TMZ Sports - Page 50

Cody Simpson is staying positive after finishing last at the Australian Olympic swimming trials on Thursday ... saying he's proud of his progress and looking forward to training for the 2024 games!!

The 24-year-old pop singer -- who was a standout swimmer as a kid before focusing on his music career -- has been working out like crazy in hopes of making it to the trials finals in 2021 ... and he did just that!!

Simpson competed in the 100-meter butterfly final on Thursday ... and while he came in last, he's considering it his big win on the year.

"What an experience racing at my first Australian Olympic Trials," Simpson said Thursday. "To make a final was our goal this year and with less than a year of training we did just that."

"I’ve come so much further than I expected to this year and to be racing the best in the country already is a privilege."

FYI -- Simpson finished with a time of 52.94 ... while Matthew Temple came in first at 50.45, an Australian record.

Simpson knew making it to Tokyo was going to be a long shot this year .. but it's clear he wants to go to Paris in 2024.

Powerful moment from NBA player Meyers Leonard ... who choked backed tears while addressing a group of Jewish kids at a temple in Florida, as he explained his regret for using an anti-Semitic slur back in March.

The 29-year-old took the mic at Boca Raton Synagogue over the weekend ... and began by saying, "I owe everybody, truly, a sincere apology."

As we previously reported, the former Miami Heat player was playing "Call of Duty" on March 9 when he hurled the K-word at an opposing player. The session was being live-streamed on Twitch at the time.

Twitch immediately blocked Leonard from the platform -- and the NBA hit Meyers with a $50k fine and a 1-week suspension.

Leonard apologized and vowed to educate himself about why the slur is dangerous and offensive ... and it's pretty obvious he's been putting in the work.

At least, according to Rabbi Efrem Goldberg ... who spoke glowingly about Meyers at Sunday's event -- praising him as a good dude and a "great friend of the Jewish community."

Rabbi Goldberg told the crowd, "Over the last 3 months, I’ve gotten to know Meyers off camera and off the court … I've gotten to know what's in his heart and who he is."

"Meyers has learned a lot about the Jewish community ... meeting with Holocaust survivors and reading books about Jewish history."

Leonard also opened up about life after the incident -- saying, "I've had a lot of really good moments and some pretty dark emotional moments but I just like to say, again, I'm so, so thankful for the people in the Jewish community whether it's a little kid, a teenager, a high schooler or a rabbi."

Tom Brady and Patrick Mahomes are out to prove the Madden Curse is officially dead ... with the Super Bowl LV foes set to appear on the video game's cover yet again!!

Remember, EA Sports' biggest franchise was notorious for the bad luck each cover athlete would have after receiving the honor -- from Mike Vick to Marshall Faulk to Vince Young, Peyton Hillis and more.

Both TB12 and Mahomes were able to dodge any serious mishaps when they both appeared on the cover in the past ... as Brady was on Madden NFL 18 and the Chiefs QB was on Madden NFL 20.

Now, the superstar athletes are set to stare the curse right in the eyes yet again ... and if they have baller years, it may be time to put the "Madden Curse" to rest for good.

The game had been teasing "2 goats" would appear on the cover ... and anyone who's been watching football the past few years had to see this one coming.

Blue Jays pitcher Ross Stripling says he's sorry for throwing a temper tantrum after his teammate's error ... calling his actions both embarrassing and mortifying.

The Toronto starter went crazy after Joe Panik botched a throw to first base in the Jays' loss to the Yankees on Wednesday night ... screaming at his third baseman and throwing his hands in the air.

Stripling could be heard telling Panik to essentially play better ... and the on-field explosion was so off-putting, even Yankees broadcasters called Stripling out for it live on-air.

But, it didn't take long for Ross to realize he really screwed up ... 'cause he issued an apology to Panik after the game, calling the scene "the most disrespectful thing I've ever done."

"I'm completely embarrassed about it," the 31-year-old said. "I simply let the moment get too big for me."

Stripling said he not only spoke to Panik about it all, but addressed the situation with his entire team as well.

"I mean, I literally can't explain it," Stripling said. "Honestly, I'm mortified by it, I can't stand that's the way that went."

