TMZ Sports - Page 50

NBA commissioner Adam Silver says he's smoothed things over with LeBron James about his hatred for the play-in tournament ... telling TMZ Sports he believes the Lakers superstar now "understands" the purpose for the extra games.

Remember, LeBron went OFF on the idea of the new tourney back in May ... saying, "Whoever came up with that s*** needs to be fired."

But, the Association went forward with the format for the 2022 season ... making things official earlier this week.

So, when we spoke with Commish out in NYC this week ... he told us he personally spoke with King James about the tourney -- and it sounds like things are allllll good.

"We talked about it," Silver told us. "I think at the end of the day, I understand. Especially if you went deep last year and you have that end, you have that many sort of games on your legs."

"You're not looking forward to more games. But, I think he understands the context of the league."

Silver says despite James' initial gripe, it was the NBA Players' Association that ended up voting in favor ... but he's totally down to collab on a common ground to make both sides as happy as possible.

"At the end of the day, the Players Association speaks for the players, and they've approved this format for next season," he added.

"So, I think we wanted to get one more season under our belt that wasn't a pandemic season, so we could really get a sense of how it works."

"But, I'm more open to tinkering with it if necessary."

Next time you see Odell Beckham, ask him to smile ... and you'll witness a $1.8 million dollar grin!!!

Sources tell TMZ Sports ... the Cleveland Browns star pretty much has a mansion in his mouth now ... after hitting up celeb dentist Dr. Thomas Connelly to get some natural porcelain veneers done.

But, the 28-year-old didn't ask for your regular pearly whites ... he wanted his on a different level -- framed with a load of diamonds ... and Connelly delivered!

OBJ's new teeth look AMAZING ... with a iced-out cross on his fang and the back of his teeth -- on both sides -- infused with gems.

We're told Connelly -- who's made icy teeth for Post Malone and Chris Brown -- did a 28 unit full mouth reconstruction ... and it carries 13 carat diamonds!!!

The 3-time Pro Bowler dropped $1.8 MILLION on his new teeth ... but it won't hurt his pockets -- he's made over $60M in his NFL career so far.

It'll be nice to see the guy get back on the field after going down with a season-ending injury in November 2020 ... but wear a pair of shades if you stare at his smile ... just in case.

Simone Biles will NOT pay a financial price for pulling out of the Olympics -- she actually might make MORE money -- so says financial guru Daymond John.

The "Shark Tank" star joined Harvey and Charles on "TMZ Live" ... when DJ was asked about the monetary implications of Biles's decision.

"I think this is great," John tells us ... "Not what she's going through, but a great example of showing she's human."

Daymond says that will likely translate to additional sponsorship dollars.

"I think this makes her extremely relatable, and I think this makes a company look good because they say we don't only care about people when they're on top, we care about people when they're going through struggles, and we're gonna address this cause we're all human."

Of course, 24-year-old Biles pulled out of the team and individual all-around gymnastics competitions in Tokyo after explaining mounting pressure took a toll on her mental.

Simone is already one of the Summer Games' highly endorsed athletes ... working with companies like Visa, Athleta and Uber Eats, amongst others.

And, get this ... Biles won't be the only athlete who benefits from the gymnastics G.O.A.T. pulling out.

DJ says Suni Lee -- the all-around individual gold medalist -- likely will also get the bag!!

"I think the other young lady who stepped up and represented America, and represented everybody so great, with Simone cheering her on, I think she's also gonna get sponsors."

Lee is on her way ... she's already accumulated over 1 million Instagram followers in the days since her clutch performance.

Snoop Dogg can seriously commentate on just about anything and make it entertaining -- something he's proved yet again with some Olympics coverage ... which is rated R.

The rapper joined none other than Kevin Hart Saturday for what appears to be a special from Peacock -- NBC's subscription service -- and the two of them were hired to drop some commentary on random Olympics clips from the ongoing games ... totally out of context.

Sounds like a hoot, and that's exactly what it turned out to be ... especially once SD started getting into his bag of NSFW jokes, which were preceded by some gangster comparisons.

You gotta watch for yourself ... in Snoop's eyes, the horse that's trotting around in the clip they're watching looks an awful lot like what he was doing in the music video for "Drop It Like It's Hot" -- namely, Crip walking. That got a huge laugh out of Kevin ... and seemingly out of the rest of the crew on set.

