TMZ Sports - Page 50

Ever seen a dude jump so high during a dunk that he injured his face on the rim???

Well, now ya have ... 'cause NBA draft prospect Jericho Sims did just that Tuesday night -- and video of the scene is absolutely WILD!!!

Sims was warming up to try to put on a show for scouts at this week's Klutch Sports Pro Day ... when he elevated so high for a dunk, his eye came down and scraped the rim.

Check out the footage, the 22-year-old former Texas Longhorns star was a legit FOOT above the goal before his head came crashing down on the iron ... and he had to wipe away at his face afterward to try to stop the pain.

Don't worry ... Sims ended up being just fine -- and he went on to prove to NBA execs throughout the evening his hops are seriously no joke.

In fact, NBA superstar Ja Morant was so impressed with the guy ... he even tweeted a shocked reaction to the throwdown!!!

The 6-foot-10, 245-pound forward -- who averaged 9.2 points and 7.2 rebounds per game as a senior in 2021 -- was not initially thought to be a potential first-round pick later this month ... but he's shown so much athleticism in pre-draft workouts, pundits are now rethinking that idea.

Sha'Carri Richardson is missing one golden opportunity at the Olympics, but that's now opened the door to a very green opportunity ... and yeah, that's a double entendre.

The good folks over at Dr. Dabber -- a vaping org specializing in all things weed -- have extended a cannabis-laced olive branch to the U.S. sprinting star ... it's a high-paying job that doesn't really require a whole lot of physical labor.

The offer is for Sha'Carri to become an ambassador of sorts -- or, more accurately, one of Dabber's "doctors."

Check out the offer, obtained by TMZ, which lays out the responsibilities ... and her whopping $250k compensation.

The company says, "Considering your talent and grace over these past weeks, we would love to offer you the opportunity to work with our team as a spokesperson for Dr. Dabber. This entails testing our award-winning dab rigs and vape pens as a resident 'doctor.'"

It's unclear how long of a partnership Dabber has in mind -- but either way, it's a sweet chance to make some easy dough ... and to kinda stick it to the Olympics for DQ'ing her over a positive THC test.

Win-win, really -- but no word yet if Sha'Carri will accept.

Peyton Manning looked absolutely nothing like one of the greatest athletes ever on Tuesday ... botching the ceremonial first pitch at the MLB All-Star Game -- and it was pretty terrible.

The former Broncos QB was tapped by baseball officials to kick off the big night at Coors Field in Denver ... and, boy, did he disappoint in the role.

Check out the clip ... Manning took the bump, reared back with an ugly wind-up, and then fired a fastball that didn't even reach home plate.

Seriously, it wasn't good.

In fact, the ball bounced so far from being a strike ... it had to be knocked down by Rockies pitcher German Marquez to save Peyton from all-time embarrassment.

You can tell from the footage, even Manning was disappointed with the toss ... he shook his head and threw up his hands before receiving the ball back from Marquez.

Of course, Manning's been retired from being a star athlete for more than 5 years now ... so maybe the 45-year-old deserves a pass here.

Forget watching the Tokyo Olympics at a bar -- Scottie Pippen is offering fans a WAY cooler watch party option ... his own Chicago home!!!

TMZ Sports has learned the former NBA star is renting out his pad for 3 one-night stays in August to a max of four people to have Olympics watch parties -- and the spot is amazing!

We're told Scottie's home features an indoor basketball court AND an outdoor one ... and also has an arcade and a SWEET pool.

Pippen's place also promises a stacked kitchen ... filled with fresh fruit, veggies and Scottie's favorite pregame and game-time meals (AKA steak and potatoes).

Oh, and the place even comes with a whole movie theater to catch all of the Olympic events!

We're told Pippen's hookin' up his guests with theater footage of the Dream Team in the 1992 Olympics as well ... with exclusive access to his Olympic memorabilia.

Of course, the Hall of Famer won't be there for the stays -- but we're told Scottie will give a virtual welcome check-in ... and his spot comes with staff available on-call too.

