TMZ Sports - Page 50

Tristan Thompson signing with the Boston Celtics isn't a game-changer for him and Khloe Kardashian ... other than the historic Boston-L.A. rivalry hitting closer to home.

Sources close to the couple tell TMZ ... Khloe and True will not be uprooting themselves from Los Angeles by moving to the East Coast with Tristan.

We're told Khloe plans on making extended visits to Boston with her 2-year-old tot to see her daddy when schedules allow for it ... but L.A. will remain home.

Our sources say True has her routine, her family and especially all of her beloved cousins in L.A. ... and both Khloe and Tristan don't want to take that away from her. Instead, they're set on making long-distance work.

As you know ... Khloe spent a lot of time in Cleveland with Tristan when he was on the Cavaliers -- including when she gave birth -- but returned to L.A. amid the fallout of him cheating on her, and has remained there ever since.

The 2 managed to reconcile over the pandemic months in L.A. after Tristan's NBA season ended -- signaling they were a couple again by doing things like taking hikes together. Nevertheless, we're told Khloe's steadfast on staying put with True.

Shannon Sharpe believes it's complete "bulljive" that Tom Brady didn't stick around after "Monday Night Football" to shake Jared Goff's hand ... and now, the Hall of Fame tight end says it's time to "call his ass out" for it.

Brady played REALLY poorly in the Buccaneers' loss to the Rams -- his interception with seconds to go in the 4th quarter sealed the 27-24 L for Tampa Bay.

And, as the clock was expiring, Tom bolted straight to the locker room pissed off ... leaving Goff without a postgame QB-to-QB handshake.

The scene was actually kind of sad ... Goff appeared to be looking for Brady after the game -- but the G.O.A.T was nowhere to be found.

Of course, Tom did the same thing to Nick Foles earlier this year after a loss to the Bears ... and now Sharpe is straight-up calling the guy a sore loser over it all.

"I guess Brady doesn’t know Goff well enough to shake his hand after losing. Yet, he knows every qb after he wins," Sharpe said. "Brady is full of what the elephant left on the show ground."

"His attitude is bulljive and it’s time to call his A** out on it."

The NFL has recommended players limit their contact postgame in order to prevent a possible spread of coronavirus ... but to Shannon's point, Brady has stuck around after every Bucs win to still shake his opponents' hands.

How do you get 200 turkeys to people in need in Hawaii?

HAND 'EM TO MARSHAWN!

The ex-NFL star grabbed his Beast Mode shorts, some PPE and a few friends -- and hit the streets of Oahu on Monday to distribute 200 turkeys ahead of Thanksgiving.

FYI, Hawaii's economy has been hit particularly hard from the COVID pandemic -- crushing the tourism industry for months.

Tons of people are out of work and struggling -- and Marshawn Lynch decided a little Turkey Day love could go a long way.

So, he teamed up with Young's Fish Market, Tamura Super Market and other partners to get the birds to the people who could use some help this holiday season. Ex-NFL wideout Chad Owens, who's from Hawaii, was on hand to help out with the giveaway.

The video, shot by KHON's Rob DeMello, is fantastic -- showing Lynch bouncing from car to car ... dropping off turkeys like he was Santa in November!

At one point, he even struck a QB pose using a turkey as the football!

Don't throw it. Stick to the ground game.

He's got TWO of the best knockouts of the year -- but UFC rising star Joaquin Buckley says he's still not ready to quit his day job ... at Walgreens!

Buckley first went viral for that insane spinning back kick knockout of Impa Kasanganay back on Oct. 11 -- a knockout Dana White praised as one of the greatest finishes EVER.

He followed that up at UFC 255 by destroying Jordan Wright in the 2nd round -- earning his second "Performance of the Night" bonus in a row!

So, when we spoke with the 26-year-old St. Louis native, we asked if he was finally ready to leave his gig at the pharmacy chain and focus on MMA full time.

The short answer ... he's not ready to part ways with the big "W" just yet!

"The thing is ... besides UFC -- and they're giving me these big checks -- I still don't have a business of my own. So, I need to just keep working," Buckley says.

The fighter says it's important for him to maintain a "working mentality and work ethic" -- "So, I'm gonna just keep holding down a job."

