TMZ Sports - Page 50

Mark Zuckerberg's torn ACL won't derail his MMA career ... the Meta founder just revealed he's got plans to continue fighting once his knee heals up.

The 39-year-old provided an update on his recovery on his Instagram on Friday -- just about six weeks after he went under the knife to fix his busted-up knee -- and he said everything is "going well so far."

He then added that he's got about nine months to get healthy enough to step back into an Octagon and resume his fighting dreams.

"I can already walk and bike," he said. "Working towards running for the next couple of months. Then full leg strength."

He added, "Taking the time to do this well and come back stronger."

Zuckerberg, of course, has taken his MMA career very seriously over the last few months -- winning gold and silver in a Jiu-Jitsu tournament earlier this year ... while also famously challenging Elon Musk to a scrap.

Zuck has trained with UFC stars Israel Adesanya and Alex Volkanovski to get pointers on how to get better in the cage as well.

Britney Spears is firing a shot at Justin Timberlake and what she considers his lack of basketball skills, claiming he was a sore loser when she'd take him down on the court.

The pop star took to Instagram Friday to throw some shade at the "Suit & Tie" singer ... without naming names, she writes, "I never mentioned how I beat him in basketball 🏀 and he would cry … no disrespect 🤷🏼‍♀️🤷🏼‍♀️🤷🏼‍♀️ !!!"

Britney's phrasing is no coincidence ... you'll recall, Justin addressed the controversy surrounding him and Britney's memoir, "The Woman In Me," during his performance in Las Vegas Wednesday night.

Right before singing, "Cry Me a River," JT looked to the crowd and said, "No disrespect" ... and the song was one Britney slammed for the connection to their broken relationship. It was alleged Justin wrote it after he had caught Britney cheating.

So yea ... Brit talking about Justin crying after losing a game, two days after Justin performed "Cry Me a River" -- the writing's practically on the wall.

Boxing star Shadasia Green wants to make Franchón Crews-Dezurn just another name on her highlight reel on Friday ... by giving the super middleweight fighter her first knockout loss!

That's what Green told TMZ Sports ahead of her December 15 fight -- where she's on the undercard of Jake Paul vs. Andre August -- which is set to go down at Caribe Royale in Orlando.

"I would love to get a knockout," Green said. "She's never been knocked out before. Never been dropped."

That is true ... Crews-Dezurn has never lost by KO -- her two losses have only been by decision.

"I would love for my power to change that," Green said.

Green has plans after Fridfay's event, too ... she's going big game hunting. The 34-year-old boxer has her sights set on Savannah Marshall (14-1, 10 KOs) and Claressa Shields (14-0, 2 KOs), two of the sport's biggest stars and most talented fighters.

(BTW, we also talked to the man fighting Jake Paul, Andre August!)

In fact, the Most Valuable Promotion boxer told us she'd love to go toe-to-toe with Marshall in the UK ... and fight Shields at Madison Square Garden in NYC.

"That's the fight everybody wanna see. Why not?!" Green said. "I ain't never ran or duck nobody."

Offset partied in Miami until 5 AM to celebrate his 32nd birthday without a care in the world -- while his wife, Cardi B, was back at home clearly upset over the state of their marriage.

Offset had not one but two birthday bashes Thursday ... he and his crew were seen inside the Miami Design District hotspot 'Coco Miami' until 3 AM and then hightailed it to South Beach club 'Playa' until 5 AM.

Offset wore shades all night, looking unbothered at both of the parties as he was surrounded by women -- complete with a sprinter van full of 'em.

Also in attendance at the party was producer Southside, Diddy's son Justin Combs, Ari Fletcher and Miami Heat players Jaime Jaquez Jr. and Thomas Bryant.

We now know Offset was celebrating as a single man ... Cardi went live on IG in an explosive rant that pretty much signaled their relationship is over.

She accused her estranged hubby of playing mind games and "feeling himself" because of his new solo album -- which she helped him promote.

Losing by 42 points to the lowly Raiders was apparently the last straw for Brandon Staley in Los Angeles ... 'cause the Chargers just revealed they've fired their head coach after the embarrassing defeat.

The final decision came down on Friday morning, less than 24 hours after the Staley-led Chargers were whooped, 63-21, in Las Vegas.

