TMZ Sports - Page 50

LeBron James just took one step closer to making his dream of being NBA teammates with his son a reality ... by signing a 2-year, $85 million extension to stay with the Lakers through 2023.

And, ya know who might be entering the NBA in 2023?? BRONNY JAMES!!!

The news of the extension broke on Wednesday ... and while Lakers Nation has to be thrilled to have King James on board for some more time, folks were quick to realize the significance of the deal's length.

LeBron James, Jr. COULD be draft-eligible in the year 2023 if the league changes its one-and-done rule by that time ... which means he could skip college and go straight to the pros.

35-year-old Bron's extension now gives him the freedom to sign with any team he chooses -- and hypothetically, that means he could follow Bronny wherever he goes.

Lionel Messi was just hit with a fine for his in-game tribute to late soccer legend Diego Maradona -- but it only amounts to $725.

... which is NOTHING to a rich guy like Messi.

The 33-year-old captain paid homage to his fellow Argentinian after scoring the final goal in Barca's 4-0 win over Osasuna on Sunday ... by ripping off his shirt to reveal a Maradona #10 jersey from his Newell’s Old Boys days.

It was an emotional moment for Messi ... who blew a kiss to the sky and hugged his teammates following the goal.

The tribute drew a yellow card due to Messi removing his shirt ... which resulted in a 600 euro fine handed down Wednesday. Messi can appeal ... and given the circumstances, he may have a shot at getting the decision overturned.

Messi was close pals with Maradona ... and grieved the loss after his passing on Nov. 25.

"A very sad day for all Argentines and for football," Messi said at the time. "He leaves us but does not leave, because Diego is eternal."

"I keep all the beautiful moments lived with him and I wanted to take the opportunity to send my condolences to all his family and friends. RIP."

NHL star Evander Kane REALLY wants a piece of Logan and Jake Paul ... telling TMZ Sports he's dead serious about getting into the boxing ring with the two YouTube stars.

"I'll take on any Paul brother," the San Jose Sharks winger says. "I don't care who it is. Either one of you can get it."

If the call-out sounds random ... it's 'cause it kind of is -- Evander says he was watching Jake's fight against Nate Robinson on Saturday when he got the urge to punch JP in the face.

Kane says he was heated over the way Jake celebrated his knockout victory over the former NBA star ... and he wanted to teach the 23-year-old a lesson.

"I’d wreck ya," Kane told Jake on social media a day after the fight. "Easy to beat up guys with no experience and much smaller. August 31st 2021 Vegas we can see if you really about that action. #YOURMOVE"

Jake never responded to the challenge ... but his older bro, Logan, sure did.

The 25-year-old went on his "Impaulsive" podcast Tuesday and threw a bunch of shade Evander's way, questioning the hockey player's chin and wondering if his name was even big enough to share a card with Jake.

"San Jose Sharks?" Logan said. "What is that exactly? Is that some sort of fish? An aquatic animal who lives in San Jose?"

Logan added, "The man's probably tough as nails -- but I bet his chin's not."

Kane -- who's known as one of the biggest on-ice fighters in the NHL -- tells us those comments now have him wanting to get in the ring with Logan too!

"He can get it," Kane said. "They're in for a rude awakening."

Kane says he actually grew up around boxing, training in the sport as a teenager -- and he tells us it wouldn't take long for him to get the muscle memory back.

And, he says if either of the Paul bros accept a celeb fight with him ... the match is only ending one way ...

Ex-Michigan State basketball star Keith Appling -- who led the Spartans to the Elite Eight in 2014 -- was sentenced to 18 months probation, stemming from a heroin arrest back in February.

Cops say the 28-year-old was stopped in Warren, Michigan on Feb. 8 after officers spotted his car weaving all over the road.

After he was pulled over, cops say Appling appeared sweaty and woozy -- so they searched the vehicle, and turned up 19 grams of heroin (about the size of a golf ball) in a sandwich bag.

Prosecutors believe Appling intended to sell the heroin.

The former hoops star was charged with "delivery or manufacture of less than 50 grams of a controlled substance" -- and pled guilty to the charge back in October.

