TMZ Sports - Page 50

Lonzo Ball just got the COOLEST accessory to go along with his new Pelicans jersey this year ... a sleeve of tattoos of some of America's greatest heroes -- and the ink is INSANELY real.

The New Orleans star hit up Steve Butcher -- one of the best photo-realism tattooers in the world -- and the guy didn't disappoint.

Lonzo's new ink is a tribute to legendary African-American figures -- Barack Obama, Malcolm X, Jackie Robinson, Harriet Tubman, Rosa Parks and Martin Luther King Jr. -- and all the ink looks like it's PRINTED on.

The whole piece is capped off with Nipsey Hussle's famous motto, "The Marathon Continues," at the top of his shoulder ... and Butcher called it an "honor" to do the work on the point guard.

"Completed this sleeve this week on @zo !" Butcher wrote of the piece ... "Was an honor to put these influential people on your arm brother."

The new art has to be a refreshing feeling for the ex-Laker ... remember, he hasn't had the most success with tats in the past -- he just got his famous Big Baller Brand ink covered up a few months ago.

Doesn't seem that'll be a problem with these new pieces ... 'cause NBA fans all over are already LOVING the new look!!!

President Trump hit the links with one of his biggest athlete supporters on Monday ... golfing with PGA pro John Daly!!

... and just by looking at Daly's patriotic pants, you can tell the dude was stoked to crush some balls with POTUS.

The duo met up at Trump National Golf Club in Bedminster, NJ ... and Daly -- a HUGE Trump supporter -- is calling it "one of the greatest days of my life!"

Trump clearly enjoyed the meetup as well ... tweeting out praise to the golfer, saying "Thank you John, you are a special guy!"

Daly continued ... "I’m proud to be an AMERICAN, especially w/ this man leading our country!" ... followed by a bunch of hashtags like "#potus #dad"

Who the hell wants a Floyd Mayweather-Manny Pacquiao rematch? Sugar Ray Leonard does ... and according to the boxing legend, so do fight fans.

TMZ Sports talked to Leonard -- one of the greatest fighters of all-time -- from the Cedric The Entertainer Celebrity Golf Classic in Camarillo, CA ... and we asked him if MayPac 2 should really be a thing.

Leonard's answer ... most definitely, yes.

"It'd be a great fight. Put it this way, it should be done."

"People will watch it."

Remember, Floyd and Manny's 2015 fight -- billed as the "Fight of the Century" -- was considered by most a major disappointment ... but MP later revealed he was battling a serious shoulder injury that held him back during the fight.

Manny -- who's now 40 years old -- beat previously undefeated fighter Keith Thurman last month ... and looked great during the match.

Pacquiao and his trainer, Freddie Roach, haven't been shy about wanting a rematch ... and if Sugar Ray's right, fans are willing to pay to watch it again.

Ex-NBA star Sebastian Telfair has been sentenced to 3 1/2 years behind bars for possessing an illegal firearm in 2017 ... TMZ Sports has learned.

As we previously reported ... the 34-year-old former high school phenom was busted back in June 2017 in Brooklyn .... after cops found an arsenal of weapons in his car during a traffic stop.

Officials say the former Trail Blazer, Celtic, Clipper and Timberwolf (to name a few) had 3 pistols and what appeared to be a semi-automatic rifle.

Telfair was convicted of one count of second-degree criminal possession of a weapon back in April ... and was facing up to 15 years behind bars, so it could've been worse for the hooper.

There's no way in hell Antonio Brown retires from football over his helmet issue ... so says Bill Romanowski, who tells TMZ Sports you're NUTS if you believe the star WR is even considering it.

"Anybody that thinks Antonio Brown is gonna retire is cuckoo," the NFL legend says ... "The guy loves the game of football."

Brown is in a massive feud with the league over his favorite Schutt helmet ... with the NFL barring the superstar wide out from wearing the headgear he's donned for the past decade.

In fact, ESPN's Adam Schefter has reported Brown is so pissed about the ban ... he's threatening to quit playing if he can't get his way.

But, when we spoke to Romanowski -- who's spent some time with AB this summer -- he told us there's no chance Brown hangs it up, saying, "I think he truly loves being a Raider right now."

"He's excited to help bring a Super Bowl to the Raiders."

As for the Nutrition 53 founder's stance on the whole ordeal ... Romo clearly thinks it's BS on the league's part, saying Roger Goodell and Co. need to just let the guy use the helmet.

Gaming superstar Bugha -- who just won $3 MILLION in the Fortnite World Cup -- was swatted during a Twitch stream on Saturday ... after someone pretending to be Bugha called police and claimed he killed his father.

The 16-year-old -- real name Kyle Giersdorf -- was playing the same game that made him an instant millionaire when armed cops surrounded his home.

"I've been swatted," Bugha said on the live stream ... which, BTW, is a dumb trend when someone makes a fake claim on a 911 call to get law enforcement to crash an unsuspecting victim's home.

