TMZ Sports - Page 50

LeBron James just launched his own E1 Series powerboat racing team this year ... and one of his drivers believes the NBA superstar's involvement will attract a whole new audience to the up-and-coming sport.

The Los Angeles Lakers champ revealed his investment in the water sport on January 23rd ... announcing that the AlUla team will join Tom Brady, Will Smith, and others in the E1 all-electric powerboat racing series for the 2025 season.

His team includes two drivers -- Catie Munnings, who is also a rally driver, and Rusty Wyatt, who told us he's hyped to be a part of James' crew.

If Shedeur Sanders wants some tips on how to navigate following a famous dad's footsteps into the NFL ... Patrick Surtain II is offering up some, free of charge.

The newly crowned Defensive Player of the Year -- who's the son of former Miami Dolphins star Patrick Surtain -- told TMZ Sports out at Super Bowl week this month Sanders merely needs to "keep being" himself if he wants to succeed in the pros.

It, of course, is a simple concept ... but as the offspring of Deion Sanders -- Surtain II knows it's not always the easiest task.

Timberland officials apparently loved Stephen Fulton's in-fight homage to their company so much ... the boxing star tells TMZ Sports he's actually now in talks with them for an endorsement deal.

Fulton paid tribute to the outdoor footwear co. back on Feb. 1 ... when he wore some boxing shorts and boots against Brandon Figueroa that resembled jorts and a pair of Timberlands.

The outfit, designed by The Shoe Surgeon, was so cool -- it all went viral on social media ... and in the days following the bout, Fulton said Timberland reached out to him.

Notre Dame running back Jadarian Price is one of several college football stars inking the coolest NIL deal to date -- a partnership with celeb jeweler Johnny Dang -- and he tells TMZ Sports the collab is way more valuable than his own custom piece!!

Price -- who scored seven touchdowns this past season for the Fighting Irish -- visited Dang's famous store in Houston recently ... where he worked alongside the icemaker to design some one-of-a-kind jewelry.

While diamonds are great, Price said the partnership goes far beyond shiny items ... as he said the experience will set him up for the future.

Mariah Carey's Las Vegas outfit is definitely a hole-in-one ... 'cause she wore a skintight outfit to tee off at Top Golf!

The singer-songwriter shared a series of snaps highlighting her clothes to Instagram ... leaning on a golf club and ready to whack one a couple hundred yards.

MC shared a couple other pics too ... and, she's looking glamorous in each one with her mesh bodysuit -- which gives fans a glimpse of her bra -- and high heels.

A Bible given to O.J. Simpson with an interesting inscription from Robert Kardashian right after the infamous white Bronco car chase is going up for a proposed auction ... and the timing is notable.

Malcolm LaVergne, O.J.'s longtime attorney and executor of his estate -- tells TMZ ... the Bible was given to O.J. in the clink by his close pal and "Dream Team" member the day after the iconic Bronco chase through L.A.

Robert, the late father of the Kardashian clan, wrote a message of hope in the book ... telling O.J. he loved him -- and so did God.

Guilherme "Bomba" Vasconcelos -- an MMA fighter who competed in the UFC and Bellator, and dated Demi Lovato -- died by suicide, according to newly-released documents.

TMZ Sports obtained the case report from the October 15 incident ... which state cops were dispatched to an Illinois home around 9 AM after a woman reported finding Vasconcelos in the garage.

After reviewing security camera footage ... cops determined Vasconcelos took his own life the night prior around 11:45 PM -- and was not discovered until the following morning.

Frankie Muniz earned his highest-place finish in the NASCAR Truck Series last Friday in Daytona ... and the "Malcolm in the Middle" star hopes to build on his strong performance -- telling TMZ Sports he's "more hungry than ever" to succeed in the sport.

We caught up with the actor-turned-driver following his 10th-place finish at the Fresh From Florida 250 ... and he said he was thrilled to see everyone's hard work pay off.

"It feels amazing," he said. "Obviously, to get a top 10 is something that I had really hoped as a goal for this season, and to do it in the first race, it just re-motivates to keep going for more."

Don't expect Adrian Peterson to follow in Deion Sanders' coaching footsteps anytime soon ... the ex-NFL tailback tells TMZ Sports he has absolutely no desire to run a football team's sidelines.

Sanders' success in the college game has paved the way for several other football legends to get HC gigs -- Eddie George, Michael Vick and DeSean Jackson all have headsets now -- but Peterson told us out at Super Bowl week this month he won't be next.

The former Minnesota Vikings star said it's just too stressful of a job ... and right now, he's enjoying relaxing and being a dad.