Appling appeared in court Monday over Zoom -- where he was sentenced to 18 months probation.

The terms of his probation include no drugs or alcohol, he must be employed 30 hours a week and must complete a treatment program, according to the Detroit Free Press.

Appling was one of the best high school basketball players in the country back in the day -- he was named Michigan's "Mr. Basketball" in 2010 as the state's top player.

Tim Tebow has a VERY REAL chance of making the NY Mets' roster next season ... so says star reliever Dellin Betances, who tells TMZ Sports the guy is seriously dedicated to the game.

"He's definitely an athlete," Dellin said of the former Heisman Trophy winner. "He showed some good things last year."

Dellin spent time with Tebow at Mets camp last spring before the coronavirus pandemic put the MLB season on pause ... and the big right-hander tells us he was impressed with what he saw.

In fact, Betances -- who was out doing some awesome charity work with CC Sabathia on Tuesday in the Bronx -- said it wouldn't shock him one bit to see the ex-NFL QB batting somewhere behind Pete Alonso in the Mets' big-league lineup in 2021.

"The guy, he's determined," Dellin said of Tebow. "So, he works hard. He's determined to get there. You never know."

Tebow just recently told Mets president Sandy Alderson that he'd be coming back for another run at the team's major league roster in 2021 after COVID wiped out the entire minor league season this year.

Here's yet another reason Tommy Pham is SERIOUSLY lucky to be alive after his terrifying stabbing incident in October ... the San Diego Padres star says he needed 200 stitches to close his wound.

The 32-year-old was gashed by a blade during an altercation in the parking lot of a San Diego strip club on Oct. 11 ... and video from the aftermath of the incident showed he was covered in blood after the slashing.

Now, Pham is revealing what it took to get him healthy again ... and it's pretty shocking.

In what appears to be his first appearance on video since the stabbing ... Pham said he needed 200 stitches to repair the damage on his back and he has "still a ways to go."

The good news? Pham looks to be in insane shape despite only being 7 weeks removed the incident ... he was sprinting on a treadmill at what he says was a 22 MPH pace.

As we previously reported, Pham has sued the strip club over the stabbing incident ... claiming employees and venue security didn't do enough to help protect him.

In his lawsuit, Pham said the injuries he suffered were "catastrophic" ... and hurt his "earning capacity as an elite professional baseball player."

Stunning revelation from Tyreek Hill ... the KC Chiefs superstar says he thought Patrick Mahomes was straight-up GARBAGE after the team drafted the QB in 2017.

"I thought he was trash," Hill said of his first impression of Mahomes at their first training camp together in KC. "I ain't gonna cap. I ain't even gonna cap."

Hill appeared to remember the moment vividly when talking about it all with the guys on Showtime's "Inside the NFL" this week ... saying he wondered out loud what his team's personnel department was doing after seeing Mahomes live for the first time.

"I was like, 'This who y'all drafted right here?'" Hill said with a smile. "'This who y'all drafted?!'"

Of course, Mahomes ended up turning things around -- he's now widely considered the best quarterback of this generation -- and Hill says it's all 'cause the dude put in hard work.

"He proved me into a whole, complete -- I don't know," Hill said. "Like, it's just that second year, like, his quarterback mechanics were different. It was like he was spending more time with his quarterback coach. Spending more time with coach [Andy] Reid. Like learning the offense."

"It was like, dude is like different!"

Mahomes appears to be on his way to winning his second league MVP award in just his third season as a starter ... he's thrown for 3,497 yards already this year with 30 passing TDs and just 2 interceptions.

And, Hill's on his way to a career year because of it all as well -- already scoring 14 total TDs in just 11 games!!

WWE legend Pat Patterson -- the man who created the "Royal Rumble" -- has died, the organization confirmed. He was 79.

"WWE extends its condolences to Patterson’s family and friends," the company said Wednesday in a statement.

Patterson -- who considered himself wrestling's "first gay superstar" -- was a key part of WWE for decades, widely known as Vince McMahon's right-hand man.