Buckley says if he's able to grow a real business from his MMA exposure, he'd consider walking away from Walgreens ... but for now, he's not going anywhere!

Buckley says he's working on a clothing apparel line called Solid Foundation and he's optimistic about it -- but "until my business is off the ground, we still gon' be working at Walgreens, yessir."

The craziest part, Buckley is already trying to get back in the Octagon and fight again IN JANUARY!!

He's hoping to get a crack at 34-year-old welterweight James Krause -- and it's obvious, these two have VERY bad blood.

"He's just out here spreading lies and spreading rumors [about me] ... it's getting frustrating and for him to think he can just keep talking his stuff without any type of punishment or any type of consequences, it's ridiculous!"

Here's Darius Leonard narrowly avoiding another awkward conversation with his wife ...

The Indianapolis Colts superstar actually checked his gloves Sunday before throwing them into the crowd ... dodging Wedding Ring Catastrophe Part II by the narrowest of margins!!!

If you ain't familiar ... back in September, Darius ripped off his gloves in celebration of a win and tossed them to a fan in the stands.

Turns out, though, his wedding ring had gotten stuck in one of the gloves ... and the 25-year-old linebacker had to beg on social media to get it back!!

Fast forward to Sunday ... and after a huge win over the Green Bay Packers, Leonard wanted to give his gloves away again -- and nearly threw the ring with them AGAIN!!!

Fortunately for Darius, he learned his lesson and actually checked the gloves before launching them.

The video is pretty funny ... Leonard realizes his mistake just before throwing the gear -- and, thankfully, a Colts staffer was able to fish the ring out.

The jewelry was saved, the fans got the gloves ... and Darius is still living the happy-wife, happy-life lifestyle.

Buffalo Bills tight end Tommy Sweeney has been diagnosed with a serious heart condition as a result of COVID, this according to head coach Sean McDermott.

The 25-year-old -- who was drafted by the Bills in 2019 -- was initially put on the COVID result list back on October 24 ... but his health took a turn for the worse.

Coach McDermott says Sweeney was being tested by a cardiologist, per NFL protocol, when he was diagnosed with myocarditis ... which is essentially an inflammation of the heart.

According to the Mayo Clinic ... "Severe myocarditis weakens your heart so that the rest of your body doesn't get enough blood. Clots can form in your heart, leading to a stroke or heart attack."

Yeah, this is serious stuff -- but Mayo Clinic notes, "Early diagnosis is key to preventing long-term heart damage."

The diagnosis means Sweeney will miss the rest of the 2020 NFL season -- but the Bills are confident he can recover and return to the tea in 2021.

McDermott says it's his understanding Sweeney's condition is connected to COVID. He also notes Sweeney appears in "good spirits."

It's been a tough year for Sweeney who suffered a foot injury back in July and was hoping to claw his way into some playing time in the 2nd half of the 2020 season.

MMA star Kayla Harrison didn't just beat her opponent to a bloody pulp this weekend -- she got blood splatter everywhere ... even in her own mouth!

Harrison absolutely DOMINATED Courtney King at Invicta FC 43 on Friday night -- with the ref ultimately stopping the fight in the 2nd round.

But, good God, THE BLOODY CARNAGE!!

Harrison busted up King's face so bad, she looked like Darth Maul at the end of the fight.

So, what was going through Kayla's mind as she was soaked in her opponent's blood?

"I was surprised by how much blood there was and that the doctor didn't stop it because I was literally slipping in blood," Harrison tells TMZ Sports ... "It was like a slip n' slide in there. It was disgusting!"

And, here's where things really get gross ...

Harrison said she has a habit of licking her lips -- even during the fight -- and admits, "I licked my lips and I was like 'Oh God, I just tasted blood!'"

"So gross! So GROSS!"

We asked Kayla if she ever felt bad for Courtney during the fight -- and yeah, turns out she's a human being!

"Yeah, of course! There's two Kaylas. There's the Kayla that's like 'This is barbaric! Oh my god, I don't wanna punch her anymore' like, 'I don't wanna do this' ... and there's the part that's like, 'No this is my job. This is what I was meant to do -- hit her harder!'"