The coolest part of the experience? It only costs $92 per night via the special Airbnb offer -- a tip of the cap to the 1992 year that Scottie won his gold medal.

"He's a piece of s***. He's sitting there on the ground after losing, talking s*** to Dustin Poirier's wife. I don't feel bad at all."

That's Jake Paul expressing exactly ZERO remorse for Conor McGregor ... and his snapped leg.

TMZ Sports talked to the YouTuber turned boxing superstar in Los Angeles ... at a press conference for his big August 29 fight with ex-UFC champ Tyron Woodley (much more to come on that soon).

We asked Jake -- who's got big beef with the Irish superstar -- for his thoughts on McGregor's gruesome injury ... and Paul didn't mince his words.

"I think he's an evil man, and he had what was coming for him."

We also talked to Jake about his $100k Sleepy McGregor pendant ... and asked if JP was really sending the 6 figure bling to Poirier.

"I think he deserves it. I think it’s hilarious. I hope he takes a picture with it and posts it on Instagram. I just love to see McGregor plummet. He was a meteoric star that’s now just taking a nosedive. Before I wanted to fight him and I offered him $50 million, now my offer is $23."

In fact, Jake says he tried to break the lower leg off the chain ... but couldn't do it.

"I tried to snap off the ankle on it. After the fight I took a rock and tried to smash it. It wouldn’t break, honestly. The chain is more solid than McGregor."

Jessie J is glad Prince William spoke out against racists targeting Black players on England's soccer team after their championship loss -- she says it's a sign of great progress.

We got the English singer Tuesday leaving Crossroads Kitchen in L.A. and asked her if William's comments show the Royal Family learned from the recent racism scandal with Meghan Markle.

Jessie says Prince William calling the disgusting comments "totally unacceptable" is a big step in the right direction.

As we reported ... England's soccer officials also condemned the racial abuse directed at their players after missed opportunities during England's penalty shootout with Italy in Sunday's Euro 2020 championship match.

Fernando Tatis is shining bright like a diamond at the MLB's 2021 All-Star Week ... rockin' a massive 'El Nino' diamond chain --- worth $200k!!

The San Diego Padres shortstop's nickname is 'El Nino' ... and you may have spotted Tatis rockin' the ice during the Home Run Derby in Denver on Monday -- and the jewelry is amazing.

TMZ Sports has learned that the pendant -- featuring a little boy's face -- is filled with 25 carats of VVS emerald diamonds ... and the specially made Hermes chain holds 75 carats of VVS diamonds!

That's a total of 100 carats -- worth 200 racks!!

And, Tatis isn't the only All-Star reppin' his alias in some new bling ... Atlanta Braves' Ronald Acuna Jr. got a diamond 'El Abusador' pendant featuring his team's logo.

It's infused with 100 carats of VVS diamonds and is worth $175K!

Even though the right-fielder tore his ACL last weekend, he'll still be in Denver showin' love -- and maybe we'll catch him sportin' the new ice!

We're told that both chains -- made by Gabriel the Jeweler -- were designed and inspired by their close friend Nick Drbal.

The woman who accused WWE star Matt Riddle of choking her and forcing her to perform oral sex has dropped her lawsuit against the wrestler ... TMZ Sports has learned.

Court docs show Candy Cartwright -- a pro wrestler whose real name is Samantha Tavel -- filed for the dismissal on Monday.

It's unclear if the two sides reached a monetary settlement ... Cartwright's attorney, John Chwarzynski, tells us only, "The parties have put this in their past and are focused on the future."

We reached out to Riddle's attorneys for comment ... but so far, no word back yet.

Cartwright had alleged that Riddle sexually assaulted her during a 2018 van ride with other performers when everyone else had fallen asleep.

"Matt asked me to 'hop on his d***,'" Cartwright said of the alleged incident. "When I refused (although we had previously been together I was incredibly uncomfortable in that setting) When I said no, he grabbed me by my throat, choked me and said 'what if I just made you?'"

