TMZ Sports - Page 50

Former NBA star Charlie Villanueva, who's famously battled Alopecia, ripped Chris Rock for his Oscars barb about the autoimmune disease ... adding that he's "proud" of Will Smith for defending Jada Pinkett Smith.

Villanueva took to Instagram to express his thoughts on the Smith-Rock altercation at Sunday night's Academy Awards ... saying as someone who's had to deal with Alopecia, he knows what Jada is going through.

And, he said he can understand why Smith reacted the way he did following Rock's "balding" G.I. Jane quip.

"She voiced that she struggled with [Alopecia], and Chris Rock thought it was cool to crack a joke," Villanueva said. "We are not with Jada everyday to know the level of the struggle, but Will does."

"As I don’t condone violence, Im proud that Will Smith stood up for his wife."

Villanueva added, "As a fellow Alopecians, I stand with Will and Jada."

Villanueva -- an ambassador for National Alopecia Areata Foundation -- also took to Twitter to send a personal message to those battling Alopecia as well as to Jada ... writing in a tweet, "Remember, you have Alopecia, Alopecia doesn't have you. Don't give up on yourself. Life is just as beautiful as you."

According to The National Library of Medicine, Alopecia affects 1 in every 500-to-1,000 people in the United States ... and can affect men and women equally of any ethnic background.

Villanueva wasn't the only sports figure to praise Will for his reaction Sunday ... former UFC star Tyron Woodley also said on social media that he supported Smith's slap -- saying, "i fight over women, especially the women in my family, Sisters, & Daughter."

Shaquille O'Neal and Steph Curry just added some more hardware to their incredibly decorated trophy rooms -- the two NBA legends just won Oscars for their roles in "The Queen of Basketball" documentary.

The short film was a production of The New York Times, which Shaq and Curry helped produce, about Lusia "Lucy" Harris -- one of the greatest women's basketball players ever.

The film earned the Academy Award on Sunday night for best short subject documentary.

Shaq and Curry helped make the 22-minute doc ... highlighting Harris' incredible achievements on the hardwood -- which included her being the first woman to score a point in the Olympics as well as the first woman to ever be drafted by an NBA team.

Of course, the two are not the first NBA players to win the coveted Hollywood award ... Shaq's former teammate, Kobe Bryant, famously won an Oscar in 2018 for best animated short film, "Dear Basketball."

Kevin Durant and Mike Conley also won in 2021 for producing "Two Distant Strangers," the winner in the best live action short film category.

Jim Thome's wife says the couple is done with the Browns following the Deshaun Watson signing ... explaining she's asked the franchise to cancel their season tickets.

Andrea Thome made the announcement on her Twitter page following Watson's introduction ceremony last week ... saying the sexual misconduct allegations against the new Cleveland quarterback were too much for her and her former MLB star hubby to ignore.

"Very sad after 40 years as a fan, but this is my line in the sand," Andrea said. "I believe women. Especially when there are 22 of them. That press conference did nothing to change my mind."

Andrea claims she wrote a letter to the Browns explaining her decision and asking for a refund -- as the couple had already paid for the tix.

She added that if the org. doesn't pay them back, she will sell off the seats in 2022 for charity.

"I will auction off every single game and publicly donate every cent to different women’s crisis charities in N.E. Ohio," Andrea said, "raising awareness week by week during the season."

Andrea later clarified that she never called Watson "guilty" ... but said the volume of accusers are "enough for me to make a decision that I have every right to make."

As we reported, more than 20 female massage therapists have said Watson was sexually inappropriate with them during sessions over the past couple years. Two grand juries in Texas, though, declined to charge Watson criminally this month.

The QB is still facing a mountain of civil lawsuits from the accusers -- and an NFL investigation into the claims is ongoing.

Jake Paul wants in on the Will Smith vs. Chris Rock feud -- the YouTuber-turned-fighter is offering both actors $15 MILLION to take their beef to the boxing ring!!

Shortly after the slap heard around the world went down at the Oscars, "Impractical Jokers" star Sal Vulcano joked about how much the Most Valuable Promotions founder would cough up to get both legends in the ring for an epic event for the ages.

The 25-year-old fighter -- who previously offered Pete Davidson and Kanye West $30 milli each to face off in the ring -- delivered on his new proposition late Sunday night ... claiming he already has $30 million set aside for a Smith vs. Rock bout.

"I got $15m for Will Smith and $15m for Chris Rock ready to go," Paul tweeted ... adding he already has a date in mind.

"Let’s do it in August on my undercard."

FYI -- The biggest Pay-per-view ever is 4.6 million buys for Floyd Mayweather vs. Manny Pacquiao in 2015.

A Will vs. Chris fight would undoubtedly be successful, but don't hold your breath on it ever happening -- after all, both guys have all the money in the world and it would be quite the height/weight disadvantage for Rock ... but Jake's got the financial backing to make it happen.

The entertainment world wasn't the only one shaken up by Will Smith's Oscars slap on Sunday night -- notable sports figures, including Deion Sanders and Patrick Mahomes' wife, also couldn't believe what they saw.