That's nothing compared to a comment he made later ... when the subject of skeet shooting came up for discussion.

Conor McGregor's healing process just got a lot more fun -- the dude is hobbling his way around Universal Studios while he's on the mend ... and looks to be having a helluva time.

The wounded UFC star was out and about Friday at Universal Studios in L.A., and he wasn't just standing idly by watching his kids and whatnot have a blast -- the guy was straight-up getting on rides as well.

Check out this video we got of CMG at the theme park, where at one point he was boarding "The Secret Life of Pets" ride ... limping his way over with the help of his crutches, and eventually plopping himself down. Not bad for a guy with a broken leg!

This just shows that despite being seriously injured, Conor is still living his best life and isn't letting the rubber bone moment put a damper on his plans outside the Octagon.

Besides this Universal trip, he's been cutting loose -- as much as he can, anyway -- with rehab stints alongside MLB players, poolside bro seshes with pop stars ... all while lugging himself to wherever he needs to go with the help of his trusty crutches.

It looks like he's also gotten some updated footwear too ... rocking a boot at the park instead of just the bandaging he's been wearing of late.

Pretty incredible considering just how gruesome the break was at the time. It speaks to Conor's toughness -- and at this rate, we kind of expect him back sooner rather than later.

The NFL Alumni association was paid a whopping $3,500,000 by the CDC to promote the COVID-19 vaccine, TMZ Sports has learned.

U.S. Federal Procurement docs show the CDC and the NFL Alumni assoc. signed the multi-million dollar deal at the beginning of May.

The total value of the contract is listed at $3.5 mil ... with the money earmarked for "NFL Alumni (NFLA) Health COVID-19 Vaccination Community Outreach and Education Project."

FYI, the NFL Alumni was founded in 1967 by a group of retired football players. The organization's current president is former NY Giants lineman, Bart Oates.

The NFL Alumni's website features pro-COVID-19 vax testimonials from former NFL stars like Franco Harris, Rod Woodson and Harry Carson, amongst others.

The site also has a "Vaccination Tracker" and a link to access vax locations.

The group is a separate entity from the NFL ... though you must have played or coached in the league to be a member.

Prior to awarding the windfall of cash, the CDC issued a Notice of Intent, announcing the grant.

"The [CDC] intends to award a sole source firm fixed price purchase order to The NFL Alumni Association (NFLA). The overall purpose of this contract is to facilitate collaboration among NFL Alumni and federal state and local public health officials as well as other local leaders to address vaccine hesitancy through communication and engagement with communities less likely to get vaccinated."

The notice continues ... "The CDC Vaccine Task Force will work directly with the NFLA to promote community-level and national COVID-19 education outreach and vaccination acceptance."

The agreement with former players is interesting, because many current players and coaches are pissed about the NFL's new COVID vax rules

The league has threatened to take away players' game checks and even force forfeitures if unvaccinated players cause COVID outbreaks.

29-year-old superstar WR DeAndre Hopkins tweeted his frustrations with the rules, even hinting at contemplating retirement. Minnesota Vikings assistant coach Rick Dennison was even reassigned after refusing to get the shot.

🚨🚨 MAJOR BEEF ALERT 🚨🚨

A.J. McKee and Patricio Pitbull -- Bellator Featherweight Grand Prix finalists -- do NOT like each other, and it all goes back to ... an autograph?!

"I actually asked [Pitbull] to sign a newspaper," A.J. tells TMZ Sports.

But, instead of just signing the paper ... Pitbull had other ideas, and McKee is PISSED.

"He done crossed my whole face out, picture out. So, I'm f****** him up for that like. Like I lost a lot of respect for him because of that."

And, McKee says he thinks Pitbull's shook.

"I'm in his head so f*****g heavy!"

A.J. and Patricio are the last 2 men standing in a tournament that started with 16 of the best 145-pound fighters in Bellator.

McKee has never lost ... winning all 17 of his Bellator fights -- many of them with ease.

Meanwhile, Pitbull is a legend. He's 32-4 and has wins over Michael Chandler and Juan Archuleta -- to name a few. Patricio is also a double champ ... holding the 145 and 155 lb. titles.

The featherweight title's on the line, but arguably more important is the million-dollar prize!!