Cartwright says she ultimately performed oral sex on Riddle "to get out of having intercourse with him. It was incredibly humiliating."

She added, "It is never ok to put your hands on a woman, it's also not ok to not listen when she says no."

For his part, Riddle adamantly denied the allegations ... saying that while he did have an affair with Cartwright -- he did NOT sexually assault her.

"At the end of the day, I’m not perfect," Riddle said in a video message in July 2020. "I did have an affair, and I’m not happy about it. But, I never sexually abused anybody, I never sexually assaulted anybody."

"And, when I wanted to get out of this relationship, out of this situation, she said no and she kept pursuing me ... And then, when she didn’t get her way, she used the Speak Out movement to try to ruin my career."

Riddle has remained a big WWE star despite the suit and the nature of Cartwright's allegations ... wrestling for RAW every Monday.

Belli's having a baby!!!!

Cody Bellinger's model girlfriend, Chase Carter, just announced the couple is pregnant ... and is already 20 weeks along!!!

And, the Dodgers superstar clearly couldn't be more excited about it ... he commented on Carter's announcement on social media, "Ay ay ayyyyyyyy!!"

Belli and Carter have been dating for around a year ... and the two are very clearly in love, as they were inseparable during Bellinger's run to the World Series last October.

You'll recall, Carter was spotted at most of the MLB star's playoff games ... and even celebrated on the field with him after L.A. beat Tampa Bay to win it all.

No official due date has been announced yet for the baby Bellinger ... but doing the math should mean Cody -- who turned 26 on Tuesday -- will be a dad in November.

Tennis' G.O.A.T. will not be in Tokyo for this summer's Olympics ... 'cause Roger Federer has just pulled out of the event due to a knee injury.

The 39-year-old made the announcement Tuesday ... saying he's suffered a setback on his right knee -- the same knee he had procedures on back in 2020.

"During the grass court season, I unfortunately experienced a setback with my knee, and have accepted that I must withdraw from the Tokyo Olympic Games," Federer said.

"I am greatly disappointed, as it has been an honor and highlight of my career each time I have represented Switzerland."

Federer -- who just lost in the quarterfinals at Wimbledon earlier this month -- said he has already begun rehabbing and is clearly hoping to still participate in the U.S. Open in August.

"I have already begun rehabilitation in the hopes of returning to the tour later this summer," Federer said. "I wish the entire Swiss team the best of luck and I will be rooting hard from afar."

Federer has had big success in the Olympic in his career ... he won a gold medal in the doubles event at the 2008 Beijing Games and then a silver medal in the singles event in the 2012 London Games.

Federer did not compete in the 2016 Rio Olympics due to a knee injury.

The list of tennis stars who will not be in Tokyo this summer, meanwhile, is now growing rapidly ... in addition to Federer, Serena Williams, Rafael Nadal and Nick Kyrgios have all pulled out of the event.

IT WORKED!!!!

USA track star Christina Clemons now officially has a deal with Doritos -- just weeks after she raced in Cool Ranch earrings ... TMZ Sports has confirmed.

The 31-year-old hurdler wore the little snack bags on her ears at last month's U.S. Olympic Track & Field Trials in Oregon ... and she balled out in the pieces, earning a spot on Team USA's Olympic roster after an amazing 12.53 finish in the 100-meter hurdles race.

The delicious jewelry ended up going viral ... and Clemons told us at the time she was hoping all of the shine would ead to some sort of deal with the chip company.

And, on Monday, she announced it did!!!

"Now I’m OFFICIALLY Cool Ranch Clemons 🥳," the track star said. "Thank you Doritos for making it official!"

The brand confirmed the deal to us, saying, "Doritos has entered into an official partnership with Christina Clemons."

"More to come on how the partnership will come to life -- Christina is a little busy over the next few weeks!"

We're told Doritos hooked her up with some new custom-made Cool Ranch bling to "celebrate our partnership and wish her luck."

Forget Conor McGregor-Dustin Poirier 4 ... there's another UFC star who has unfinished business with "The Diamond" -- former champ, Max Holloway.