Horrible news for the Baltimore Ravens -- the team's top 2 running backs, Mark Ingram and J.K. Dobbins, have tested positive for COVID ... and will NOT play on Thursday night.

So, first and foremost ... prayers up for a speedy recovery.

Secondly ... GO GRAB GUS EDWARDS FOR YOUR FANTASY TEAM RIGHT NOW.

Both Ingram and Dobbins tested positive on Monday -- leading Baltimore to shut down the team facility ASAP.

The team noted defensive lineman Brandon Williams was also put on the COVID list because he's considered a close contact. He's also out for Thursday.

The Ravens (6-4) are slated to take on the Pittsburgh Steelers on 'TNF' -- with Gus Edwards now expected to get the majority of the workload at running back.

Running back Justice Hill is also expected to see more playing time.

Ravens head coach, John Harbaugh, said the team reopened the facility Monday afternoon -- and it seems the plan is to play Thursday as scheduled.

"We're just carrying forward with our normal schedule at this point, working hard and getting ready for a big challenge Thursday night against the undefeated Steelers," Harbaugh said.

Matt Stafford's wife is apologizing once again for unloading on government officials for imposing more lockdowns during the pandemic ... saying of her rant, "I couldn't have said it any worse."

If you missed it ... Kelly Stafford -- who's been married to the Detroit Lions star QB since 2015 -- went ballistic last week over Michigan's latest COVID restrictions.

In her tirade, which she posted on her social media page, Kelly said the new lockdown rules imposed by governor, Gretchen Whitmer, felt like a "dictatorship" ... and she pled with officials to just open everything back up.

"I understand there’s a pandemic, and I understand it’s very scary. I’m scared of it, too. If you are at risk, do not leave your house until there’s a vaccine," Stafford said.

"But, shutting down all these small businesses, things that people have worked their life for, shutting them down again is not the answer. Because they will not make it."

Kelly's comments were met with immediate backlash ... and it grew so loud, the 31-year-old apologized just hours later.

And, on Monday, Kelly felt the need to backpedal off her comments yet again ... saying sorry in a lengthy post on her Instagram.

"I know where my heart was, but no matter, it should have never been said," Kelly wrote. "I was feeling frustrated and emotional..And in that moment, I said the wrong thing."

"In doing so, I overlooked so many important people that wake up every day to help all of us. Those in our hospitals -- doctors and nurses -- who are tired and scared, but put all of that to the side and continue to be relentless in fighting this pandemic every day. And the families who are watching their loved ones fight or the families who have a loved one who has lost the fight -- I truly am sorry."

Kelly continued, "I directed my frustration to the wrong thing. I used a word that made it political, when this is, in the end, about people. I do worry about people losing their businesses/livelihood and employees being laid off..not knowing how they are gonna get by but this on a grand-scale, is about the health and safety of everyone. Our family will do our part to help others through this and, as always, do what is recommended to keep people safe."

THIS IS EXACTLY HOW YOU CELEBRATE SIGNING A $195 MILLION NBA CONTRACT!!

Utah Jazz star Donovan Mitchell was so fired up the moment the deal was done over the weekend, he ripped off his shirt and dove right into the pool ... with his socks still on his feet!!

Technically, the contract only guarantees $163 million -- but Spida can hit $195 mil if he makes one of the 3 All-NBA teams.

Still, Donovan lost his mind when the deal was done -- and the reaction video is perfect!!!!

After he dried off, Donovan cracked open a bottle of Don Julio 1942 while his agent, Ty Sullivan, gave an emotional toast.

"You're a role model," Sullivan said ... "Hopefully we're doing this again, and again and again."

"My thing to you is continue to inspire and be responsible and just continue to grow."

Sullivan added ... "You earned this and I know you're going to do the right thing. And from all of us at our agency, myself and my family, congratulations to the 3 of you and your family."

FYI -- 24-year-old Mitchell has averaged nearly 23 points, 4 rebounds and 4 assists a game since entering the league as the #13 overall pick in 2017.

Joe Burrow. Dak Prescott. Drew Brees. Sam Darnold.

As NFL quarterbacks continue to go down with injuries, there's one guy who says he's ready for his shot -- COLIN KAEPERNICK.