Cops called Bugha's home while waiting outside and spoke with his dad ... and eventually figured out it was a hoax when one of the officers recognized the gamer.

"They came in with guns, bro. They literally pulled up," Bughha said once he returned to the stream.

"That's scary. What if I had just got popped? Jesus Christ, the internet's f**king crazy."

Swatting is becoming a big problem in gaming, and holds serious criminal consequences -- 26-year-old Tyler Barriss was sentenced to 20 years after calling in a fake emergency on a Call of Duty opponent back in March, which led to the death of a 28-year-old man in Wichita.

After things calmed down ... Bugha returned to his friends and finished the game.

The NCAA is caving to the major backlash it got over its new agent certification criteria ... amending the bachelor's degree requirement to rep certain college players.

The organization had been under fire since the memo was sent out to agents last week ... when it announced that any college player looking to test the NBA waters would only retain eligibility if they had an approved agent with a degree, 3 years of experience with the NBPA and passed an in-person test.

The requirements were dubbed the "Rich Paul Rule" by many -- given the super agent does not have a college degree -- and everyone from LeBron James to Chris Paul spoke out against it.

But, it's all over now ... 'cause the NCAA is amending the rule to coincide with the NBPA's criteria.

"We have been made aware of several current agents who have appropriately represented former student-athletes in their professional quest and whom the National Basketball Players Association has granted waivers of its bachelor’s degree requirement," the NCAA said in a statement ... while insisting it wasn't singling out Paul.

"While specific individuals were not considered when developing our process, we respect the NBPA’s determination of qualification and have amended our certification criteria."

The new requirement states that an agent must "Have a bachelor’s degree and/or are currently certified and in good standing with the NBPA."

Here's Odell Beckham grabbin' some balls off the field ... thirst trappin' with a selfie in his skivvies!!

The Cleveland Browns superstar posted a pic in his boxer briefs on Monday ... channeling his inner Calvin Klein model and grabbing his crotch.

"Here’s a pic of me and a world class lamp," OBJ joked ... adding, "When y’all first start talkin and she asks u to send a selfie but u got a lil creep in u"

FYI -- Odell is part of CK's fall underwear campaign ... along with other huge names like Naomi Campbell, Diplo and Bella Hadid.

Of course ... the dude's getting roasted by some trolls ... but also getting a lot of love from his admirers.

OBJ ain't the only Browns stud showing off his underwear ... remember Baker Mayfield's epic PSD photo shoot with a REAL tiger??

Hey ... if you got it!!

Somebody caught 'em all ... and paid some serious coin for it!!!

TMZ Sports has learned a complete set of Pokemon cards just fetched $107,010 at auction ... and it's the most cash someone has EVER plopped down for the famous card game!!!

The 103 pieces are ridiculously rare ... they're all in perfect, Gem Mint 10 condition -- and, yes, the most coveted Pokemon card in the world, the 1st edition Charizard, is included.

The holographic Alakazam, Blastoise and Chansey cards are also in the set -- which was sold at Goldin Auctions over the weekend -- and they're all in unbelievable shape considering they were made in 1999.

In fact, we're told for some of these cards ... there are less than 50 (!!!) in these conditions in the world!!

Nationals star Ryan Zimmerman clearly doesn't give a damn that the Mets have hardly lost this past month ... telling TMZ Sports there's PLENTY of time left this season for them to screw it up!

"Long way to go, man," the Washington third baseman said.

Of course, the Mets have been the hottest team in baseball since the end of July ... going 16-3 in their last 19 games.

They even won their weekend series over Washington, 2-1 too ... but if ya think the Nats are panicking about NY's resurgence -- Zimmerman clearly shows they ain't.

FYI, the race in the NL East is SUPER tight now ... with the Braves, Nationals, Mets and Phillies all only separated by 9 games!!!

Michelle Wie got hitched to an NBA legend's son over the weekend ... exchanging vows with Jonnie West at a star-studded ceremony in L.A.!!!

The golf superstar and Warriors Director of Basketball Operations -- who got engaged back in March -- tied the knot in front of their closest family and friends, including tennis pro Genie Bouchard and fellow golfer Danielle Kang.

"MR. AND MRS. WEST Y’ALL!!!!," Michelle said in an Instagram post. "I love you HUSBAND with every living thing in my body and I didn’t think I could love you any more, but then I saw you at the end of the aisle and my heart exploded."

Best part of the whole shindig??? Wie's dad straight-up GETTING it on the dance floor at the reception.

Chris Pratt and Katherine Schwarzenegger are two peas on a board -- with Rob Lowe acting as the third wheel ... or paddle, in this case.

The newlyweds had a fun day in the sun and on the water with Rob -- Chris' former 'Parks and Rec' costar -- off the coast of Santa Barbara. All 3 got in some paddling -- Kat and Chris on a tandem kayak, and Rob was solo on a stand-up paddleboard.

The guys bared their torsos on the beach, and the Pawnee public employees were looking great. Kat looked hot too in a red bikini showing off her toned abs.