Ross continued, "It'll never happen again from me, I promise you that."

Ross added that Panik had accepted the mea culpa and told him "no hard feelings."

"Please, just talk to us. Please, just work with us."

Gerrit Cole is BEGGING MLB officials to ease their latest stance on pitchers and foreign substances ... telling reporters Wednesday night he's VERY concerned a league crackdown on it all could lead to serious injuries.

The Yankees star kept it real in his meeting with the media after New York's huge win over Toronto ... saying the lack of sticky substances on his hand really hurt him during the game.

In fact, Cole said he struggled so much with gripping the baseball all night long ... he became not only concerned about his arm, but also batters in the box.

"I would just hate to see players get hurt," the 30-year-old said. "I would hate to see balls start flying at people's heads. I had a really tough time gripping the baseball tonight, especially early when it was windy."

Cole is now imploring MLB officials to back down from their threat to impose fines, ejections and even suspensions on pitchers who are caught putting foreign substances on their hands and baseballs.

"It's so hard to grip the ball," Cole said after the Yanks' 3-2 victory. "For Pete's sake, it's part of the reason why almost every player on the field has had something, regardless if they're a pitcher or not, to help them control the ball."

Of course, the comments echo Tyler Glasnow's concerns from earlier this week ... when the Tampa Bay Rays ace said he believed the league's crackdown ultimately caused a serious injury to his elbow.

For his part, despite grip issues and a dry hand, Cole still dominated a strong Blue Jays lineup ... throwing 8 innings and giving up just 4 hits and 2 earned runs while striking out 4.

"I would encourage the commissioner's office to continue to talk with us, please, because we're the ones that throw the ball," Cole said.

A true one-of-a-kind pair of Michael Jordan's Air Jordan 1's just hit the market and they're literally from before the start of all J's -- 'cause it's his sample sneakers!

Yes, a sample sneaker ... meaning these red, black and white kicks were specifically made for His Airness to test out before releasing 'em.

And, these samples are verified .. with the code "850204-TYPS" on the tongue which means these 1's were made between February and April in 1985 -- and TYPS is "Tong Yang Player Sample".

Another dope authentication check is the mismatched sizes .. 13 for the left foot and 13 1/2 for the right  -- 'cause MJ always wore a bigger size on his right foot!

Even though MJ never wore 'em, they were autographed by the then-rookie and it comes with the original NIKE shoebox.

The owner of the kicks got 'em back in the '80s -- when he was a director of communication for a gas and electric company and during his business meeting with a sports agent, he was asked 'what sports figure I admired'.

Jordan was one of them .. and then a few weeks later, he received the shoes in the mail!

The rare sneakers hit the market -- with RR Auctions -- 2 weeks ago with a current bid of $95,420 ... but are expected to sell for $250,000!!!

The auction comes to a close on June 16 ... so you still got some time to put in your bid!

Vontaze Burfict bawled his eyes out outside of a Las Vegas casino after he was restrained by SEVEN people ... and the whole thing was captured on police video obtained by TMZ Sports.

The former Cincinnati Bengals and Oakland Raiders star was arrested at the Cosmopolitan back on Dec. 4, 2020 after he allegedly got into a physical altercation with security guards.

The story was wild ... cops say Burfict and a friend snapped on guards because they were allegedly "irate" while on the hunt for the "Secret Pizza" restaurant inside the famed Vegas hotel.

In the police video, you can see what happened next ... Burfict was pinned down to the ground by more than half a dozen people and eventually placed in handcuffs.

But, Burfict sounded so upset over the tightness of the cuffs ... he moaned in apparent pain and yelled, "I can't breathe!"

Eventually, the 30-year-old football player was taken outside to a squad car ... and the police footage shows he was still VERY emotional there, too.

Burfict could be seen sobbing, all while begging cops to loosen his cuffs.

Eventually, Burfict was taken to a nearby station where he posed for a mug shot ... and he was ultimately charged with one count of misdemeanor battery.

Burfict, though, cut a deal with prosecutors last week to close out the case ... court records show he agreed to keep his nose clean in exchange for the charge being dropped.

Court records also show a judge formally dismissed the case Wednesday morning.

