TMZ Sports - Page 50

LeBron James is vowing NOT to engage in Twitter wars with President Trump before the election ... saying he "damn sure won't go back and forth" with #45.

The 4-time NBA champ has engaged in mutual verbal combat with POTUS in the past ... including his famous "bum" remark when defending Steph Curry and the Golden State Warriors' outspokenness against visiting the White House.

POTUS also recently ripped into the superstar ... calling him "nasty" and "a hater" for his political stance and accusing him of hurting the NBA's rankings.

Bron -- who's actively pushing to get more voters via his "More Than A Vote" campaign -- spoke with the New York Times about his public beef with Trump ... and he makes it clear he's not entertaining a long-term battle.

"I don’t go back and forth with anybody," James says. "And I damn sure won’t go back and forth with that guy."

"But, we want better, we want change in our community. We always talk about, 'We want change,' and now we have the opportunity to do that."

King James also spoke out on his decision to campaign for more voting rather than a particular candidate in 2020 ... saying, "We’ve been talking about voter suppression, we’ve been talking about police brutality, systemic racism."

"We’ve had so many things going on, and voter suppression in our communities happens to be at the forefront. So that’s something we wanted to educate our people on."

Pete Carroll just confirmed the Seahawks Seahawks have SOME interest in signing Antonio Brown ... but it ain't exactly a done deal.

The Seahawks coach was just asked about a report from ESPN's Adam Schefter which says Seattle is "positioned to make a push to sign" the WR when he's eligible to get back on the field after Week 8.

Carroll acknowledged AB is on their radar -- but that's about as much as he would say.

"We have endeavored to be in on everything that's going on -- and [Seahawks GM John Schneider] has done a marvelous job of always being tuned in to what's happening ... and this is no exception."

"So, we’ll see what happens as we go forward, but we're tuned in to what's happening there."

Of course, Brown has a troubling history both on and off the field -- causing problems with the Steelers and the Raiders ... and trashing the New England Patriots at the end of his run with the Patriots.

Off the field, Brown has been arrested for allegedly assaulting a moving truck driver and he's been accused of raping a former personal trainer. He's also publicly said horrible things about the mother of his children and trashed the police.

Don't forget the furniture throwing allegations ... and much, much more.

For his part, Brown says he's sought help for his issues and promises he's a changed man.

When Pete Carroll was asked if the team has started to look into Brown's history ... the Seahawks head coach said, "We're nowhere there right now so let's wait and see what happens."

Carroll noted that with all players, the team always does their homework -- "We will never think we can leave a stone unturned. That's how we approach everything and we’ll continue to do that here."

Look, AB can ball -- we all know that. But, will a team roll the dice???

Bad news for the Las Vegas Raiders ... offensive lineman Trent Brown has tested positive for COVID -- and there are concerns the rest of the starting linemen could have it too.

Raiders head coach Jon Gruden just told the media all 5 starting offensive linemen were sent home from practice on Wednesday due contract tracing ... stemming from Brown's positive test.

Gruden says he's not happy about the situation -- but made it clear the health of his players is the priority.

The issue ... the Raiders are set to play a pretty important game against Tom Brady and the Tampa Bay Bucs on Sunday -- and many are wondering if the Silver & Black will have to take the field without their starting offensive line!

Gruden doesn't seem too concerned yet ... telling the media, "We’ll have 5 on Sunday, we’ll be ready to go."

Gruden says ... this is just the way it is (playing football during a pandemic) and he'll do the best he can to make sure the team is ready by Sunday.

As for Brown, he'll be tested and retested to make sure the positive test is accurate -- and not a false positive.

LSU has banned Odell Beckham from its facilities for the next 2 years for his antics at the 2019 National Championship game ... when the NFL star handed out $2,000 in $100 bills to LSU players.

You remember the video ... Odell -- who played at LSU back in the day -- was going crazy on the field after LSU beat Clemson on Jan. 13, 2020 ... throwing around money like he didn't care.

Guess what ... LSU cared and so does the NCAA -- since it's against the rules to just hand out money to college players like that.

LSU believes the Odell money incident constitutes a Level III violation, according to SI.com.

Remember, LSU initially told the media Odell was handing out fake money that night -- but it turned out to be real.