The 33-year-old just sent ANOTHER message to GMs across the league -- saying he's BEEN READY to step in and compete for a job ... if there's a team with the cojones to pick up the phone and call.

"1,363 days of being denied employment," Kaepernick said on social media ... "Still putting in work with [Eric Reid].  
Still going hard 5 days a week.  #StillReady #StopRunning."

The message seems to be directed at the Bengals, who just lost #1 overall pick, Joe Burrow, to a knee injury over the weekend.

Kaepernick hasn't played a down in the NFL since the 2016 season.

Of course, Kap and Eric Reid both believe they're being blackballed for starting the now-famous kneeling demonstration during the national anthem.

High-profile critics including Donald Trump called for Kaepernick to be fired for kneeling -- despite support from people like Barack Obama, LeBron James and others.

As we've been reporting for years, Kaepernick has been training like a maniac -- and sources connected to the QB have been telling us repeatedly that he's been in game shape, ready to go at the drop of a hat.

Remember, it was Nov. 16, 2019, Kaepernick put his skills on display during a public workout -- and he looked pretty good.

So, will the Bengals, Cowboys, Jets or anyone else actually pick up the phone and make the call?

Birdies, pars, bogeys ... and fat jokes?!

If Charles Barkley and Peyton Manning's pre-golf tournament trash talk is any indication of how Friday's The Match III is going to go down ... we're in store for a whole lot of the above!!

Chuck, Manning, Phil Mickelson and Steph Curry all logged on for a Zoom call to preview their big tourney -- which will air on TNT this week -- and there was plenty of joking banter between the four.

But, the best heckling was between Manning and Charles ... with Peyton hitting Chuck with a hilarious tubby joke!

Here's how it went down ... Charles claimed he's been working on his game tirelessly to prepare for the event -- even saying he's hit the Stone Canyon course in Oro Valley, AZ a few times.

Then, he took a shot at Peyton's alma mater ... saying, "You know, Peyton, I just got to make sure he got my phone number. He texts me all the time, but, since Tennessee hasn't won a game, it's been a few weeks since he texted me!"

That's when Manning went into full-on roast mode -- hitting Chuck with this hilarious zinger ...

"That's kind of news to me that Charles has been to Stone Canyon three times. He hasn't played golf. He's just gone there to eat three times. They have great lunch and dinner service. So, this will be his first time playing the course in the actual match on Friday."

SHEEEEESSSHHHH!!!

There was a whole lot more from the guys' interview ... Barkley made fun of Manning and Curry's Hall of Fame chances; and everyone generally cracked on Charles for having a horrific golf swing.

Good times!!!

By the way, the event is all going down for a good cause ... the foursome is playing to raise money for HBCUs across the country.

Rob Kardashian is ON FIRE -- the sports card collector just pulled an ultra-rare Honus Wagner autograph ... and the video is epic!

Here's the deal ... Rob K. has established himself as one of the top dogs in the high-end sports card market -- often buying boxes of pricy, rare cards in the hopes of hitting big.

AND HE KEEPS HITTING BIG!!!

This time, Rob paid $750 for a chance at the contents of the BullPen BullChest at the Bullpen card shop in L.A.

Basically, 6 people pay $750 each to split the contents of the BullChest which is loaded with expensive PSA graded cards, boxes of unopened cards ... sometimes just packs of rare cards.

The collectors get to select 1 item from the chest in an order that's randomly selected by the shop.

This time, Rob was 5th to select (not the best position) -- but it worked out for him this time!

Rob decided to pick an unopened box of 2020 Topps Dynasty cards -- which usually runs around $500 and only contains ONE CARD!!

But, when the Bullpen staffer opened the pack (Rob was watching virtually on a live stream) ... he went CRAZY when he realized he pulled a special 1-of-1 Honus Wagner auto!

Wagner died in 1955 -- but the people at Topps secured an authenticated autograph used it as the base of a new card.

Unclear what it's worth ... but it's fair to say Rob EASILY made back his investment!

As we previously reported, Rob recently pulled an ultra-rare Tom Brady card that some believe could sell for more than $200k!

Pope Francis has invited 5 NBA players to his home court -- The Vatican -- for a 1-hour meeting Monday about social justice issues.