Priyanka Chopra Jonas and Megan Rapinoe are going to rep Victoria's Secret but instead of flaunting their bods they'll be sharing their minds. Yup, times are changing.

The lingerie giant announced it's brought the actress and U.S. women's soccer legend on board as its newest spokeswomen. The company's rebranding to be more inclusive and appeal to a wider audience -- and it's hired the duo to spearhead the new VS mission: inspiring change and positivity.

The new marketing strategy doesn't call for Megan or Priyanka to put on Angel wings or skimpy lingerie outfits -- instead the duo will appear on a podcast and in other marketing materials.

Some of their guests, as the NY Post first reported, will include South Sudanese-Australian model Adut Akech, freestyle skier Eileen Gu, Brazilian transgender model Valentina Sampaio, plus-size model Paloma Elsesser and journalist Amanda de Cadenet.

It's slated to be a 10-episode podcast.

The women form what Victoria's Secret is calling the VS Collective ... a platform attempting to build deeper relationships with women of all backgrounds.

Priyanka's no stranger to advocating for women's rights ... like speaking on behalf of UNICEF, an org she's worked with since 2006. She also has a namesake foundation that helps sick children around the globe.

Megan's championed women's rights since finding stardom on the pitch. She's advocated for equal pay and LGTBQ+ rights ever since she's had a platform. In fact, earlier this year she testified before Congress, pushing for equal pay.

VS's rebrand comes nearly 3 years after the company's chief marketing officer made a controversial comment to Vogue about transgender models. He's since left the company.

LeBron James says the rash of injuries in this year's playoffs are all the NBA's fault ... claiming the bumps, bruises, tears and sprains are entirely due to the league's early start date.

Bron went off on the league in an epic Twitter rant Wednesday ... claiming he saw this coming from a million miles away once the NBA decided to start its 2021 season in December despite finishing the 2020 season in October.

"They all didn’t wanna listen to me about the start of the season," said LeBron, who did insist back before the season began that a December date was way too early to come back.

"I knew exactly what would happen. I only wanted to protect the well being of the players which ultimately is the PRODUCT & BENEFIT of OUR GAME!"

The NBA playoffs have been marred by injuries so far ... mega stars like Anthony Davis, Joel Embiid, James Harden and Kyrie Irving have all missed time.

And, on Wednesday, it was announced Clippers star Kawhi Leonard could be done for the playoffs with a knee injury as well.

All of it has Bron fuming ... claiming it could have all been easily prevented.

"This is the best time of the year for our league and fans but missing a ton of our fav players. It’s insane," LeBron said.

"If there’s one person that know about the body and how it works all year round it’s ME! I speak for the health of all our players and I hate to see this many injuries this time of the year. Sorry fans wish you guys were seeing all your fav guys right now."

LeBron added, "And I know all about the business side too/factors so don’t even try me! I get it."

No matter what the haters say, the Brooklyn Nets' country singing halftime performer says he had a freakin' blast singing DMX and Notorious B.I.G. on Tuesday ... telling TMZ Sports he's unbothered by people pissed about his nod to the rap legends.

35-year-old singer Sam James went viral on social media after performing at the Nets vs. Bucks game ... with some folks giving their honest (and sometimes brutal) reviews of his setlist involving rap covers.

As it turns out, James says he grew up a HUGE fan of X ... and being able to perform his music in front of the massive crowd was a career moment for him.

"DMX's passing was so unexpected to me, and just to be able to do that last night at Barclays, it was special," James tells us."

He had the same feeling when covering "Juicy" by Biggie ... adding, "To be able to pay tribute last night to some of the greatest Brooklyn artists in Brooklyn at the Barclays Center in front of a crowd like that -- that was unreal."

James somehow had no idea his performance was spreading on the Internet ... but when we recited some of his not-so-nice reviews to him, the dude couldn't have been a better sport.

"I mean, listen, at the end of the day, you can't listen to what other people are saying about music," James said, laughing off the harsh comments. "Music is subjective. Everybody can have their own opinion."

"It's nothing off my back if people aren't into it."

In fact, James says the crowd around him was LOVIN' it ... so, he's more focused on what he experienced than what the trolls are saying.