In fact, LSU quarterback Joe Burrow later confirmed it was real cash during an episode of the Barstool Sports podcast, "Pardon My Take."

LSU says Odell is now banned from all LSU facilities for the next 2 years.

LSU has bigger problems ... they're also accused of several other NCAA violations, which could cost them scholarships and more.

The University has self-imposed penalties -- including the loss of 8 scholarships over the next 2 years -- in the hopes of getting a lighter punishment from the NCAA. We'll see if the strategy works.

The school released a statement Wednesday saying, "LSU has worked proactively and in cooperation with the NCAA to identify and self-report any violations that occurred within our football program."

Patrick Mahomes is officially going to be part of the #GIRLDAD gang ... the NFL superstar and his fiancee just announced the couple's expecting a baby girl!

... and, the gender reveal party the two threw looked AWESOME!!!

Mahomes and Brittany Matthews posted the video announcement Wednesday ... showing they used their adorable dogs to make the big reveal.

There were also balloons, custom shirts and jackets, confetti ... and a whole lot of smiling!!!

"P.s-," Brittany captioned the video Wednesday, "Yes, my dogs walked down a run way with pink paws for the reveal 🤩😍."

Added Mahomes, "#GirlDad."

Britt and Patrick have been dating for YEARS ... and initially announced they were pregnant last month. The two got engaged at the Chiefs' Super Bowl ring ceremony just a few weeks prior.

Miami Dolphins QB Ryan Fitzpatrick was CRUSHED to hear he'd been benched in favor of Tua Tagovailoa ... telling reporters Wednesday, "My heart just hurt all day."

Fitzmagic had the 'Fins rolling the past few weeks ... dude was 3-1 in his last 4 starts with 10 total TDs -- but the team decided to hand the keys over to Tua this week regardless.

And, when 37-year-old Fitzpatrick was asked how he felt about the decision ... he couldn't hide his pain.

"It was heartbreaking for me," Ryan said, before admitting he knew this day was coming eventually after the team had drafted Tagovailoa in the 1st-round last April.

"It still, just, it broke my heart yesterday," Fitzpatrick said, "and it's a tough thing for me to hear and to now have to deal with but I'm going to do my best with it."

Ryan learned of the decision Tuesday ... and he said having to head into meetings Wednesday was tough as hell for him.

In fact, Fitzpatrick straight-up said it felt like he had been fired by head coach Brian Flores.

"I basically got fired yesterday and today my day consisted of zoom meetings with the guy that fired me and sitting in a room with the guy who replaced me for four hours."

Fitzpatrick added, "I felt like it was my team."

The Dolphins are on a bye this week ... and have said Tua will take over the starting QB reins in Week 8 against the Rams.

Odell Beckham has quite the unique perspective on the COVID-19 pandemic ... saying he's developed a "mutual respect" with the virus ... which essentially makes him feel immune.

Really.

Remember, the Cleveland Browns superstar came down with a bug days before Sunday's game against the Steelers ... and many feared it was the 'rona taking over another NFL organization.

Despite testing negative for the virus, OBJ was asked Wednesday if he was scared his illness was COVID-19 at the time ... and the dude made a gem of a statement.

"No, not in an arrogant way," OBJ told reporters. "I don't think COVID can get to me. I don't think it's going to enter this body."

He continued ... "I don't want no parts of it, it don't want no parts of me. I think it's a mutual respect."

New parents across the U.S. are honoring Kobe and Gianna Bryant in a BIG way ... experts say babies with the names Kobe and Gianna have risen dramatically in 2020.

According to BabyCenter, there's been a huge increase in newborns with the names since the NBA legend and his daughter tragically died in a helicopter crash in January.

Per the site -- which gets its data from over 500,000 new babies that were registered to the site this year -- Kobe vaulted from #595 on the list in 2019 to #216 in 2020.

The site claims that's "far and away the biggest riser on the list for boys in 2020."

As for Gianna, her name among newborns rose from #76 to #24 (seriously, #24).

In case you were wondering, the top 10 for the year for boys included Liam, Noah, Jackson, Aiden, Elijah, Grayson, Lucas, Oliver, Caden and Mateo.

For girls, the top 10 went Sophia, Olivia, Riley, Emma, Ava, Isabella, Aria, Aaliyah, Amelia and Mia.

