TMZ Sports - Page 50

Lamar Odom will now have Kobe and Gigi Bryant with him everywhere he goes -- the ex-Lakers star was just gifted an incredible piece honoring the late NBA legend and his daughter on the second anniversary of their tragic helicopter accident.

TMZ Sports has learned ... LO -- who played alongside Kobe from 2004-2011 and remained close friends with the Hall of Famer in retirement -- received the special tribute to the Mamba and Mambacita from his manager, Tonita B.

The finished product is a diamond chain and pendant featuring Kobe kissing Gigi on the head ... which was based off a famous picture of the two sitting courtside at a Laker game in 2019.

We're told the chain -- designed by Scoobie Da Jeweler -- is made of 25 carats of VS diamonds ... and the whole finished product is worth around $17,000.

The back of the piece features a special quote from Kobe ... which reads, "Rest at the end, not in the middle."

We're told this all came to be when Tonita decided to do something unique for Lamar to commemorate their new Savvy Talent Management Group partnership ... and given his admiration for Bryant and his family, she chose a Mamba-related keepsake.

Odom has previously spoken about the impact Kobe left on his life after the fatal accident on Jan. 26, 2020 ... saying he not only helped him on the court, but was by his side during his darkest times.

Odom posted about his new gift on social media minutes ago ... saying, "To understand that Kobe meant the world to me and have this made as a constant reminder for me to keep going has me at loss for words. 💜"

Baker Mayfield is going M.I.A. when it comes to social media -- saying Tuesday night that after his turbulent season with the Browns, he's quitting all platforms until further notice.

"Getting off all social media for the foreseeable future," the Cleveland quarterback said. "Gotta do what's best to focus on me, my family and loved ones."

"Appreciate all the support. Time to get right."

The move for the signal-caller always seemed to be a possibility -- considering he and his wife have been unhappy with the Internet community basically this entire season.

Emily Mayfield has had to defend her husband on the apps constantly ... and even said back in December that trolls sent her and the QB death threats following the Browns vs. Packers game.

Baker, meanwhile, has constantly slammed media members and others on social media platforms throughout the season ... even writing in a tweet during the NFL's playoff games last weekend that it was all "toxic."

Baker had a rough year with the Browns outside of all the Internet hate ... throwing 13 interceptions and fumbling 6 times, all while his squad missed the playoffs.

He did have surgery on his injured shoulder last week ... and he's hopeful after recovering, he can return to form next season.

Neymar met Kanye West for the first time in Paris on Wednesday -- and the soccer superstar didn't come empty-handed for the occasion, bringing the musician a custom "Ye" jersey.

Neymar also showered Kanye with praise on his social media following their meet-up ... calling the "Hurricane" performer a "legend."

"Nice to meet u legend 👏🏽," Neymar said while sharing two pictures from their get-together.

Kanye is, of course, in town for Fashion Week ... and he was able to see Neymar during a tour of the soccer superstar's Paris Saint-German facilities.

The two were clearly pumped to meet each other ... you can see in one of the pics the guys were smiling ear-to-ear.

It's unclear how big of a soccer fan Ye is ... but we do know he's a huge sports guy -- he's spotted at big games in the U.S. regularly and he even started his own high school basketball team at Donda Academy last year.

If he had to make the decision today ... Rob Gronkowski says his football career would be over -- telling TMZ Sports he'd retire if the NFL made him choose right now.

"If they're like, 'Rob, you've got to decide right now, right this second if you're playing next year,' I would say no right now," Gronk said. "I would be like, 'No, I'm not playing.'"

The tight end -- who joined Babcock and Mojo on the "TMZ Sports" TV show (nightly on FS1) -- said he's just too beat up right now following his 11th season in the league to go ahead and definitively move forward with Year #12.

"If I had an answer right now," Gronk said, "it would be no."

Good news for the Buccaneers, though ... Gronk does not have to decide at this moment -- and he acknowledged his mind could change in the next couple of weeks.

The future Hall of Famer tells us once his body's healed and he's had some time to reflect on the season, the answer could very well turn into a yes.

