TMZ Sports - Page 50

Jeremy Allen White is revealing one major influence on his buff transformation for the upcoming "Iron Claw" movie ... telling TMZ Sports his co-star Zac Efron helped whip him into wrestling shape!!

JAW is playing Kerry Von Erich in the project about the famous Von Erich family ... and while he was never in bad shape by any means, the dude really bulked TF up for the role.

In fact, he didn't shy from putting his swole figure on display ... dropping the top for a workout back in July.

Naturally, we had to ask JAW all about his new bod outside "Jimmy Kimmel Live!" this week ... and whether Efron -- who's always been chiseled -- motivated him in the gym.

"He definitely did!!" White said.

As for actually wrestling in the future, JAW ain't too sure he can hang with the big boys ... especially considering he was so fresh to the industry when he got the gig.

Daymond John has predicted the success of "Shark Tank" will continue long after the departure of his costar Mark Cuban ... whom he credits for keeping the series afloat.

The FUBU founder has no qualms over Mark's decision to leave ... saying he's already done enough by doing what no other well-known billionaire did ... believe in the show while it was on the brink of cancelation three seasons in.

Daymond says Mark's devotion ran deep ... staying on the show for so many years with his input playing a significant part in making it the cultural phenomenon it is today.

What he means is that if you've ever had dreams of pitching your pipe dream on "Shark Tank" -- that's all Mark.

Clearly, Daymond has forged a strong bond with Mark over the years ... telling us he wishes him well and adding the 'ST' team wants to pay his hard work forward by giving his seat to the next generation of entrepreneurs.

As for who could potentially snag the coveted seat? Mark himself has endorsed Kardashian biz partner Emma Grede as his replacement ... gushing over her experience and TV charisma.

Kim Zolciak's friends -- at least some of them -- don't want anything to do with her ... saying they're embarrassed by her behavior over her public divorce from Kroy Biermann.

Sources familiar with the situation tell TMZ ... the couple's relationship saga is a sad situation for their four minor children ... expressing concern they're forced to witness the drama play out at home and also relive it publicly through media coverage.

As a result, some of Kim's pals have distanced themselves from her over the last couple months.

We're also told the estranged pair feel it's becoming a fighting game for them -- though Kim seems to be enjoying the drama more than Kroy.

Despite speculation the couple is amplifying their contentiousness to score a reality show, our sources tell us that, as of yet, there's no TV deal on the table.

TBH ... cameras don't need to roll to understand how chaotic things are between K&K following their divorce filing in May.

Just over a week ago, one of their kids called cops to their home following an explosive fight ... only for the duo to cozy up for a Hibachi lunch date earlier this week.

Their on/off relationship comes amid a swirling mountain of money woes ... with Kim even using her IG as a marketplace to sell his designer shoes to pay off sky-high credit card debts.

The Chargers are in last place and virtually everyone believes it's a foregone conclusion head coach Brandon Staley will lose his job ... and that'd be a mistake, according to Antonio Gates, one of the greatest players in franchise history.

TMZ Sports ran into the 8x Pro Bowler earlier this week in L.A., who spent all of his 16 seasons as a pro with the Bolts, and asked him whether it was time Staley got the ol' heave-ho after another disappointing season in SoCal.

"Ya know, I don't personally think [the coach should be fired]," AG told us.

The Hall of Fame candidate explained his reasoning ... "Just because of the relationship he has with the players. I'm big on, 'Can you get the guys to play for you?' I feel like Staley has a rapport with the players, and I believe in that particularly because I've been in that locker room."

Staley's been the HC since the 2021 season ... and while the squad is chock full of talent, including star QB Justin Herbert, the team has struggled to find any postseason success. Last season the 10-win Chargers lost to the upstart Jacksonville Jaguars in the Wild Card round, and this year has been a disaster.

Things have been so bad for the 4-7 squad, there's near-constant talk about who could replace Staley after his all-but-guaranteed demise ... and Bill Belichick is often at the top of the list.

Things aren't exactly going smoothly for the 6x Super Bowl-winning head coach (8 total) on the other coast, either. Bill and owner Robert Kraft have reportedly had tension, and it's not crazy to think Belichick walks away or even gets fired after the 2023 season.

We asked Gates if he believed Belichick would be a good fit in Los Angeles.