He began wrestling in the 1950s -- and finally joined up with WWE in the late '70s, where he famously engaged in a series of awesome matches with Sgt. Slaughter. Pat became the company's first Intercontinental Heavyweight Champion in 1979.

Patterson later became a color commentator for WWE -- and continued to work in the ring and in the booth until he retired in 1984.

At that point, Patterson joined McMahon as a WWE exec -- and in 1988, he pitched the idea for the Royal Rumble.

In his book -- "Accepted: How the First Gay Superstar Changed WWE" -- Patterson explained how the Rumble came to be.

"The first Royal Rumble was on January 24, 1988, in Hamilton, Ontario. The difference between WWE’s Royal Rumble and a traditional over-the-top rope battle royal is that the participants come into the match at two-minute intervals -- not all at the same time at the beginning of the match. I wanted to create something special."

Pat famously came out as gay during a 2014 episode of "WWE Legends House" ... opening up in front of guys like Roddy Piper and Jimmy Hart. It was a powerful moment.

Patterson was inducted into the WWE Hall of Fame in 1996.

RIP

The tributes are already pouring in ...

Vince McMahon -- "Pat Patterson was more than the first Intercontinental Champion & father of the Royal Rumble Match. He helped lay the foundation for WWE as we know it. His mentorship shaped careers, his creativity sparked innovation and his friendship lifted spirits. Love you, Pat. We miss you."

The Rock -- "Rough phone calls to get this morning to tell me, our dear family member, Pat Patterson who was my pro wrestling mentor and father figure has passed away."

"He was also responsible for calling Vince McMahon when I was training to become a pro wrestler (my $7 bucks days) and said, 'Vince you gotta see this kid work in the ring.'"

"Vince flew me to RAW a few weeks later and I had my first match EVER in Corpus Christie, Texas. The rest is history and years later, here I am writing this post."

Triple H -- "No words can describe what he gave to us. His body as an in-ring performer, his mind as a storyteller, and his spirit as a beloved member of our large WWE family. I will miss him for so many reasons ... it’s never goodbye, it’s see ya down the road. Love you, Pat. Abooze."

Shane McMahon -- "I can not express how crushed I feel right now with the loss of Pat Patterson. A true member of my family, mentor and dear friend. I love you Pat. God speed."

Jim Ross -- Just heard of the passing this morning if the great, Pat Patterson. True legend of the pro wrestling business.  A wonderful mentor who taught me so much. RIP old friend."

Post Malone's easing the pain of a brutal season for his Dallas Cowboys with lots and lots of diamonds -- which won't bring back Dak Prescott, but man do they shine!!!

The rapper added to his 'boys bling collection after hitting up Angel City Jewelers in L.A. for a new pendant. This one's 14-karat gold, weighs 207 grams and, most importantly, features a whopping 29 carats of diamonds.

You can see the pendant's a tribute to America's Team and its NFL birth year ... 1960. The pendant also features an American flag, in case anyone forgets their nickname. The pendant's value is over $50k, which falls way short of the $250k he dropped for his other Cowboys chain ... but still, it's insane.

There's a nice custom touch on the back ... the words "A Star is Born July 4th" -- PM's birthday -- and the oh-so-humble title of "#1 Fan."

Tough to argue with that, though, when Post's still dropping 5-figures to celebrate a team that's struggling hard.

Forget Brad Pitt, there's a new "Fight Club" in town -- and this time, it's Snoop Dogg calling the shots!

The rapper has teamed up with Triller co-owner Ryan Kavanaugh to launch a brand new pro boxing league called "The Fight Club" ... and we're told there's already a blockbuster event in the works!

TMZ Sports was talking with Kavanaugh about Snoop's wildly entertaining performance as a commentator at the Mike Tyson vs. Roy Jones Jr. fight ... when Ryan dropped the bombshell on us.

"This was the first event of a league that we have called 'The Fight Club,'" Kavanaugh said.

"It's a league owned by Proxima, which is the parent company to Triller and Snoop, and this was the first of many, many events."

Kavanaugh says Snoop is a co-owner of the league -- plus, he'll be doing fight commentary and helping book the fights and musical acts!

"This is gonna be big," Kavanaugh says ... "The whole idea is we want to change up the way that boxing is done."