We asked McKee what he was gonna do with the cash ... and let's just say this isn't the 1st time he's thought about the 7-figure check being deposited in his bank account.

"Oh, I spent it already bro. It’s spent already. I’m paying off my dad's house. I'm buying a [Porsche] GT 2RS. I need a Porsche in my driveway, man."

FYI, A.J.'s dad is Antonio McKee -- a veteran MMA fighter.

The championship fight goes down Saturday night ... personal beef, a title, and a million dollars are all that's on the line.

"If I killed somebody in the ring, it'd f****ing make me very happy."

That savage statement came courtesy of 30-year-old, UFC middleweight contender, Sean Strickland ... who's fighting #8 ranked fighter, Uriah Hall.

TMZ Sports recently talked to the 30-3 Strickland and asked him if 36-year-old Hall would be off his mental game after Chris Weidman's horrific leg injury during Uriah's last fight.

Sean's response, hell no. Fighters fight ... and that's when he said he wants to murder an opponent in the Octagon.

Really, we asked ... you mean that?

"Oh, I love it. Absolutely. But, I'm okay, I accept that. Like, if Uriah hits me and maybe I have a brain aneurysm and die, you'll hear me saying, 'I’m okay, that's a good death,' Strickland told us.

"We’re all going to die sometime. You know, might as well end in a good way. We’re all going to the same place, man. It's either gonna be then or now. Just enjoy it."

😬😬😬😬😬

BTW, we also talked to Uriah Hall about Strickland (the men obviously have history) ... and it's clear the UFC star has his sights set on champion Israel Adesanya.

Going for gold isn't always pretty and these Olympic athletes are clearly focused on keeping their head in the game ...  and not on how they look in pictures.

There is plenty of determination to be seen at this year's Olympic games, and we're sharing some of the best freeze frame photos from this past week's events.

From athletes such as Russia's Artur Dalaloyan -- Gymnastics and Japan's Mai Murakami -- Gymnastics to Argentina's Victoria Sauze Valdez -- Field Hockey and Great Britain's Andy Murray -- Tennis ... The commitment is crystal clear in these snapshots!

Take a look at all the other athletes making waves as they go for gold by scrolling through our gallery of these iconic faces ... See other stars such as USA's MyKayla Skinner -- Gymnastics, Serbia's Novak Djokovic -- Tennis, USA's Lilly King -- Swimming, and Japan's Naomi Osaka -- Tennis.

Lamar Odom has been ordered to pay his ex nearly $400,000 ... after a judge ruled the former NBA star hadn’t pay a cent of support in over a year.

In court docs, obtained by TMZ Sports, a New York judge ruled Odom had stopped making payments to his ex, Liza Morales, in June of last year, despite a 2015 settlement agreement requiring the NBA legend to pay thousands of dollars per month for the benefit of the former couple’s two kids.

In all, the court hit Odom with a $380,549 tab, including $91,220 in outstanding child support, $88,117 in missed rent, $161,305 for their children's college funds and expenses, and nearly $40k for her legal fees and expenses.

Morales had sued Odom back in May, claiming the former basketball player had missed all the payments he agreed to make since June 2020.

In the court's ruling, the judge noted Odom did not show up for a key hearing in the case in June "despite due notice."

Kris Bryant cried and needed multiple hugs after learning he was being traded out of Chicago ... and video of his emotional departure from the Windy City will hit ya right in the feels.

The Cubs star was dealt to the S.F. Giants just minutes before Friday's MLB trade deadline ... and when he learned of the news via a phone call in the dugout, it ain't hard to see it hurt like hell.

Bryant dapped up and hugged a Cubs staffer, and then began to tear up. And, when the waterworks began to flow heavily, he needed a second hug before leaving the dugout.

Of course, Chicago is all Bryant has known ... he was picked by the Cubbies in the first round of the 2013 MLB draft, and has been a star just about every day since.

Bryant won the NL Rookie of the Year award in 2015, NL MVP honors in 2016, and he helped Chicago win a World Series title in '16 as well.

Russell Westbrook wasted no time getting back to work after becoming a Laker -- the NBA superstar got in an intense workout in LA on Friday ... and he says he's feeling "great!!!"