"I just want to heal completely, see where my thoughts are from there," Gronk said. "Just let things settle down -- got to just heal a little bit. Fix all the bumps and bruises."

As for if Tom Brady's upcoming decision about his future could affect Gronk's, Rob tells us it all could play a role -- though he has to do what's best for him first and foremost.

There's more, Gronk also told us he does not think the Bucs' messy breakup with Antonio Brown played a role in their early playoff exit ... saying the locker room was full of too many veterans to let it affect them that negatively.

"There's so many experienced pros in our locker room," Gronk said. "It's not like we have a young locker room or anything like that."

We also talked to Gronk about his partnership with Groupon. The superstar tight end teamed up with the company to give one extremely lucky fan a chance to literally celebrate the Super Bowl at Rob's actual house in Foxborough.

As you might expect from Rob ... the house is awesome. It's nearly 5,000 square feet of awesomeness ... and if you're fortunate, you and your buddies could be posting up on Gronk's couch when the big game rolls around on February 13.

Good luck!!

Barry Bonds -- one of the greatest hitters and outfielders in MLB history -- had the Baseball Hall of Fame doors slammed shut in his face on Tuesday ... as he was not voted into Cooperstown in his final year on the ballot.

Bonds -- who was getting Hall consideration for the 10th and last time -- was ultimately denied by a group of baseball writers who believe his connection to performance-enhancing drugs overshadowed the brilliance he displayed on the diamond.

The argument for Bonds' enshrinement into the Hall of Fame is simple -- the former San Francisco Giants outfielder put up jaw-dropping numbers throughout his storied 22-year career in the big leagues.

BB is the all-time leader in home runs (762), owns the single-season home run record set by a player, is a 14-time All-Star and won seven NL MVPs -- by far the most in MLB history.

On another note, Sammy Sosa and Roger Clemens also fell short of the 75% of votes needed to be formally inducted into the MLB Hall of Fame. David Ortiz -- one of Bonds' contemporaries -- did receive the percentage of votes needed to make it in.

FYI, Ortiz -- aka "Big Papi" -- got in on his first try ... and although David had a legendary career with a ton of home runs (541) and multiple World Series titles, he wasn't the player or defender Bonds was.

Bonds still has a chance at making the Hall via the Today’s Game Era ballot in December ... but it will fall into the hands of a 16-person group that focuses on bringing contributors from 1988-2016 into Cooperstown.

Add Aziz Ansari to the list of people going after Aaron Rodgers -- the "Parks and Rec" star just roasted the hell outta the QB ... saying no one should be surprised about his COVID vaccine stance because he's a football player.

"This guy makes a living getting hit in the head," the 38-year-old said during his Netflix standup special, "Nightclub Comedian," this week. "Can we cut him a break?"

Of course, this all stems from the Green Bay Packers star's choice against getting the jab ... as well as his decision to follow Joe Rogan's instruction to fight COVID-19.

Rodgers has been on the receiving end of hate by a lot of big names -- from Howard Stern to Jon Stewart and even President Joe Biden -- and Aziz mockingly showed sympathy for the MVP in his special.

"People hate that guy," Ansari said. "It's like alright. Calm down!"

"He's a football player! He read some articles, he got skeptical, he did some research. Are you stunned he came to the wrong conclusion?"

He continued ... "This poor guy. It's like we're all in high school and we're making fun of the quarterback for doing bad on the science test."

Aziz calls out Rodgers for trying to pull a quick one in telling reporters he's "immunized" rather than vaccinated ... saying he came off as arrogant.

"He was out there like 'Oh, I'm a critical thinker.'"

"I don't think he's an idiot though, okay?! I don't think him, Nicki Minaj, any of these people are idiots. I just think they're trapped in a different algorithm than you are."

Josh Allen's girlfriend is trying her best to cheer up her man following his heartbreaking playoff loss Sunday ... telling the Bills QB how proud she is of him despite the defeat.

Brittany Williams posted the mushy note to the Buffalo star on her social media page Tuesday -- just days after the Bills fell out of the playoffs following an overtime loss to the Chiefs -- commending him for finishing his fourth year in the NFL.