The plan is for "The Fight Club" to put on both sanctioned fights and non-sanctioned fights ... basically, like the Mike Tyson card.

Kavanaugh says he's already got a MAJOR sanctioned fight in the works involving some huge stars.

"I can tell you that the main fight — I can't say it yet — but it’s gonna be something that everybody wants to see. If you thought [Tyson vs. Jones Jr.] is big, I think that this would be even larger from a worldwide-appetite perspective and something that people want to see."

Kavanaugh says the undercard will be stacked too -- they're currently looking at social media stars, actors, musicians, athletes and pro boxers to get in on the action.

One of the NBA's hottest hunks is officially off the market -- with Golden State Warriors star Kelly Oubre, Jr. popping the question to his GF, Shylyn ... and she said YES!!!

The 24-year-old forward announced the big news via Instagram just minutes ago ... sharing emotional footage of the proposal at a private and romantic location.

Oubre and the model first went public earlier this year ... and have been inseparable ever since.

They wasted no time taking things to the next level ... with the Dope Soul brand man getting on one knee and putting a massive diamond on his lady's finger.

Oubre, Jr. has been linked to names like Kendall Jenner and Sports Illustrated cover model Jasmine Sanders in the past ... but as we previously reported, in September 2019, he said he wasn't ready to settle down just yet.

Things have clearly changed since then ... 'cause the guy is ready to be a married man.

There's a lot of new things going on for KO -- he just got shipped from the Phoenix Suns to the Dubs this past offseason.

Indianapolis Colts punter Rigoberto Sanchez says he will undergo surgery Tuesday to remove a cancerous tumor -- but he's grateful doctors caught it before it spread to the rest of his body.

The 26-year-old says the procedure will force him to step away from the Colts -- but he's adamant he'll heal up and return to the team.

Sanchez announced the diagnosis on social media Monday -- praising his medical team and his family.

"So grateful to be surrounded by doctors that helped me catch the cancerous tumor before it spread all over my body," Sanchez said.

"I will be getting surgery on Tuesday and I know that it will not be an easy bump on the road, but I know I have my amazing wife supporting me along with family, coaches, and friends reaching out."

Sanchez admits he was not mentally prepared for the diagnosis -- who could be? -- but vows to "come back stronger than ever."

Unclear where the tumor is located and how long Sanchez is expected to be away from the Colts -- but the punter says he'll be following the team closely.

"Makes me sick that I’ll have to miss some time playing beside my brothers, but I know they will hold it down."

Sanchez signed with the Colts in 2017 as an undrafted free agent out of Hawaii. But, he's been so good, the team signed him to a 4-year $11.6 million contract in 2019.

Get well soon, Rigo.

Malik Beasley's wife had NO IDEA the NBA star was hanging out with Larsa Pippen in Miami last week until she saw photos online ... and she ain't happy about it!

Sources close to Beasley's wife Montana Yao tell TMZ Sports ... she was "blindsided" when she saw the pics of the Minnesota Timberwolves star arm-in-arm with Pippen during a Nov. 23 outing in Miami.

In the photos, 24-year-old Beasley and 46-year-old Pippen are wearing masks and holding hands while walking out in public. Larsa is wearing a pretty sexy outfit with no bra.

Our sources tell us Yao -- who has a child with Beasley -- had expected Malik to be home in Minnesota for his 24th birthday on Nov. 26 ... and she was disappointed when he didn't make it back.

Then, things got worse when she saw Malik was out galavanting with Larsa.

We're being told Yao is pretty upset about the whole situation -- and doesn't know if things will be salvageable with Malik.

L.A. Dodgers legend Tommy Lasorda is getting better by the day ... the 93-year-old is now out of the ICU, though he still remains hospitalized in Southern California.

The former MLB manager was admitted with heart issues in early November ... and shortly after, things took a turn for the worse.

Sources told TMZ Sports at the time ... Lasorda needed sedation and to be put on a ventilator -- but noted his condition was NOT coronavirus related.