UFC superstar Justin Gaethje says he doesn't have a healthy fear of dying -- which is exactly why he refuses to buy a motorcycle.

We should explain ...

31-year-old Gaethje says the way he's built, he goes "balls to the wall" in everything he does -- and that little voice that most people have in their heads telling them to "slow down" and "be careful" ... yeah, he doesn't have that.

He doesn't WANT to die -- but once he starts to do something that might be dangerous (like riding a motorcycle), he'll push it to the limit with no regard for his own safety.

Hence, his rule of trying not to put himself in a position where death is a real possibility. Get it?

Here's how Justin put it to us while talking about his upcoming fight with Khabib Nurmagomedov at UFC 254.

"I'm confident in my skills, not one bit scared to step in there. I'm looking forward to that feeling. I chase that feeling. That's why I don't buy motorcycles because I will die. That's why I do a lot of things to keep myself from even putting myself in positions where I can be in danger because once it starts, it's balls to the wall."

Scary as hell, right?!

There's a lot more ... as far as Justin's MMA career, Gaethje says he's got "at least 5 more fights" -- but he'll only count a fight if it's a "war."

"If they're not wars, they don't count."

The money is also a factor -- "As long as [the UFC is] paying me as much as they're paying me, I'm probably gonna fight until I do not believe I can be the best in the world anymore."

Gaethje says the money he'll make from the Khabib fight will mean his mother no longer has to work another day in her life.

The only issue ... mom -- a Postmaster at Safford Post Office in Arizona -- isn't ready to retire just yet!

"She's so crazy. She's like 'Son, I can't leave them for Christmas. I have to at least work until Christmas!' I'm like, 'No you don't! You don't owe them nothing!'"

"But it's just a testament to who they are and who I am."

Rose petals?? Check. Sunset views on the beach?? Check. Candles and live music?? Check and check!!

Tennis superstar Naomi Osaka and her rapper boyfriend Cordae had the most epic romantic dinner on the beach to celebrate her birthday this week ... and it legit looks like it came out of a dream.

The couple has been boo'd up in paradise for about a week to celebrate Osaka's 23rd (which was Oct. 16) ... posting up at the beach and other cozy spots.

The top highlight had to be their private dinner on the sand ... where the "Gifted" lyricist vibed to the tunes of the night as Osaka soaked it all in.

"I felt like I was in a movie," the 3-time Grand Slam winner said on Tuesday.

Of course, Osaka and Cordae have been together for over a year ... but this is by far the most romantic we've seen the couple!

Cordae has played the role of cheerleader this year as well, supporting Osaka from the stands during her U.S. Open championship run.

If you're gonna steal from Paige VanZant's Jeep -- at least have enough common courtesy to shut the door when you're done!!!

... especially in the middle of a rainstorm!

The MMA fighter says someone tried to ransack her vehicle Tuesday night -- but didn't shut the driver's side door when they finished ... and now the inside of her car is soaked!

"Listen, if you’re going to break in to my car -- please shut the door," Paige said.

The Bare Knuckle Fighting Championship star says she didn't leave anything of value in her car -- so no big loss. But, it sucks when someone breaks into your car -- you feel violated.

The good news for Paige ... karma caught up with her while picking up coffee later that day -- when someone picked up her check in a random act of kindness.

Peyton Manning hasn't missed a beat in retirement -- not only does he have abs now, but the 44-year-old's arm is lookin' accurate as ever ... by knocking beer cans off statues with his buddy, David Letterman!!

It may seem pretty random, but here's what we know ... the 2-time Super Bowl champ hit up the late-night legend to shoot a segment for his "Peyton's Places" show with ESPN ... and DL agreed to do it at his alma mater, Ball State University.

So, what's there to do in Muncie, Indiana?? How about throwing perfect dart passes at beer cans on campus statues!!

Of course, Peyton's practically been showing off in recent weeks -- he even flaunted a 6-pack while beachin' it up in Miami!

Peyton kept up the momentum on Tuesday, by showing off his pin-point precision while knocking the can off a statue draped in a custom Letterman Colts jersey.

Ball State football released a statement on their visit, saying, "It was an exciting day for our football program,” athletic director Beth Goetz said. "The team was thrilled to engage with these two Indiana legends for 'Peyton’s Places.'"

"We are grateful for the opportunity to help showcase our campus, as it was truly a once-in-a-lifetime experience for our student-athletes and coaches."