"It's amazing watching you put your head down and work every day to be the best teammate, leader, and football player you can be," said Williams, who's been dating Allen for years. "Through the ups & downs of this season, you remained calm and confident and it showed every time you stepped on the field."

She added, "I really don’t know how you balance everything, but you always do it with a smile on your face and with the biggest heart."

"I love you ❤️"

Allen will no doubt appreciate the words ... because he's got to be one of the most heartbroken people in the country at the moment.

The 25-year-old played his ass off in the Bills' game in Kansas City ... and came up just short of moving his team into the AFC Championship game against the Cincinnati Bengals.

He's got a good chance of getting his team there next year, though, 'cause the Bills have surrounded him with a bunch of talent.

Shocking news in New Orleans ... Sean Payton has retired as head coach of the Saints.

New Orleans journalist Nick Underhill first reported the news Tuesday morning.

Payton has been the head man for the Saints since 2006 ... and won a Super Bowl with the team in 2009.

He's widely considered one of the three or four best coaches in the league, and piled up a 152-89 record in his 15 years with the team.

In fact, Payton had been so good in New Orleans, he won more than 10 games in a season NINE separate times.

It's unclear why Payton made the decision this week -- his contract reportedly compensated him well, and he's only 58 years old.

No word yet on where he goes in 2022 from here. There are rumors swirling that he could join a broadcasting booth somewhere -- though heading to another team to be its new head coach might not be totally out of the question either.

Kevin Ferguson Jr. -- MMA fighter and son of the legendary street fighter turned pro Kimbo Slice -- is stepping into the ring ... but he isn't takin' on a fellow pro fighter, he's boxing former Bachelorette contestant "Iggy" Rodriguez.

Yes, for real!

29-year-old Ferguson -- aka "Baby Slice" -- is transitioning from the Bellator cage to the squared circle ... where he'll duke it out with Rodriguez at a Celebrity Boxing event in March.

Of course, 5'11", 155 lb. Kevin Jr. -- 3-3 as a pro -- has fighting in his pedigree, and it shows. His dad, Kimbo, is the most famous street fighter of all-time. The 6'2", 235-pound fighter transitioned from backyard brawling to professional fighting ... where he had a record of 5-2-1.

As for his opponent? Iggy's claim to fame didn't come from punching guys. Rather, Rodriguez was fighting for love when he made his debut on the 13th season of "The Bachelorette."

In fact, the 35-year-old Californian native and consulting firm CEO became a true household name ... when he was depicted as a "snitch" for badmouthing other competitors on Rachel Lindsay's season.

Rodriguez was ultimately eliminated from the show ... after failing to make the top 12.

But, back to the fight. Ferguson and Rodriguez won't be the only attraction that night.

Lamar Odom's ex-fiancée, Sabrina Parr, will fight Jenn Harley, Ronnie Ortiz's former GF -- in a battle of the exes.

Scary moment at the Australian Open -- tennis star Nick Kyrgios smacked a loose ball out of frustration during a doubles match ... and it ended up nailing a young fan in the crowd.

Fortunately, the kid appeared to be OK after Kyrgios apologized with a gift racket.

The wild play all went down Monday during Kyrgios' doubles event with partner Thanasi Kokkinakis ... when Kyrgios got pissed over a missed serve.

You can see in footage from the Open, Kyrgios rifled a ball into the ground, and it ended up ricocheting straight into the stands and right into a kid's stomach.

The boy was so visibly hurt and upset ... Kyrgios himself was shaken up on the court.

Nick, though, collected himself and immediately grabbed one of his spare rackets to make up for the major blunder. And, it seemed the child was going to be just fine after the present.

"I saw it heading towards the kid and I thought, "Oh, no, I am getting defaulted," Kyrgios said of the scene to Channel Nine after the match. "I was glad he was OK and I gave him the racket."

This isn't the first time Kyrgios has made headlines at this month's tourney -- just last week, the 26-year-old took a swig of a fan's beer after defeating his opponent.