An L.A. Dodgers spokesperson told the Associated Press last week Lasorda's condition was improving so rapidly -- noting he was able to field calls from friends and former baseball colleagues!

Now, on Tuesday, the Dodgers told the AP that Lasorda is continuing to make substantial progress -- and he's been moved out of the intensive care unit.

Seems Tommy's still got a ways to go before he's back home ... the Dodgers said he's still doing rehab at the hospital in Orange County -- but it's clear Lasorda's well down the road to recovery at this point.

Boxing superstar Claressa Shields says the boxing business is straight-up SEXIST -- with promoters screwing her out of paydays for years because she's a woman ... and that's why she's jumped to MMA.

25-year-old Shields -- one of the greatest female boxers ever -- just inked a 3-year contract with the Professional Fighters League, a global MMA promotion.

And, get this, Sheilds says one of the biggest reasons she made the move is because of PFL's biggest star, Kayla Harrison -- who's already won PFL's $1 million tournament, TWICE!

"Kayla, I watch all her fights," Shields says ... "She had a chance to fight for a million dollars [in MMA] before I had a chance to fight for a million dollars in boxing and I've accomplished everything there is to accomplish in boxing."

Claressa is right -- she's won every title imaginable and is widely regarded as the top pound-for-pound female boxer in the world.

But, despite her accolades and her talent on the microphone (she's entertaining as hell) -- Shields says she's been constantly low-balled by the shot-callers in her beloved sport.

"Boxing is so sexist," Claressa said ... claiming they treat her like a charity case instead of a world champion.

"These men are fighting for multiple millions that haven't accomplished half of what I accomplished but I'm supposed to just be happy?? Like yeah, go ahead and pay me $300k and then offer me $150k for the next fight?"

So, instead of bitching about it ... Claressa simply left the sport.

She's been training like a maniac and tells TMZ Sports the promoters at PFL aren't trying to turn her career into a circus by immediately booking her to fight Kayla Harrison.

Instead, Claressa says she'll start fighting opponents with similar MMA experience and she'll move up from there.

"I'm happy that they understood that this is not a ... 'Oh, I'm just coming over here like a Conor McGregor vs. Floyd Mayweather type of deal,'" Shields tells us.

"This is a 3-year deal we have together ... It's very lucrative. 160 different countries that they'll be showing my fights. I'll be able to grow my brand and just continue to be a bigger role model."

"And I'm just happy they understood that and just didn't come talking to me like, 'Hey, we want you to get in the cage and fight Kayla Harrison the first main event.'"

As for her training, Shields says she's been in the gym every day -- and has gone from bench pressing 135 pounds to 185 pounds since kick-starting her training in June.

"Just trying to get stronger and fast to be more explosive -- and really just treat my body like a temple so we can get ready to go through all these different changes we're about to go through having to be an MMA fighter."

There's more -- Shields says the MMA community has welcomed her with open arms ... and name-drops some huge stars in the sport who have offered to help her as she begins her new journey.

Kendall Hinton's run as starting QB for the Denver Broncos is over ... probably.

The team's top 3 QBs -- including starter Drew Lock -- have been cleared to return Wednesday after testing negative for COVID on Tuesday, according to ESPN.

Remember, Lock -- along with backups Brett Rypien, Blake Bortles -- were all placed on the team's COVID list over the weekend after being deemed "close contacts" with QB Jeff Driskel, who had tested positive for the virus on Thursday.

The QBs reportedly did not wear masks around Driskel during an informal film session on their day off -- which led to all FOUR players being blocked from playing on Sunday against the Saints.

The team was so desperate for a QB, they turned to Hinton -- a practice squad WR who hasn't played a snap at QB since his college days at Wake Forest.

He tried his best ... but the Broncos got smashed in a 31 to 3 blowout.

Broncos head coach Vic Fangio said the team is still mulling a possible punishment for his top 3 QB, including a fine.

Broncos president and CEO Joe Ellis -- who also tested positive for COVID this season -- issued a statement Tuesday saying, "We share in the disappointment of our fans for the challenging and unique situation our team faced at the last minute this weekend."

"While it's easy to point fingers, all of us must take responsibility and work together to prevent it from happening again.''