"I think Belichick is a proven, historical winner. Why wouldn't he be good for any team? I don't know how the old-school coaching would transition now. I come from that old-school mentality, but I don't know if these guys can commit to that style of play. I'm not sure. I don't know.

"But we do know what we know is that he's a proven winner. I just don't know if his style of play is still considered valuable in the National Football League."

The Chargers have 6 games remaining … including a matchup with the Pats this Sunday.

Ricky Williams would almost certainly have a bust in Canton today if the NFL had eased its weed policies during the running back's heyday -- at least, that's according to Calvin Johnson.

The Lions legend told TMZ Sports he not only thinks Ricky was just that good ... but he truly believes the benefits that marijuana provided the tailback could've helped Williams extend his career too.

"Ricky would probably be a first-ballot Hall of Famer if he didn't have the issues with that," Johnson told us.

And, get this, the 38-year-old said his own career "possibly" would've lasted longer if the league had adjusted its ganja laws during his playing days as well.

The NFL, however, has finally laxed its tight policies recently ... and Johnson is hoping the changes will help open the door for some of the league's athletes -- and ones in college too -- to use his new line of CBD products.

If you're unfamiliar, in retirement, Johnson has teamed up with his former Detroit teammate, Rob Sims, to create a cannabis company called Primitiv ... and just recently, the duo added a line of products called Primitiv Performance to help sports competitors with recovery.

Johnson says they're working on obtaining their NSF certification for sport ... and he wants athletes to dive into it all if and when that comes through.

"We truly believe in it," he said of the new products. "I use it!"

Johnson even joked with us that Primitiv Performance is something that could help injured quarterback Aaron Rodgers return to the field quicker this season.

Theo Von has entered the college football chat — and he confused the hell out of some OGs on the air … which was absolutely hilarious to watch.

ESPN tapped into the TikTok zeitgeist and hired Theo Von as their celebrity guest panelist for “College GameDay” Saturday … where he, Pat McAfee and the rest of the professional analysts sat around making picks ahead of a packed schedule.

The only difference this time around was Theo’s very unpredictable nature and rants — which certainly shone through during the telecast, especially when he was talking about the matchup between Louisville and Florida State.

Apparently, TV thought it was 2013 again … ‘cause he invoked Jameis Winston’s name to talk about the Seminoles’ chances. Only problem … Winston has long left the university, something Pat reminded Theo of … forcing him to pivot and come up with a new rationale.

It was pretty typical Theo, but Lee Corso couldn’t believe (or comprehend) what he was hearing … making for a funny-ass exchange live on TV.

Gloria Allred can add another high-profile case to her resume ... 'cause TMZ Sports has learned the famed attorney has been hired by the girl at the center of the investigation into OKC star Josh Giddey as cops work to determine if he had an inappropriate relationship with a minor.

We broke the story earlier in the week ... Newport Beach PD launched an investigation into the situation, but the girl and her family are not cooperating with law enforcement.

Now that Allred is involved, it begs the question ... why?

She could be tasked with liaising with cops, or even talking to Giddey's people about a potential settlement.

We reached out to the powerful attorney who told us, "We represent the family and we have no comment."

21-year-old Giddey is one of the better young players in the league, and the story has gotten a lot of attention ... but that's not a foreign concept to Allred.

Among some of her firm's high-profile cases ... she represented over 50 women who accused Bill Cosby of misconduct. She also worked for several women who accused former U.S. Congressman Anthony Weiner of sending sexually explicit photos and messages.

There are still a lot of questions surrounding the alleged relationship, which first came to light publicly last weekend, including the girl's age, the state where it allegedly took place, and the nature of their relationship.

Mike Perry has fought in the UFC and BKFC, and can count the likes of Luke Rockhold, Cowboy Cerrone, and Michael "Venom" Page as previous opponents ... but none of those scraps were bigger than Saturday night's bare-knuckle fight with former MMA champ Eddie Alvarez!

"This is a very tremendous opportunity for me, the biggest fight of my career to date," Perry told TMZ Sports this week.

"Eddie Alvarez, he's got quite the resume. I'm happy to be against it, and I'm looking to shut it down whether that be finishing him or just picking him apart for 12 minutes."

FYI, Perry is 3-0 in BKFC (Rockhold, Page, Lane) ... and is the promotion's biggest star. Alvarez has less experience sans gloves ... he's 1-0 with a win over Chad Mendes.

As for where he goes after Eddie, Perry says he's "looking to put on a good performance and skies the limit" afterward.