Just minutes after Will smacked Chris Rock on stage at the Academy Awards over a joke the comedian made about Jada Pinkett Smith ... Sanders commended Rock for taking the blow.

"Chris took it like a STANDUP GUY LITERALLY!!! WOW WOW WOW!" Sanders said on Twitter, before adding, "Lord help us please help us Love each other especially in front of company."

Brittany Mahomes, meanwhile, chastised Smith for letting his anger turn into physical violence.

"You. Don’t. Slap. Someone," the Kansas City star quarterback's wife wrote on Twitter.

Others in the sports world commented on Will as well ... with Steph Curry even cracking a joke on social media over it.

The Golden State Warriors point guard made the quip while praising the Stanford women's basketball team for its big victory on Sunday night.

"This was loud!!!" Curry wrote. "Like that slap on that other channel."

New Las Vegas Raiders star Chandler Jones made a 'Fresh Prince Of Bel-Air' jab after seeing the on-stage swing ... writing on Twitter, "Got in one little fight and we all got scared."

NBA star Bradley Beal added, "Smack the taste out his mouth," while Baltimore Ravens QB Lamar Jackson wrote on Twitter in disbelief, "He slapped that boy fr ? Or I’m trippin."

Ozzie Guillen absolutely loathes the idea of an automated strike zone in the MLB ... telling TMZ Sports he thinks robot umps are "the worst thing I've ever heard in my life."

The former Chicago White Sox manager went in on the idea when we asked him this week about the potential rule change -- saying he has no clue how it'd make the game better.

"I hope [the rule change] happens after I die," Guillen said, "because I'll be very, very vocal about it."

The MLB is considering the move down the road -- after it implemented automated strike zones for the 2022 Triple-A season.

The idea is that if it goes well in the minor leagues, it could eventually end up replacing humans behind the plate one day in The Show -- and make a more uniform ball-and-strike zone there.

Guillen, though, said it's a slap in the face to the current umps ... and he also doesn't understand how a computer could do a better job than a human who's standing just inches away from the pitches.

"Whoever came up with this idea never played the game," Guillen said. "Never played Little League baseball games."

Guillen is in favor of adding one rule back to the game ... telling us he'd like to see more roughness come back. He explained he's hoping the league will allow hard slides into second base and into home plate again eventually.

As for if Guillen will ever manage again -- he said he's hopeful after getting an interview with the San Diego Padres last year that a team will give him another shot.

This year's Oscars got off to a great start -- with Beyonce leading the charge with a musical number that wasn't even in the building ... and a little help from her kid.

Venus and Serena Williams were the first faces we saw Sunday as the telecast got underway from within the Dolby Theater in DTLA, with the two super star athletes immediately tossing things to Bey ... who did a live performance of her song 'Be Alive,' and doing so from a tennis court in Compton.

This is where Serena and Venus got their start when they first learning the sport, which they alluded to in their comments. And to mark the special occasion, the entire court was draped in lime green covers ... as was Beyonce and the rest of her dance troupe.

The catchy tune is featured in the Oscar-nominated film 'King Richard,' which tells the story of Serena and Venus' father, Richard Williams ... who was portrayed by a stellar Will Smith. Of course, 'Be Alive' itself is up for Best Original Song ... which explains Bey's appearance.

She wasn't the only one from the Carter-Knowles family that was on the court though -- young Blue Ivy herself was also on hand. Indeed, that was her dancing down in front with the sunglasses on ... seems they were trying to keep her presence low-key.

She was spotted nonetheless, and based on how well she was moving ... BI might just have a future job as a dancer. Lucky for her, mom and dad are always in need -- so she'll probably always have a slot booked.

As if the death of Tyre Sampson, the 14-year-old who died on an Orlando amusement park ride, wasn't tragic enough ... we've learned the boy had a promising future ahead of him.

Tyre was a gifted athlete with the potential to earn a scholarship to a Division 1 football program ... that's the insight from Brandon Gregory, a football coach at East St. Louis High School, where Tyre was set to play ball this fall.

While he was only in 8th grade, we're told Tyre was already working out with the varsity team at East St. Louis, and had caught Gregory's eye as the school's defensive coordinator.

As you can see, Tyre's a pretty big kid for a middle schooler, and he played on the offensive line.

Gregory says all the coaches and players on the team noticed Tyre's strong work ethic, noting he always stayed late to improve his game. The varsity coaching staff considered him a potential starter going into his freshman year, and one who'd be a key part of the team for years to come.

We're told Tyre -- who teammates called Big Tick -- worked out with the varsity team as recently as Tuesday, before heading down to Florida with a fellow 8th grader and teammate.

As we reported ... Tyre died Thursday night at Orlando's ICON Park. He fell to his death from a ride towering 430 feet in the air.

Johnny Manziel wants to go back to where it all started ... telling TMZ Sports he'd love to return to the Texas A&M football program in some capacity.