Bolts honcho Dean Spanos announced in addition to giving Staley the axe, he's also booting general manager Tom Telesco following the historic L as well.

"I want to thank Tom and Brandon for their hard work, dedication and professionalism, and wish both them and their great families nothing but the best," Spanos said.

"These decisions are never easy, nor are they something I take lightly -- especially when you consider the number of people they impact. We are clearly not where we expect to be, however, and we need new vision."

Of course, many expected these moves to come down -- because, after all, Thursday Night Football loss aside, Staley's three years as head man of the Chargers have been largely disappointing.

He piled up a mere 24-24 record in two-plus seasons despite having one of the most talented teams in the league ... and some of his losses -- including a disastrous collapse to the Jaguars in last season's playoffs -- have been soul-crushing.

In fact, Staley said in the postgame press conference Thursday night even he wasn't sure his job was safe.

New video shows Michael B. Jordan's violent car crash as it unfolded in Hollywood ... and it appears the actor may have been racing another car before smashing into a parked car.

Check out the new clip -- Michael's blue Ferrari is speeding down the street next to another Ferrari, and it looks like they were racing as Michael's car veered into a parked Kia.

You see his car lurch left, and then move sharply to the right as MBJ appears to try and correct, but he goes too far and careens into the Kia.

Mind you .... they were racing on busy Sunset Blvd. in Hollywood.

Both MBJ's car and the Kia were mangled messes. LAPD found no signs Michael was impaired by drugs or alcohol. At the time. cops asked Michael what had happened but he didn't offer an explanation. Now we know.

Crashing during a race can be a real drag.

Tiger Woods was so fired up to watch his son hit an insane golf shot on Friday morning -- he just had to let an f-bomb fly right on the course!!

The hilarious moment happened as The Big Cat and his 14-year-old boy, Charlie, were getting set to compete in the PNC Championship's Pro-Am event at the Ritz-Carlton Golf Club in Orlando.

Charlie was hitting some shots around a practice green with Dad -- when he attempted a flop shot that most amateur golfers would blade straight into nearby parking lots.

Charlie, though, apparently hit the stroke beautifully -- which wowed Tiger.

"We're ending on that right there," the golfing legend yelled. "That was nasty. F***ing nasty!"

Charlie appeared super pleased -- and then the two walked off together to prep some more for their upcoming round.

Of course, at this point, Charlie's golf game shouldn't surprise many ... after all, he just helped his high school team win a Florida state championship last month.

Just win hydrate, baby!

Mark Davis appeared to take his water consumption very seriously during his Raiders' game against the Chargers on Thursday night -- seemingly putting away SEVEN bottles of H2O in his suite seat!!!

Davis' eyebrow-raising beverage choices were brought to light at some point during Vegas' win over the Bolts ... when cameras captured him at Allegiant Stadium with an insane number of empty bottles lined up on a ledge in front of his luxury box chair.

It's, of course, unclear whether he was the one who put them all away or if it was a team effort with others nearby ... as Davis was only seen sippin' from a cup on camera. Although it's probably a safe bet to assume he at least had most of them.

Social media users had plenty of fun with the sight -- with one writing on X, "Mark Davis out here collecting water bottles like they're infinity stones."

Another user said simply, "Mark Davis f***ing loves water."

Just call Kyle Kuzma Santa Claus ... 'cause the NBA star decided to give back by delivering 20,000 essential goods to families in Flint, Michigan and Washington D.C. for the holidays!!

TMZ Sports is told ... the Washington Wizards forward -- who signed a $102 million deal in June -- took it upon himself to leave a huge impact through his Kyle Kuzma Family Foundation's Golden Ticket initiative.

We're told the 28-year-old gifted 20k items to families in Flint and D.C. ... and the delivery included clothes, essential home goods, water and toys for the kids.

Kuzma kicked things off earlier this month in Flint with the Genesee County Sheriff’s Department ... going door to door and handing out 10,000 items -- including water from Pathwater.

Kuz also made deliveries in the nation's capital on Thursday with 10,000 more units ... in partnership with Good Projects, Hearts of Empowerment Washington Wizards and Zapps Wholesale.

We're told D.C. mayor Muriel Bowser was so moved by the gesture, the basketball player was recognized with a proclamation.