"We saw Conor McGregor and me face off last time. I was talking a little bit of s*** about Sean Strickland, he's very upset about it. He's angry with me. Every time he talks to me he's like, 'We gotta box. We gotta box.' I wrote him and said, 'Come to the fight in Utah' and he didn't even open that message and read it."

Shadasia "The Sweet Terminator" Green couldn't be happier to have signed on with Jake Paul's MVP Promotions ... telling TMZ Sports her boxing career AND her life as a whole have changed "drastically" since she became a part of his fighting team.

"It's been amazing," said the 13-0 boxer, who officially joined Paul's promo earlier this year. It's "changed my boxing career in so many dimensions."

One of those dimensions, Green said, is the business side ... with the 34-year-old New Jersey native telling us that for the first time in her career, she feels like she's operating and moving like a real-deal, professional boxer.

She said the other upside is definitely the bigger paydays.

"I owe everything to MVP," she said of Jake's org., which he launched in 2021 with Nakisa Bidarian, "and I'm just grateful to be a part of their team and have Nakisa as my manager and Jake as my manager. I'm blessed."

Arnold Schwarzenegger is speaking out against the barbaric, unprovoked Hamas attack on Israel ... meeting with survivors and their families.

The former governor of California got emotional as he condemned the Oct. 7 slaughter of innocent civilians ... saying it's unlike anything he's ever seen and offering his support for Israel.

Arnold met with family members of Israeli hostages who are still being held by Hamas in Gaza .. presenting them with bronze eagle statues.

After the meeting, Arnold told us he's looking to spread peace ... because it's more powerful than hate and anger.

14-year-old Ella Shani was among the survivors traveling from Israel to Santa Monica to meet Arnold ... she recounted how her father was murdered on Oct. 7 by Hamas terrorists at Kibbutz Beeri, and how her 16-year-old cousin Amit Shani was kidnapped.

Ella says her cousin was hiding in a safe room in his home when Hamas set the place on fire and broke down the door. She says Amit and two other Israeli men from a neighboring house were ordered into a car, kidnapped and taken to Gaza.

As Ella spoke for about 30 minutes, Arnold teared up ... and they hugged in the end. He also showed her some of his cool movie memorabilia, like a robot head from 'Terminator.'

Connor Bedard is now weighing in on the unfounded rumors that his former teammate, Corey Perry, slept with his mom ... and he was adamant on Friday they're straight up "BS."

The Blackhawks superstar didn't mince words when a reporter asked him about the crass gossip that's surrounded Chicago's hockey team for the past few days ahead of their Saturday game against the Jets in Winnipeg.

"It's just a bunch of BS on the internet," Bedard said, before admitting, "It's of course been an effect on myself and my family."

"And that's not fair," he continued, according to Blackhawks beat reporter Ben Pope. "But it's out of our control. It's all just fake, made-up stuff."

Bedard is now the third person to deny the baseless allegations that first formulated on X late last month ... joining Blackhawks GM Kyle Davidson and Perry himself.

It seems he'll likely be the last, too, because according to hockey reporter Jacob Stoller, Bedard "became annoyed as the questions" about the Perry rumors continued during his Friday meeting with the media.

"I don't need to answer anymore questions about this stuff," Bedard said.

Perry was cut by the Blackhawks on Tuesday -- and while a specific reason for his departure was never given by the team ... it reportedly all had to do with an "alcohol-infused incident" with team staffers and corporate sponsors.

In a statement Perry released on Thursday, the 38-year-old apologized for his "inappropriate and wrong" behavior.

Congrats are in order for Luka Doncic and his fiancée, Anamaria Goltes -- the NBA star and the model just introduced their baby girl to the world!!

The Dallas Mavericks hooper and Anamaria shared the amazing news on Instagram on Friday ... captioning a picture of the little bundle of joy with one word -- "Gabriela."

This is the first child for the pair ... and their famous friends couldn't be happier for them.

"Congrats my man!" Patrick Mahomes said in the comment section ... with many others -- including Luka's mom, Mirjam Poterbin -- showing love as well.

Doncic is missing his first game of the season as the Mavs face off against the Memphis Grizzlies in a few hours. His absence was originally disclosed as personal reasons, but now we know it was for his daughter's arrival!

Doncic has been dating Goltes since 2016 ... and the two first met in Croatia when they were just kids. On July 7, they announced their picturesque engagement in Slovenia.