The fans in attendance loved it ... but the gesture didn't come without controversy, as some wondered if event organizers would come down hard on the Aussie ... given the COVID drama that went down with Novak Djokovic in the buildup to the tourney.

But, Nick has yet to face any discipline for the not-so-safe action.

Patrick Mahomes' fiancée is clapping back at the hate she's gotten for making it rain champagne after the Chiefs' big overtime win ... saying anyone who has an issue with her celebration is a big loser.

Brittany Matthews was criticized by some on social media for uncorking a bottle of bubbly inside her suite and spraying it all over fans at Arrowhead Stadium ... with some pointing out the possibility some spectators may not have wanted to be drenched in alcohol in the freezing temps.

Others also claim that the celly might have been a bit excessive -- despite the game being incredible -- considering it was the divisional round.

Matthews responded to the backlash on Twitter this week ... saying she's sick of being ridiculed for her every move.

"I just wish I could do what I want without getting attacked every week," Matthews said.

When another user replied by saying anyone against the celebration has "clearly never won anything before" ... Brittany replied, "Accurate."

For what it's worth, several members of Chiefs Kingdom came to Brittany's defense ... pointing out she has every right to celebrate how she wants.

Tyson Fury says Anthony Joshua is scared of him ... labeling the 6'6", 240 lb. superstar boxer from the UK a "coward" who's too shook to fight him.

Oh, and the Gypsy King is also coming for a bunch of other top-level heavyweights ... including Oleksandr Usyk and Dillian Whyte.

The 33-year-old heavyweight champ hit up social media to respond to fans asking him when and who he's fighting next ... and well, Tyson talked his s***!

"I'm being asked this question over and over again. I do not know the answer to it. I'm ready to fight this weekend. I've been training three weeks, how long does a man need to train?" Fury pondered.

"Joshua's a coward, Usyk's a p***y and Dillan Whyte doesn't wanna fight. So, if you can prove me wrong, get to f***king fighting you pair of cowards. You're all cowards! You're all bum duffers! Have a fight or do one you pack of wet lettuces."

Fury, who's coming off an incredible performance against heavyweight star Deontay Wilder, continued going in on the boxers.

"I'm just gonna keep videoing until one of these cowards decide to fight. You're all cowards! S*** house bums! I don't care who I fight -- AJ, Usyk, Dillan Whyte or any of them. Fight me! I'm the best man that's ever lived. These are all coward bum duffers. I'll annihilate the liars and destroyers, submitters, tap you bitches out. Come and fight!"

32-year-old Joshua lost to 35-year-old Usyk by decision in September 2021 (it was a masterful performance) ... and they're currently negotiating a rematch. Fury has been ordered to defend his WBC title against 33-year-old Whyte ... but there are reportedly talks about working out a deal to box Usyk.

Shaquille O'Neal knows how to bring the Cowboys back to the glory days ... and it starts with firing head coach Mike McCarthy -- and hiring NFL legend Deion Sanders as the next coach.

Sorry, Mike.

The Diesel made the comments on a recent episode of his podcast "The Big Podcast With Shaq" ... following the Cowboys' disappointing 23-17 loss to the 49ers in the Wild Card round of the NFL playoffs.

“I’m putting this out right now,” Shaq said. “Deion Sanders is the next head coach for the Cowboys. Jerry Jones, this message is from Shaquille O’Neal Incorporated, Deion Sanders for the next coach to Cowboys."

"You want the Dallas back rocking. Bring Deion to the fold. Deion will hold those players accountable. Deion Sanders for the next Cowboys coach. Put it out, Tweet it, dammit. TikTok it, Instagram it, OnlyFans it, put it out.”

Of course, Sanders is very familiar with the Cowboys org. -- after all, the Hall of Famer spent 5 seasons with the team ... winning a championship with Dallas in Super Bowl 30 over the Steelers.

Sanders is currently the head coach at Jackson State University ... where he finished his second campaign with an impressive 11-2 record.

It's unclear if Primetime would even be interested in coaching the Cowboys at this time -- though head coach in Dallas is a job you don't really turn down.