This isn't the first time Kuzma made an amazing donation to those in need ... during Thanksgiving weekend, he donated $60k worth of clothing to female inmates at the county jail in Flint.

It's a gesture that was important to Kuz, as he recently partnered with I.G.N.I.T.E. and R.I.S.E., two jail reforms that support incarcerated women to re-enter society.

Kuz also gave 15 single mothers in Flint a $1k shopping spree for the holidays.

Steve Kerr apparently sees no issues with the NBA's choice to hit Draymond Green with an indefinite ban this week ... saying Thursday his star player's recent behavior just needs to change.

The Warriors head coach opened up on the suspension that Adam Silver levied on his star player earlier this week -- and he made it clear, he's in favor of the lengthy timeout.

"The one who choked Rudy [Gobert], the one who took a wild flail at Jusuf [Nurkic], the one who punched Jordan [Poole] last year -- that's the guy who has to change," Kerr said.

"You look at the past year and what's happened," the coach continued, "it's clear he needs the opportunity to change."

Kerr explained to media members that for much of Green's career, he's not had issues with the power forward ... saying he believes most of Draymond's outbursts prior to 2022 included tolerable yelling at refs or innocuous ball throwing.

However, Kerr said the behavior he's displayed in the last year -- which most recently included taking a swipe at Jusuf Nurkic's face during an altercation in Tuesday night's Warriors vs. Suns game -- just cannot continue.

"To me, this is about more than basketball," Kerr said. "It's about helping Draymond. I think it's an opportunity for Draymond to step away and to make a change in his approach and his life."

Jake Paul is keeping his political ties strong, because GOP candidate Vivek Ramaswamy will be VIP'd up when "The Problem Child" steps in the ring this weekend ... TMZ Sports has learned.

Vivek's spokesperson Tricia McLaughlin tells us the presidential hopeful is heading to Orlando to support Jake during his Friday night showdown with Andre August ... and says they've actually become good friends.

We're told Jake's hooked up Vivek with ringside seats -- he'll be seated next to Jake's pals and teammates when the first round bell rings. Once it's over, Vivek plans to get a quick face-to-face catch-up with Jake and his fam ... before heading straight back to Iowa for 6 scheduled campaign events on Saturday.

The bond between Ramaswamy and Paul is no secret, thanks to Jake recruiting the candidate for a joint TikTok dance in September, which went viral.

While it might have seemed like a stunt done for fun and games, Vivek later explained during a GOP debate why he thinks TikTok is vital for winning elections ... it's all about influencing the next-gen.

Draymond Green would be breathing a lot easier today if Shaquille O'Neal were running the NBA ... 'cause the Lakers legend says he'd only suspend DG two games if league punishments were up to him.

O'Neal made the declaration while speaking with Babcock and Charles on "TMZ Live" on Thursday -- less than 24 hours after Green was banned by Adam Silver indefinitely for smacking Jusuf Nurkic in the head during an altercation in the Warriors vs. Suns game.

Shaq says he believes Green had no bad intentions when he flailed his right arm into Nurkic's face -- explaining he's buying the Warriors star's explanation that he was simply trying to sell a call.

"I don't think Draymond said, 'Hey, I'm going to punch this guy just 'cause he's pulling my jersey,'" Shaq said.

The Diesel went on to tell the guys that he believes the play was merely a flop gone wrong.

Of course, Silver and the NBA apparently disagree ... because they've banned Green from suiting up for Golden State for the foreseeable future.

After a ton of speculation, Shohei Ohtani is finally spilling the beans on what he named his dog ... and as it turns out, it has nothing to do with his new team, the Los Angeles Dodgers.

His name is Decoy!!

The 29-year-old Japanese superstar met with the media as a Dodger for the very first time just minutes ago ... where he talked all about topics like his decision to take his talents to L.A., winning aspirations and recent surgery.

But the one question everyone wanted the answer to -- what the heck is your dog's name, dude?!?!

Of course, the phenomenon started after Ohtani accepted his 2023 MVP award ... when reporters claimed Shotime's team refused to disclose any information about the four-legged friend who made an appearance with him in a video interview.

The secrecy led to a bunch of rumors -- and some even claimed it was because Ohtani chose a namesake related to his next destination.

But the two-way athlete put an end to all that talk on Thusday ... saying he decided on Decoy -- or the Japanese version, Dekopin.

