunny and Priest. In 2021, they actually teamed together at WrestleMania 37 to defeat The Miz and John Morrison, and Bunny had one of the highlights of the match when he hit the Canadian Destroyer on Morrison.

Bam Margera's friends are trying to get him help as his alarming behavior continues, but an attempted intervention on his behalf didn't take ... TMZ has learned.

Sources close to Bam tell us ... a couple of Bam's longtime friends organized the intervention earlier this month, while he was in San Diego, on the heels of his L.A.-area arrest for public intoxication.

Our sources say Bam's buddies told him they loved him and were worried about him and wanted to help get him back into rehab.

We're told Bam seemed receptive at first, but ultimately a couple of factors blew the whole thing up.

For starters, our sources say Bam's current girlfriend was not receptive to the idea, and didn't want him to leave for treatment, because she would have nowhere to live if he went to rehab.

What's more, we're told Bam's estranged wife Nikki was called during the intervention and made it clear she was willing to let him back into her and their son Phoenix's life, contingent on Bam getting sober. Our sources say this upset the girlfriend, and she kicked everyone out.

The failed intervention went down shortly after we obtained video of Bam screaming at Nikki as she ate with Phoenix in a Burbank restaurant ... an outburst that came minutes before Bam was busted for public intoxication.

The former 'Jackass' star -- who has been in and out of rehab for years due to addiction and substance abuse issues -- is in more legal trouble, this time on the other side of the country.

Forget punch-outs at the plate ... a pair of minor league baseball teams were trying to punch out each other's faces during a game over the weekend -- mixing it up in a wild brawl on the diamond.

The hectic scene went down Sunday at the Clearwater Threshers vs. the Tampa Tarpons tilt at George Steinbrenner Field in Florida ... when the two teams, affiliates of the Phillies and Yankees, quarreled following a hit by pitch.

After Threshers shortstop Erick Brito was plunked by Tampa righty Alex Bustamante in the third inning -- chirping from the Clearwater dugout began immediately ... and it got so loud, it led to an ejection.

Pissed off Threshers players and coaches were so ticked by the call ... it caused benches to clear -- and then, all hell broke loose.

As coaches from both Single-A teams met at the dish to air out their qualms -- punches flew ... and some connected flush. Players then got involved -- and it all morphed into a WWE-style brawl.

Eventually, though, cooler heads prevailed ... but not before several more ejections were made.

Aaron Hernandez's brother, D.J. Hernandez, has just put one of his most recent legal troubles in the rearview mirror ... TMZ Sports has learned he cut a deal with prosecutors Monday to close out his reckless driving case.

A Connecticut court official tells us ... D.J. pled guilty to one count of failure to drive in a proper lane and one count of failure to use traffic control signals. In exchange, prosecutors dropped the other charges against him -- which included reckless driving and engaging police in pursuit.

The court official said D.J. was ordered to pay $100 in fines ... and the matter is now considered closed. We reached out to D.J. for comment, but he declined.

We broke the story ... the 36-year-old was initially hit with the charges in late March after he had been involved in what police said was a wild car chase through Connecticut roadways on March 8.

According to cops, officers attempted to pull over D.J. for a routine traffic stop -- but he allegedly bolted, shaking cops as he traveled at a high rate of speed.

He was eventually stopped and put in custody following a brief foot chase, cops said. Officers wrote in police documents that D.J. told them he had been driving around the state in an effort to get arrested because "he no longer wanted to stay at his mom's house."

Cops said in the docs they believed he was having a bipolar episode.

Just days later, on March 23, D.J. found himself in more legal trouble ... after authorities accused him of throwing a large brick at ESPN's campus in Bristol.