"I was in the zone ... but everybody that was around me was pretty hyped. So, it felt great!"

James says he knows people are entitled to their opinion ... but he's down to try and change the haters' minds in the future.

Awesome update from ex-NFL star Greg Olsen -- his son, TJ, just "rang the bell" to symbolize the end of treatment after receiving a heart transplant!!!

Olsen shared footage of the special moment at the hospital in Charlotte on Wednesday, saying, "Today we 'rang the bell,' and for the first time our family whole again."

"To everyone who prayed for our little buddy and sent us words of encouragement and support ... All we can say is THANK YOU and WE 💚 YOU ALL"

As we previously reported, TJ was born with a congenital heart disease that required 3 open-heart surgeries before his 3rd birthday.

Olsen revealed late last month TJ's heart was failing ... and doctors said he would need a transplant immediately.

TJ was quickly able to find a match and underwent surgery earlier this month ... and despite all the struggles, Greg says his son remained optimistic throughout the journey.

"TJ’s positive attitude and selflessness throughout has been an inspiration to us all," he added. "Never did he feel sorry for him self or play the victim. All he did was talk about what the future held and the things he looked forward to doing."

Call LaMelo Ball "ROY" from now on ... 'cause the Charlotte Hornets star has just been named the NBA's Rookie of the Year!!!

And ya know who predicted this way back in November?! None other than Melo's dad, LaVar ... who told TMZ Sports it was "GUARANTEED!!!" to happen.

Now, before we give him the title of "LaVarstradamus," it wasn't that bold of a prediction to begin with -- Melo was the #3 overall pick and the expectations were high from the very beginning.

19-year-old Ball managed to average nearly 16 points, 6 rebounds and 6 assists in 51 games as a rook ... and still held on to get the top honors despite missing a chunk of the season with a wrist injury.

There will almost certainly be some folks pissed with the results -- Minnesota Timberwolves #1 pick Anthony Edwards had a stellar rookie campaign, earning just over 19 points, 4.7 rebounds and nearly 3 assists per game.

The decision is made by a list of sportswriters and broadcasters who vote for the top 3 rookies of the season -- first place votes get 5 points, second gets 3 points and third gets 1.

Whoever gets the highest point total of votes wins the award ... no matter which player has the most first place votes.

The "Space Jam: A New Legacy" soundtrack has just been announced ... and it's filled with features from today's biggest stars -- from Lil Wayne to the Jonas Brothers to Kirk Franklin and more!!!

Of course, the first "Space Jam" soundtrack is a classic -- with iconic songs like Seal's "Fly Like An Eagle" getting radio spins to this day.

Now, the LeBron James-led flick has brought on some of the hottest names in the industry to go big for the new soundtrack ... including Lil Uzi Vert, Big Freedia, Lil Tecca & Aminé, Saweetie, Chance the Rapper, Brockhampton and 24kGoldn.

What's even cooler?? Portland Trail Blazers superstar/rapper Damian Lillard (AKA Dame D.O.L.L.A.) is also featured on the project ... and we're guessing his song might be a sort of Goon Squad anthem, considering his villainous role in the movie.

There are seriously so many more features we haven't even gotten to mentioning yet ... but luckily, the reveal came with a handy hype vid of all the folks involved.

The songs and artists weren't just picked randomly, however -- each song on the project will also be featured in the movie, director Malcolm D. Lee told Rolling Stone.

"The music that we get for the movie has to be in the body of the movie," Lee said. "So, that’s always the thing that we strived for."

The movie hits theaters in exactly one month ... and the soundtrack will be available July 9.

Brandon Moreno is the 1st Mexico-born UFC champ ... and the newly crowned flyweight king just received a heartfelt message from Mexico's arguably greatest athlete ever -- and it's impossible for this to not make you feel good.

TMZ Sports recently talked to 58-year-old Julio Cesar Chavez Sr. (he's fighting this weekend) ... and we asked the former boxing superstar if he had a message for Moreno following his historic victory.

We played the message for the 27-year-old, Assassin Baby ... and it was awesome.

Chavez's message ... "A lot of blessings, and remember that the difficult part is not to get where he is at, but to endure. That’s the tough part. Blessings and God bless."