Sure, it might not be as valuable as the T206 Honus Wagner or a 1956 Mickey Mantle, but Topps' '25 signed Larry David card, which just sold for over 10 racks at auction, is MUCH COOLER!

The one-of-one card features a photo of the "Seinfeld" creator and "Curb Your Enthusiasm" star from a classic episode of 'Curb,' "Mister Softee" ... where David's wearing his "Yari’s Autonomics" softball uniform (very apropos).

Fans of the show will remember Larry making a Bill Buckner-type error, costing Yari's the championship.

Bryce Harper's tattoo collection just got a whole lot more phantastic.

It was revealed this week the Philadelphia Phillies star recently got an image of his team's mascot, the Phillie Phanatic, etched permanently into his wrist ... and check it out, it's awesome!!!

The artwork features the lovable green character riding an ATV -- with its trademark tongue blown out of its mouth.

Keyshawn Davis isn't looking to rest and recuperate after winning his first pro title ... the young boxing star tells us he's looking to get right back to work 'cause he wants to fight 3 more times in 2025!!!

"Honestly man, I want to be back three more times this year," 25-year-old Davis, 13-0, told Babcock this week ... explaining he just hasn't had the chance to get a lot of rounds under his belt.

"I did three full rounds this fight, and then my last fight, I did one full round. I haven't been getting any rounds," the newly crowned WBO Lightweight champ said.

Of course, KD defeated the previously undefeated Denys Berinchyk by 4th round knockout on Saturday at Madison Square Garden.

Davis wants more fights -- which begs the question -- who is the opponent?

"This guy I want to fight next, he's a Mexican. He has a big following. He's well-known. Both of us can make a lot of money off this fight," Keyshawn explained, teasing the name.

"It's a Las Vegas fight, and who doesn't want to come to Las Vegas and watch a big fight? And our styles just match up so much. It's going to be an incredible fight. And this guy's name is Isaac Cruz. I would love to fight Isaac Cruz."

Then, of course, there's Gervonta Davis ... who many people, including Keyshawn's mentor, Terence Crawford, think would struggle with KD.

We talked to Keyshawn about his relationship with Bud, the pound-for-pound king ... and the impact he's had on his career.

"Terence Crawford, I've been knowing home for years, man," Keyshan said ... "Bud's been telling me fo years that I am the future of the sport. Even before anyone knew me."

Luka Doncic was once the face of the franchise, but now the Dallas Mavericks refuse to even show his mug -- with the team editing the Slovenian hooper out of a hype video weeks after trading him to Los Angeles.

The Mavs dropped a new promo on Friday to seemingly get heartbroken and shocked Dallas backers to care about the team again ... but the big takeaway was the fact that any clips featuring Doncic included lazy editing -- like turning his body into a shadow and throwing a logo over his face for good measure.

While the plan might have been to get folks to focus on the players still on the squad, the effort had the opposite effect ... as fans quickly shared screenshots to call the team out.

50 Cent has been backing down both Big and Lil Meech on Instagram for days now ... but we're hearing his ex-'BMF' leading man can't be folded that easily!!!

TMZ Hip Hop obtained photos of Lil Meech kicking it with some well-known 50 Cent opps inside Lucky Strike Miami last night ... Floyd Mayweather and Rick Ross!!!

Sources for Meech tell us the actor met with Money Mayweather the night before and pulled up to the bowling alley with his brand partners to bless the legendary prizefighter with an exclusive merch drop ... the Red Letters x Wonce collab.

It might've started off as a silly social media prank, but Daytona 500 winner William Byron really is shooting his shot at Sabrina Carpenter now ... telling TMZ Sports he'd love to welcome her to a NASCAR race!!

The 27-year-old was targeted by an X account fresh off Sunday's big win ... which made it seem like he celebrated his second straight first-place finish at the historic race by flirting with the "Espresso" crooner in her Instagram comments.

The Hendrick Motorsports driver leaned into the joke ... following up on his X account to prove he was a good sport about it all.

Dave Portnoy says the scheduled fight between Patrick Mahomes Sr. and John Rocker is now off ... and he's alleging Brittany Mahomes' meddling is a big reason why.

The Barstool Sports honcho broke the news of the celeb boxing match's cancelation during an appearance on "The Unnamed Show" Friday ... explaining Brittany and Patrick Mahomes II's agent torpedoed the whole deal.

According to Portnoy, just a few days after his "Rough N Rowdy" promotion announced the Mahomes vs. Rocker contract ... the two arguably most close to the Kansas City Chiefs star quarterback stepped in and put a stop to things.