As for when he knew he would be a Dodger, Shohei said he came to the decision the night before he announced his next move on Instagram.

Metro Boomin was the guest of highest honor in his St. Louis hometown on Thursday ... presented with a Key to the City for his years of giving back to single mothers.

TMZ Hip Hop got pics of Mayor Tishaura O. Jones bestowing the key to Metro on Thursday inside City Hall, surrounded by dozens of St. Louis community figures, elected officials and his 4 siblings.

This year marks Metro's 7th "Single Moms Are The Real Superheroes" campaign and we're told the annual event is now being reimagined as "Leslie Joanne Single Mothers And Caregivers Appreciate Day" to honor his late mother, who died in 2022.

Little did he know, the city also had a gift for him -- December 14 will officially be "Leland 'Metro Boomin' Wayne Day" going forward.

The Diamond-selling producer teamed up with Amazon Access and Rung for Women for this year's function ... set up to assist single mothers with career coaching, skills training, and additional needed resources.

It was an emotional day, capping off Metro's amazing year ... he helmed the "Spider-Man: Across the Spider-Verse" soundtrack, partnered with the St. Louis Cardinals and earned a Producer of the Year Grammy nomination.

Pacman Jones pleaded guilty to a charge of disorderly conduct in a Kentucky courtroom on Thursday in his airport meltdown case -- and after he submitted the plea, the ex-NFL star apologized to the cops he screamed at during the outburst.

Jones appeared before a judge in Boone County to issue the plea after reaching a deal with prosecutors.

As part of the plea agreement, officials dropped the other two charges he had been facing in the case -- alcohol intoxication and making a terroristic threat.

The judge sentenced Jones to 30 days in jail but suspended imposition of the sentence ... meaning if Jones keeps nose clean for the next two years, the former football player won't have to serve any time behind bars.

After the hearing, Jones provided a statement on the case on his X page -- writing, in part, "I am not proud of my conversations with the police that day."

"I am truly aware that police have a very difficult job and deserve to be treated with respect and appreciation ... The police were professional with me and deserved my respect in return. I genuinely apologize."

Remember, Jones was first arrested in the case while at Cincinnati/Northern Kentucky International Airport on Sept. 11, after he got into a spat with airline employees over the electrical outlets in his seat on the plane.

Jones claimed he complained about his outlets not working -- and in response, airline officials decided to boot him from the flight.

Once Jones got off the jet, he blew a fuse ... with body cam footage showing him yelling at officers.

In his statement Thursday, Jones said he simply "let my frustrations from the plane bubble over into my conversation with the officers."

Metta World Peace says he'd be happy to talk with Draymond Green after the Warriors star was benched indefinitely for hitting Jusuf Nurkić ... and considering no NBA player's served a longer suspension (86 games), it's probably not a bad idea to listen!

"I hope I'm able to reach out to [Draymond]. I hope he's able to reach out to me and chat a little bit, because he's a winner," 44-year-old Metta told Babcock on the TMZ Sports TV show (airs weekdays on FS1).

"He might not be one of the greatest players, maybe in his mind he is, but he is one of the greatest winners. That's for sure. He is an elite winner. He has an opportunity to do television after, whatever he wants to do," Metta said of Green's future, which extends beyond just being a player.

Of course, Draymond was indefinitely suspended by the NBA on Wednesday night (he'll have to meet certain requirements before returning) ... after hitting Nurkić Tuesday night during the Warriors vs. Suns game in Phoenix.

"I never expected him to be suspended," Metta said. "I knew he was emotional. We're very similar."

And, Metta tells us he's willing to sit down with the 4x All-Star.

Remember, World Peace was at the center of the infamous "Malice at the Palace" back in 2004 ... and ultimately served an 86-game suspension, the longest in NBA history.

"I don't know if he needs my help, but definitely can't wait to chat with him," Metta said.

"Players like him, players like myself, players like [Dennis] Rodman," Metta said, "We wanna see more players like that in the league, players that play with passion but control it."

Even if Metta doesn't get to talk to him face to face, he offerred some advice for Green ... use this time out to refocus.

"I think that's what he should do," Metta said, "Kinda understand you made a couple of mistakes and let time take its course."

"Get back to the winner that he is in life!"