TMZ Sports talked to 29-year-old Holloway as he was leaving the T-Mobile Arena after UFC 264 ... and we asked the greatest 145-pounder in UFC history whether he's interested in scrapping with Dustin for a third time.

"That’d be good fun. That’d be good fun. Watch out mother Russia," Holloway tells us.

So, will it happen?? Max says that's on Dana White and the UFC match makers.

"I mean that’s up to the UFC. That’s up to the UFC."

Remember, Dustin beat Max twice. He submitted MH via armbar in 2012 -- when both were young fighters. They rematched in 2019 ... and Poirier won by unanimous decision. Dustin started the 2nd fight very strong ... but Max came on late -- in what was a great fight.

We also got Max's thoughts on Conor's gruesome leg injury ... and at the time, Holloway was unsure if McGregor would ever step foot in the Octagon again.

Heartwarming scene in England on Tuesday ... a vandalized mural of soccer star Marcus Rashford was repaired -- all while crowds of anti-racists gathered around it to show their support.

The wall art was defaced after Rashford was one of several England players who missed crucial kicks in England's penalty shootout loss to Italy in Sunday's Euro 2020 final.

The vandalism was crass ... there were swear words and other vile things drawn on the picture of Rashford -- and police say they're treating the whole thing as a racially motivated incident.

But, the community surrounding the mural in Manchester rallied to cover up the graffiti shortly after it was tagged ... leaving messages of love and unity.

And, on Tuesday, when a street artist repaired it back to normal ... dozens showed up to cheer on and display messages of anti-racism.

"There’s been an outpouring of kind of love and solidarity," an official who helped initially put up the mural told TheJournal.ie, "and it’s really heartening."

23-year-old Rashford has dealt with a ton of abuse since Sunday's game ... in addition to the defaced mural, he and other Black stars dealt with threats and racist comments on social media.

It got so bad, Prince William released a statement condemning it all ... and police even said they'd launch an investigation into the online comments.

An MLB fan flipped over some railing and crash-landed onto his head trying to track down a Home Run Derby ball Monday ... but somehow, the dude escaped with no serious injuries.

The wild spill happened early in the MLB's long-ball event at Coor's Field in Denver ... when A's star Matt Olson cranked a dinger deep into the stadium's right field upper deck.

The man could be seen on the broadcast reaching over some railing to try to catch the ball ... but when he stretched just a little too far, he tumbled to the concrete below.

The scene was actually pretty terrifying ... the guy fell multiple feet and landed VERY awkwardly -- but he explained afterward he somehow avoided catastrophe in the tumble.

"It was coming right through here," the fan said, breaking down his thought process of chasing after the ball. "And I got up and tried to go over the railing to get it."

The fan said he suffered some scrapes on his elbow, but otherwise, came out of the spill just fine.

But, the dude said he didn't even get to come away with the baseball ... adding, "Never ended up getting it."

SAD!!!!!

By the way, the Derby was awesome this year ... Pete Alonso, Trey Mancini, Juan Soto and Shohei Ohtani all put on amazing shows -- with Pete ultimately coming out on top for the second time in a row at the event.

Lamar Odom's thirsty comment on Khloe Kardashian's bikini pic on Instagram wasn't a shot at her baby daddy, Tristan Thompson ... it was LO shooting his shot with his ex-wife.

Sources close to Lamar tell TMZ ... he wants to rekindle what he once had with Khloe and he thought Friday's comment on Khloe's IG post was a perfect time to get her attention, seeing as she's not with Tristan anymore.

As you know ... Lamar left a "hottie" comment on Khloe's outdoor shower pic, which drew Tristan's ire and a seemingly threatening response to Lamar.

We're told Lamar wasn't trying to be disrespectful, he just figured it was fine to shoot his shot because Khloe and TT are broken up again ... after new allegations he was cheating.

Lamar and Khloe were married from 2009 to 2016 ... and our sources say he thinks Tristan is fumbling the bag with Khloe. Quite frankly, we're told LO wanted to see where his comment might lead the exes.