As for the actual paddling, it appears Chris might've been doing most of the heavy lifting. He's definitely built for the work, looking pretty yoked these days. Those L.A. gym sessions are seriously paying off. 'Guardians' season must be around the corner, huh?

If you didn't know ... Chris and Rob are super tight. They golfed together just hours before Chris met his bride at the altar, and they definitely bro'd out on the green.

Lenny Dykstra is fighting Bagel Boss Guy ... yes, the baseball legend inked a deal to box the guy who lost his mind in a NY bagel shop.

We broke the story, Bagel Boss Guy -- aka Chris Morgan -- signed a deal to fight in Damon Feldman's Celebrity Boxing promotion ... only question was, who was he gonna fight?

Now we know ... 56-year-old 3x-MLB All-Star and World Series champ Lenny Dykstra.

We're told Lenny agreed to a deal and signed the contract on Friday (he'll be paid a fixed amount of money for the fight) ... and will begin training immediately for the September 7 bout in Atlantic City, NJ.

Sources close to Lenny tell us he ain't worried about the lack of time to prepare ... and is very confident he's gonna beat the hell outta BB Guy.

If he does ... it won't be cause Bagel Boss ain't training hard for the scrap.

Morgan recently went to one of the best MMA gyms in the country ... and training with UFC superstars Al Iaquinta and Chris Weidman.

In fact, Iaquinta told us Morgan possessed some natural ability as a fighter.

Dykstra vs. Bagel Boss.

Rich Paul is finally addressing the NCAA's new agent criteria that's been dubbed the "Rich Paul Rule" ... saying the new requirements have NO impact on his business ... but could prevent people from following in his footsteps.

The NBA super agent published an op-ed in The Athletic on Monday ... breaking down the new policy (which requires a bachelor's degree to rep players testing their NBA waters without losing eligibility) and explaining how it hurts anyone trying to be the next Rich Paul.

"NCAA executives are once again preventing young people from less prestigious backgrounds, and often people of color, from working in the system they continue to control."

"In this case, the people being locked out are kids who aspire to be an agent and work in the NBA and do not have the resources, opportunity, or desire to get a four-year degree."

Paul DOES agree with 2 of the 3 requirements ... saying he supports requiring 3 years of experience and a written test in order to represent players testing the market.

"However, requiring a four-year degree accomplishes only one thing — systematically excluding those who come from a world where college is unrealistic."

Paul suggests the NCAA work with aspiring agents with a one-year program or mentorship, instead of rejecting them completely.

"The barriers to entry for the next Rich Paul are already high enough."

Tom Brady putting his $40 million mansion up for sale is NOT an indication he wants to retire from the Patriots after this season ... so says the legendary QB himself.

"You shouldn't read into anything," Brady said on "The Greg Hill Show" on WEEI on Monday ... "I think it takes a long time to sell a house."

TB12 just put his Boston-area pad on the market last week ... and after signing a contract that makes him a free agent after this season -- people tried connecting the retirement dots.

But, 42-year-old Brady fired back at those rumors ... saying the sale of his house has NOTHING to do with his future football plans.

"My house is a little bit of an expensive one," Brady said, "so, it doesn't fly off the shelf in a couple weeks."

Brady added, "I love playing for the Patriots. I have such a great relationship with Mr. Kraft, Coach Belichick and our team."

It's great news for Pats fans ... Brady's gunning for his SEVENTH Super Bowl win this season -- and losing him after this year would almost certainly mean no shot at an 8th one in 2020.

By the way, if you haven't had the chance to see Brady's mansion ... it's insane -- 5 bedrooms, 7 bathrooms on 5 ACRES of land!!!

"If I could do it all over again, when that coach came to me and told me, 'You should switch your position to receiver or cornerback,' I would have did it."

That's Chris Johnson -- one of the best running backs that's EVER lived -- telling TMZ Sports he's so upset with the way the NFL's treated RBs over the last decade ... he wishes he had never played the position.

Of course, today's NFL tailbacks are learning that the hard way ... stars like Le'Veon Bell, Melvin Gordon and Ezekiel Elliott are either having to miss games or threaten to miss games to get a somewhat fair contract.

33-year-old Johnson says that's absolutely ridiculous, telling us, "Running backs and kickers probably get paid close to the same amount of money. Like, how!?"

Johnson tells us the pay scale is so jacked up ... he actually wishes he had listened when college coaches came to recruit him in high school to play either receiver or corner.

"I really believe in my head, if I played receiver or cornerback, I would still be playing in the league to this day and still making $15, $16 million a year at those positions."

In fact, Chris says he believes the NFL is treating its backs so poorly ... he won't even let his twin sons play the position -- saying he'll force them to go to either QB, WR or CB.

"I'm going to make sure I keep them away from running back."

Johnson played 10 years in the NFL ... and had one of the greatest seasons ever in 2009, rushing for 2,006 yards and catching 503 more.