Deion's JSU team suffered a gut-wrenching bowl loss to South Carolina to end their season ... and after the loss, Sanders went on Rich Eisen's show and addressed concerns about his future on the collegiate level.

"I'm not looking to tomorrow, I don't do that right now," Sanders said. "I focus on today. I focus on the now.

As for McCarthy ... the former Packers' head coach just wrapped up his second season at the helm of Jerry Jones' squad. MM led the team to a 12 win season, but suffered an early playoff exit.

And, while Jerry didn't say a change at the head coach position was imminent, the outspoken owner didn't exactly endorse McCarthy publicly either.

Simone Biles appears to be on her way to putting the twisties in her past ... 'cause she recently hit a bunch of insane flips in the gym, showing no signs of the mental block that plagued her in Tokyo.

Biles posted the videos on her social media page Monday ... revealing she's once again hitting some of the crazy stunts that made her an Olympics legend.

Biles did the tricks into a soft foam pit ... and captioned the footage, "did some flips the other day just to make sure."

No word yet on if Biles is officially 100 percent free of the infamous twisties that first hit her at the 2020 Olympics in July ... but the video is an encouraging sign nonetheless.

It's the first time Biles has been seen hitting the tricks since she said she was struggling to find up from down while performing the stunts on the sport's biggest stage.

Biles had said back in October she was still fighting the problem ... and noted she was keeping any twisting out of her routines during her performances in the Gold Over America Tour in the fall.

One of the people involved in Arnold Schwarzenegger's multi-car wreck couldn't believe her eyes ... not only because of the movie stunt-like crash, but because she's a huge fan of his.

Habiba Muminova was one of the drivers who had a close encounter with Arnold's SUV in Friday's crash, and she tells TMZ ... she felt like she was "hallucinating" when Arnold exited his Yukon.

Habiba says Arnold's one of her favorite actors, and while she says, "God bless him," ... she's painfully aware this wasn't exactly a great way to meet him for the first time. Still, she says she's telling everyone what -- and who -- happened.

Habiba says she was just doing her job Friday -- driving patients to doctor's appointments -- when all of a sudden she was smack in the middle of an accident involving a movie star/former governor.

She says she was waiting at a red light to turn on Sunset Blvd when Arnold's SUV collided with a red Prius ... and before she knew it one of Arnold's back tires was smacking into her car, causing a harsh jolt.

Habiba says the initial impact was so strong, she thought she broke her spine.

With Arnold's SUV blocking her door, Habiba says she climbed out through the passenger side, where she was met by first responders and advised to get a ride to the hospital. Instead, she stayed put on the scene with the patient she'd been transporting.

She says she's now experiencing pain in her spine and back, from the shoulder down her left side and she's getting checked out by a doctor this week.

Habiba's concerned about her job moving forward -- she says her car is badly damaged, which will make it difficult, if not impossible, to drive patients around town.

She says she's reached out to an attorney for legal advice.

Antonio Brown celebrated the demise of Bruce Arians and the Buccaneers in style on Sunday -- partying hard at a Miami nightclub just hours after his former team was booted from the playoffs.

TMZ Sports has learned ... the ex-Bucs wideout watched his old squad lose to the Rams in Tampa -- and then he made his way down to Miami to celebrate.

We're told the 33-year-old hit XXIII Club ... and copped around $15,000-worth of bottles while there!!

Brown rocked a huge fur coat ... and was the life of the party at the packed venue -- which, at one point, played his new "Pit Not The Palace" song for the crowd.

Of course, Brown was in great spirits ... because, after all, the team that he says screwed him over earlier this month finally fell in heartbreaking fashion to L.A. earlier on Sunday.

In fact, Brown was so pleased with the result on the field, he trolled Tampa Bay on his social media page with an edited "Bucs eliminated" meme, and later tweeted that Arians was a "barbarian."

It seemed Brown had been moving on from his beef with the Bucs -- remember, he told us recently he and Tom Brady had hashed things out, and said just before that that his shirtless exit from the team was not very professional.