The 5-player delegation features Sterling Brown -- the former Milwaukee Bucks star who was the victim of a police brutality incident in 2018 when he was tased by cops at a Walgreens.

The other players ... Kyle Korver, Orlando's Jonathan Isaac, Marco Belinelli and Anthony Tolliver.

Both Brown and Korver were members of the Bucks in the NBA Bubble this year when they boycotted a playoff game to protest the shooting of Jacob Blake. Brown is now a member of the Houston Rockets.

23-year-old Jonathan Isaac was one of the only players to stand during the national anthem during their Bubble. He's also an ordained minister.

Unclear exactly what the players and The Pope will talk about -- but it was reportedly Pope Francis who had a rep reach out to the NBA Players Association to get the ball rolling

Pope Francis reportedly "wanted to learn more about how players had recently brought attention to pressing social justice issues and economic inequality -- and what they planned for the future," according to ESPN.

After the meeting -- which took place in the papal library at the Apostolic Palace -- the players were scheduled to get a tour of St. Peter's Square.

It's the end of an era ... NBA star (and legendary bachelor) Chandler Parsons is officially off the market after popping the question to his girlfriend -- and she said YES!!

The 32-year-old proposed to Haylee Harrison over the weekend -- a business owner (who also used to be a model) ... and yeah, the ring is HUGE!

Sources tell TMZ Sports ... the rock is nearly 7 carats -- and while we don't know the price, it's obvious money was no object to a guy who's reportedly made north of $126 MILLION during his NBA career.

"Now til forever," Parsons said on IG. "@hayleexharrison you came into my life and changed it forever. I cannot wait to spend the rest of my life with you."

"I love you so much future Mrs. Parsons!!!"

The two have been dating since 2019 -- but we're told Parsons and Harrison met through mutual friends a few years back. They currently live together in Malibu and West Hollywood.

Of course, Parsons is a 9-year vet in the Association, while Harrison is days away from launching her own cosmetics line, Treats Beauty.

"I can’t believe I get to marry my best friend," Haylee said Sunday. "You are seriously so special. I just feel so lucky to get to live life by your side and learn from you and grow together."

"We’re so lucky we have each other. Chandler Evan Parsons, I am so so in love with you and so excited to spend the rest of my life with you."

"Congrats to us baby, we did it!!!"

Parsons had a pretty amazing run back in his single days ... dating beautiful stars like Bella Thorne to Toni Garrn and Arianny Celeste.

2020 started off rough for Parsons -- he was badly injured in a car accident back in January, when a drunk driver slammed into his vehicle.

We're told his basketball career is still up in the air, which sucks -- but at least he's ending the year on a much happier note!

Dabo Swinney is FURIOUS Florida State canceled its game with Clemson on Saturday ... saying straight-up he thinks the Seminoles used coronavirus as an excuse to back out.

"This game was not canceled because of COVID," the Tigers head coach said Sunday. "COVID was just an excuse to cancel the game."

If you missed it, Florida State and Clemson were scheduled to kick off Saturday ... when it was revealed a Tigers player -- who had made the trip with the team to Tallahassee, FL for the game -- had tested positive for COVID-19 on Friday.

Dabo says the team followed all the proper protocols and believed, despite the test, no one else was affected by the virus and the game should've still gone on.

But, FSU officials, citing the health and safety of their players, decided it was best to NOT play ... and canceled the matchup.

Dabo, speaking in-depth about the decision on Sunday, absolutely railroaded the school for the choice ... insinuating the 'Noles (a HUGE underdog in the game) simply just didn't want to play Clemson.

"The standard to cancel a game was not met," Dabo said. "A guy testing positive on a Friday does not cancel a game."

The coach continued, "We offered to test again. Play Saturday night. Sunday. Monday. And it was declined. We met the standard to play, and we should've played."

The ACC is trying to figure out a way to reschedule the game ... but Dabo made it clear if FSU doesn't reimburse the Tigers for travel expenses -- which were reportedly in the $300,000 range -- he ain't playin' it.

"To me, the Florida State administration forfeited the game," Swinney said. "And if they want to play Clemson, in my opinion, they need to come to Clemson or they need to pay for all expenses."

"Other than that, there's no reason for us to play them. We were there, we were ready and we met the standards."