Cleveland Browns star David Njoku burned nearly a quarter of his body during his serious bonfire mishap earlier this season ... with the tight end's doctor revealing his injuries were "probably the most painful burn you can have."

The 27-year-old sat in front of a camera and detailed the September 29 incident this week ... giving a play-by-play of exactly what happened that fateful night.

Njoku said he likes to have bonfires in his backyard to relax on Fridays ... and after running out of his usual lighter fluid, he tried out a spray to ignite the logs in his pit.

Unfortunately ... when he went to start the fire, particles in the air caught ablaze and blew up in his face.

Dr. Joseph Khouri of University Hospitals explained the extent of Njoku's ailments ... saying he had second-degree partial-thickness burns, which involve the top two layers of the skin.

Khouri recommended Njoku not play right after the incident ... but of course, the tight end did the exact opposite -- suiting up for the Browns just two days later, calling the matchup against the hated rival Ravens "personal," and stating there was no way he wasn't going to play.

Njoku ended up recording six catches for 46 yards in the contest ... and he said he felt "intense" pain throughout.

A dead steer was found at a fraternity house near Oklahoma State University's campus on Friday, around 24 hours before the Cowboys and Texas Longhorns face off in the Big 12 championship football game ... and now, police are investigating.

According to J.D. Miles of CBS 11, the carcass was discovered around 6:30 AM in front of the FarmHouse Fraternity ... with its stomach cut open. The words "F*** FH" were also written on the longhorn's side.

Authorities have since removed the animal from the property ... and while a motive hasn't been officially given, most believe the act is tied to OSU's huge Saturday game against UT -- whose mascot is a longhorn.

"Oklahoma State University is appalled at the disturbing display of animal cruelty that occurred overnight at an off-campus location near a fraternity house," OSU officials said in a statement following the animal's discovery.

"The Stillwater Police Department is investigating the incident, and the university’s Office of Student Support and Conduct also has initiated an investigation."

"Oklahoma State expects all students to adhere to university codes of conduct, and appropriate action will be taken based on the outcome of the investigation."

Police are asking anyone with information to call 405-372-4171 or the tip line at 405-533-8477.

11:18 AM PT -- Sources with direct knowledge tell TMZ Sports ... James Anthony Hill Jr. is Jamahal Hill's brother.

Former UFC light heavyweight champion Jamahal Hill was arrested in Michigan for domestic violence earlier this week ... TMZ Sports has learned.

According to records, the fighter was booked at a Kent County jail on Monday at around 1 AM ... and released later that evening, at 7:35 PM. That same day, prosecutors formally charged the 32-year-old with one count of misdemeanor aggravated domestic violence.

In court documents we obtained, officials allege Hill assaulted James Anthony Hill Jr., inflicting "serious or aggravated injury upon him."

It's unclear if the two Hills are related, though officials said in the docs James is "a resident or former resident" of Jamahal's household.

Further details surrounding the allegations were not made immediately available. Hill is due in court in January for a hearing on the matter.

We've reached out to Jamahal's reps for comment, but so far, no word back.

Jamahal just recently earned his light heavyweight crown in January with a win over Glover Teixeira at UFC 283 -- though he relinquished the title in July after he ruptured his Achilles while playing basketball.

Once healed, Jamahal is expected to get another crack at regaining his belt in a fight with the division's current champ, Alex Pereira.

Adidas woke up and chose violence on Friday ... the sportswear giants went straight for "dusty" Kevin Durant's neck after he took a shot at T'Wolves star Anthony Edwards' sneakers, and fans are losin' it!

It all started when the question was posed ... would KD, a Nike-signed athlete, ever rock Edwards' signature Adidas kicks? 35-year-old Durant answered the question himself, emphatically writing, "Won’t EVER see me put a big toe in them Mfers."

Adidas wasn't going to take that lying down ... their official account, with over 4 million followers, responded, and it was harsh.

"U dusty," Adidas replied. "Bouta retire soon anyway."

The burn has since been deleted, begging the question ... was the tweet sent accidentally from the official brand X account?

That's an answer we don't yet have ... but there's some evidence it wasn't a mistake.

Adidas later added, "Meant to send that from the burner account..."

Of course, Kevin, as NBA fans are well aware, has been caught using burners in the past.

FYI, Edwards' AE1s drop on December 16 ... just in time for Christmas.