Moreno's reaction ... "Man, that is crazy. That definitely crazy, you know? He’s an example for me. Actually, it’s not just for me, I think for every single Mexican, for the fans of boxing, for the fans of combat sports around the world."

Brandon continued ... "Julio Cesar Chavez is a legend. A living legend in Mexico and that makes the message for me so special, and I’m very grateful to hear that."

We also talked to Brandon about who he wants next ... and whether a trilogy fight with Deiveson Figueiredo -- who BM submitted in the 3rd round at UFC 263 -- could be in the works.

"[Deiveson's] always a possibility, you know? He’s the former champ, he looks impressive in his last performance, but I don’t know, man," Moreno says.

"I don’t know what to think, but to be honest I think the fight was very dominant by myself."

Simone Biles' brother was acquitted of all charges stemming from a 2018 New Year's Eve shooting in Ohio on Tuesday ... and the scene inside the courtroom was tense.

26-year-old Tevin Biles-Thomas was facing charges of murder, voluntary manslaughter and felonious assault following the incident where his 23-year-old cousin, a 19-year-old and a 21-year-old died.

Biles-Thomas -- who pled not guilty -- was in court in Cleveland when the judge granted his attorney's request to acquit him on all charges due to a lack of evidence.

When announcing the ruling, the judge pointed out several inaccuracies with witness descriptions of the shooter's clothing ... among other issues.

Biles-Thomas' attorney also claims Tevin never fired any shots during the shooting.

Following the ruling, the mother of one of the victims lunged towards Biles-Thomas ... saying, "You have to be f***ing kidding me. I’m going to kill you."

The woman was held back by security and will reportedly NOT face charges.

Biles-Thomas' attorney, Joseph Patituce, addressed the confrontation following the acquittal ... saying, "We get it, she’s angry. She was led to believe Mr. Biles was guilty, when he wasn’t, and she reacted like a mother. We don’t fault her for that,"

"She lost a son and we understand, and we respect the fact that she has suffered horribly, her family has suffered horribly, just like the other families -- including Mr. Biles," Patituce said.

"I mean, Mr. Biles’ own cousin was murdered in this case and he had to sit there and stand trial with the accusation that he was responsible, murdered his own cousin, which simply wasn’t true."

Biles-Thomas was a soldier in the U.S. Army ... although his current status is unknown.

The Olympic gold medalist -- who was separated from Biles-Thomas during childhood -- addressed her brother's arrest back in 2019, saying, "My heart aches for everyone involved, especially for the victims and their families."

"My lifelong dream -- I want to go out and win a Cy Young, I want to be an All-Star, and now it's all just s*** on."

Rays superstar Tyler Glasnow melted down in front of reporters Tuesday ... claiming the MLB's new crackdown on foreign substances RUINED his elbow -- and he's now VERY upset about it.

The 27-year-old Tampa Bay ace said when MLB officials hinted at punishing pitchers for rubbing substances on their throwing hand and baseballs ... he was forced to adapt.

Glasnow -- who said he usually uses sunscreen and rosin on his hand to get a grip on balls -- did away with the stuff two starts ago against the Nationals on June 8.

And, while Tyler spun a gem, he said the lack of tack on his hands put strain all over his elbow ... claiming that led to it blowing out in his last start against the White Sox on June 14.

"Waking up after that [Nationals] start, I was like, 'Okay, this sucks,'" Glasnow said. "Something is weird here. And then that same feeling is persisting all week long."

"And then I go into my start [Monday] and that same feeling, it just pops or whatever the hell happened to my elbow. Like, I feel it. Something happens. And I'm sitting up here like, 'You've got to be f***ing kidding me.'"

The Rays say Glasnow was diagnosed with a torn lgiament in his elbow as well as a flexor tendon strain ... and it's now very possible the dude will need Tommy John surgery to recover.

Glasnow made it clear he wasn't using the foreign substances to cheat, but rather to just get a grip on the baseball -- and now he's concerned other pitchers might suffer his same fate because of MLB's sudden, midseason rule change.

"I'm frustrated that they don't understand how hard it is to pitch," Glasnow said. "And to tell us to do something completely different in the middle of the season is insane. It's ridiculous."