32-year-old Brodie -- who grew up in SoCal -- has been touring his old stomping grounds after the news broke Thursday ... including a trip to The Nice Guy in WeHo with his buddy, Kevin Hart.

But, it was back to business on Friday ... with the 2017 MVP working up a shirtless sweat at a nearby training facility.

Westbrook is clearly happy -- the smile hasn't left his face since the deal ... and who knows if it'll ever leave!!

The guy even shared a tweet hyping up his new team just minutes ago ... saying, "HomeTeam. WHYNOT?"

Westbrook also spoke with cameras briefly as he left his workout ... saying, "I feel good, brother."

When asked how it feels to be coming home, he replied, "great!"

Two more stars are headed to Hollywood ... the Dodgers just landed two of the best players in baseball, Max Scherzer and Trea Turner, in a trade with the Nationals.

The deal -- which got done right at Friday's MLB trade deadline -- is MASSIVE for L.A. ... which now boasts probably the best hitting lineup AND starting pitching rotation in baseball.

Scherzer -- who owns a 7-4 record this season with a 2.83 ERA -- will join Cy Young-quality arms like Walker Buehler, Clayton Kershaw and potentially Trevor Bauer (who's currently on paid leave) as Dodgers' SPs.

Turner, meanwhile, will join a lineup that already featured mega-stars like Mookie Betts, Justin Turner, Corey Seager and Max Muncy.

It's been reported that Turner -- who's batting .322 with 18 home runs and 21 stolen bases this season -- will make the move from shortstop to second base when he gets to Los Angeles.

As for what the Dodgers had to give up to land the pair ... L.A. sent a slew of prospects, including catcher Keibert Ruiz, in order to get the deal done.

The Dodgers are currently 3 games back behind the Giants for first place in the NL West ... but something tells us that gap is about to narrow in a hurry.

The New Orleans Saints are doing their part to try to get people vaccinated as COVID cases are surging in Louisiana ... trading signed jerseys for shots at their training camp Friday.

N.O. officials made the vaccines available to fans at their practice facility in Metairie ... and encouraged people to show up by giving away autographed Michael Thomas and Cameron Jordan swag.

And, while they limited the cool gear to just the first 15 people who got the shots, the gesture is a powerful one ... considering how bad COVID is hitting the state at the moment.

More than 20,000 people have tested positive for the virus in Louisiana in the last week ... making it arguably the nation's biggest COVID hotspot area.

Of course, Sean Payton knows all too well the effects of the virus ... the Saints head man was the first big NFLer to test positive for COVID in 2020, and battled fever and chills in his bout with it.

It's vacation time for Lionel Messi ... and the soccer megastar is enjoying his annual getaway on the Spanish waters with his wife, kids, and bestie, Luis Suarez!!!

Of course, Messi and Suarez are as close as it gets ... and the gang has been known to tour Spain on expensive boats during the summer months over the past few years.

2021 is no different, with both families bringing their kids along for a bit of R&R ... and fellow pal Cesc Fàbregas coming along for the ride.

Messi has a lot to celebrate -- he's fresh off his Copa America victory with Argentina ... the first of his career!!!

Messi's wife, Antonela Roccuzzo, Suarez's wife, Sofia Balbi, and Fàbregas' wife, Daniella Semaan, look to be enjoying the trip ... and they all look incredibly stunning!!

We can't forget to mention the fellas, though -- they look just as shredded as you'd expect ... after all, they are world-class athletes.

Tim Tebow will not stop ballin' at Jags camp ... here's the Jacksonville tight end catching a TD pass from the team's new superstar QB, Trevor Lawrence!!!

Yup, you know what this means ... Tebow might actually make the team!!!!!!!

Tim has been flashing during his first training camp workouts with the Jaguars this month ... he's shown off good hands, a jacked frame, AND he's already a crowd favorite.

But, as far as we know, this was Lawrence's first TD connection with the former Heisman Trophy winner ... and it's got us all now wondering, is this a glimpse into the Jaguars' future???

The play was pretty sweet ... Lawrence rolled out to his left in a team red-zone drill and found Tebow dragging across the back of the endzone for a score.

No celebration from Tim -- just a low-five with his teammate -- but the fans sure gave him applause for the grab.

Of course, Tim has been considered a long shot to make Jacksonville's opening day roster ... but quickly developing chemistry with Lawrence could change all of that.