Hey ... Peyton's only 44. We sure he's retired for good??

It's been nearly 2 weeks since the Lakers won the 'ship ... but the team clearly ain't ready to stop the party yet -- 'cause some of L.A.'s stars hit Hollywood on Tuesday for another celebration!

TMZ Sports got footage of Dwight Howard, Danny Green, Kentavious Caldwell-Pope, Kyle Kuzma and Dion Waiters hittin' up Delilah ... and the evening looked awesome.

The guys -- along with their significant others -- all were dressed to the nines ... and YG and Tyga joined the festivities later in the night as well!

No sign of LeBron James or Anthony Davis ... maybe the Dodgers' World Series game kept them glued to their TVs at home?

Or, hell, maybe they're just tired of partying!!

As we previously reported, the Lakers have been spotted raging in the Orlando bubble, at Nobu in Malibu and even in Las Vegas since beating the Miami Heat in 6 games on Oct. 11.

As for the Tuesday night celebration ... Caldwell-Pope's wife, McKenzie, posted some clips from inside the venue -- and the menu looked great to us.

Overreaction much?!

Here's a frustrated Dallas Cowboys fan shooting his 55-inch TV to death after the Cowboys lost to the Arizona Cardinals on Monday ... and it's pretty crazy.

The fan lost his mind once he realized the Cowboys were moving to 2-4 after a pretty awful performance against AZ.

So, he threw his beer at the TV, threw a couple of punches ... and then whipped out a .380 handgun and opened fire.

After the murder, the fan took a breath -- and poured out some beer to mourn the loss of his TV.

The Cowboys, however, are still very much alive in the playoff race -- they're in 1st place in the NFC East, the worst division in football.

Next up for Dallas ... they take on the Washington Football Team on Sunday. Washington also has a terrible record -- 1-5.

Well, Cody Bellinger clearly learned his lesson ...

The Dodgers star balled out of his mind, again, in Game 1 of the World Series Tuesday ... but instead of celebrating with forearm bashes -- he turned to his feet to dap up teammates!

The scene was hilarious ... just two days after Belli dislocated his shoulder in the chaos following a game-winning HR in the NLCS on Sunday -- Cody hit another huge dinger off Rays starter Tyler Glasnow.

And, as the outfielder rounded 3rd base and headed for home, everyone wondered ... how was he going to celebrate this one?!

Turns out, Belli protected his arms at all costs ... and gave his squadmates love taps with his cleats!!!

The move was so epic ... even LeBron James gave Cody his stamp of approval, writing on social media, "Hahaha!! Leg tap celebrations for him."

As for Bellinger's take on the HR celly switch-up ... he told reporters after the game, "I said it today before the game: 'If I hit one, I’m not touching anybody’s arm.'"

He added with a laugh, "I think I’ll continue to do that, maybe my whole career."

Bellinger also had an insane catch later in the game ... helping the Dodgers seal the 8-3 victory over Tampa Bay.

Looks like pregame advice from Dad really paid off, huh?!

Sorry, Loma -- kiss your hopes for a rematch goodbye!

... because Teofimo Lopez tells TMZ Sports he has no interest in running it back with Vasyl Lomachenko after kicking his ass on Saturday.

"For what? F*ck him," Lopez tells us ... "I won fair and square."

He certainly did -- Lopez dominated the first half of the fight and ended things with a stellar 12th round, despite a furious comeback attempt from Loma.

After the fight, Lopez says Loma and his camp weren't exactly gracious in defeat.

"I went up to him and I said good fight. I grabbed his father, I said safe travels … pretty much saying goodbye to them because I knew I won."

"But he didn’t want to give me back that same gesture -- instead he just started laughing like, 'What am I doing here?' So, I was like whatever, I did my part. The fighting's done, I whooped your ass … you cut me, head-butted me and sh*t but it's fine."

Lopez says Loma blew off the post-fight press conference and refused to talk with media -- telling us, "That just shows what kind of champion he really is."

So, what's next for the 23-year-old champion?

"I'm the king now," Lopez said ... "I've always been the king. I was just the underground king. Now, I've been crowned."

We asked Teofimo if he has any interest in fighting rising stars like Ryan Garcia and others now that he's in the driver's seat -- and ya gotta hear his answer.