Manziel was nothing short of a legend at College Station in 2012 and 2013 ... winning the Heisman trophy and becoming a household name with his highlight plays and unapologetic attitude.

Johnny -- who is set to suit up for Fan Controlled Football this season -- tells us he misses the sport ... and while a return to the NFL is out of the question, he wants to find another way to stay involved.

"I don't think I'm the same player I used to be," Johnny tells us. "I think I still have flashes, but I'm looking at what's next in my life and I want sports and football to be something that is gonna be a mainstay in my life for a long time."

"Now, it's figuring out where exactly that's gonna be -- whether its continuing to work with the FCF or something I'm really interested in as well is going back to Texas A&M and being a part of my school, or the program or whatever it is."

Johnny -- who brought up the idea of coaching while in the FCF -- tells us he wants to get back in on the action at A&M ... and the possibilities are endless.

"I miss my school, I miss College Station, I miss the feeling of those great times that I got to have when I was in college, and our new athletic director at Texas A&M, Ross Bjork, is a beauty of an individual and an awesome person."

Manziel says he wants to help A&M win championships and take the program to new heights ... and thinks the school is already on its way to making that happen.

Charlotte Flair is putting Ronda Rousey on notice ... telling TMZ Sports the former UFC superstar is in for a rude awakening when she steps inside of the squared circle with her at WrestleMania 38 in Texas.

We spoke with the WWE Smackdown Women's Champion -- and daughter of legend Ric Flair -- out in NYC this week ... and she tells us the damage she caused to Ronda on Smackdown is a preview of what the former MMA star can expect when they collide.

Charlotte and Ronda came to blows in the leadup to WrestleMania ... with Charlotte getting the best of Rousey in front of her hometown crowd in Charlotte, North Carolina.

In the aftermath of their fight, Ronda said she was having difficulty talking on a gaming stream ... and she explained she suffered a torn labial frenulum -- the tissue in your mouth that connects your lip to your gums.

While the "Baddest Woman On The Planet" didn't specify how she sustained the injury, you have to assume the attack she suffered at the hands of Charlotte (with help from a kendo stick) played a role.

The good news is "Rowdy" Ronda fully expects to be 100% by the time Mania rolls around ... and Charlotte is looking forward to colliding with her on the grandest stage of them all.

"If that hurt her, [I] can't wait to see Mania," the champ said.

Rousey won the women's Royal Rumble match back in January ... which gave her the right to fight either Charlotte or Raw Women's Champion Becky Lynch.

Ronda chose Charlotte, paving the way for the two women to share the ring again ... in hopes of resolving their longstanding feud.

WrestleMania, the Super Bowl of pro wrestling, is an event that makes stars ... but Charlotte says Ronda still has to make a name for herself in the biz.

Jim Norton has some simple advice for Russell Westbrook in his war against heckling fans ... telling TMZ Sports if the Lakers star wants the trolling to stop, then he has to play better.

We spoke with the comedian -- who knows a thing or two about getting an earful from fans -- and he tells us the best way for Russ to shut 'em up is to elevate his game.

Of course, it's been a rough year for Westbrook in his first season with the Purple and Gold ... and spectators (L.A. especially) have been giving the former MVP a hard time.

Russ' numbers have dipped -- he's struggled to shoot the ball from the perimeter and at the free-throw line and is among the league leaders in turnovers.

Most recently, Russ pled with fans to stop calling him the name "Westbrick" ... saying he often let it slide, but it's to the point where he wants it to die.

But, even that didn't stop fans from rolling up on Brodie in the street -- A fan recorded himself telling Russ he wants him to play better, but the All-Star guard wasn't feeling it all.

Jim tells us Russ needs to start going back at fans in a war of words -- encouraging the baller to "attack these losers" who are yelling at him.

Jim said there are plenty of nights in his industry he doesn't bring it, so he never gets mad at fans for heckling him if he deserves it.

"Well that's why I said, 'play better,'" Morton says, "because if I'm on stage, there's plenty of nights when I suck."

"I kind of know when I suck. So if I'm having a really bad set and someone yells, 'you suck,' then I'll address it, and I'll be mean to the person."

LeBron James was a big winner Saturday night ... singled out for his work in a big-budget movie -- cause he won some Razzies!!!

LeBron was bestowed with the honor of "Worst Actor" Saturday during the 42nd annual Golden Raspberry Awards celebrating the worst in movies.

LeBron's trophy was an acknowledgment of his work in "Space Jam: The Legacy," in which he played himself ... well, sorta.

But wait, there's more. LeBron also won for "Worst Screen Couple" and "Worst Remake, Rip-Off or Sequel."

Fear not, LeBron, because worse movies were made ... like "Diana the Musical" on Netflix, which snagged Worst Picture, Worst Actress, Worst Supporting Actress and Worst Director.

While it was a common theme in the show, the "Space Jam" remake wasn't quite as popular as "Diana the Musical" scooping up five trophies.

Jared Leto also scored with Worst Supporting Actor in "House of Gucci."

And, get this ... there was a special category for Bruce Willis ... Worst Performance by Bruce Willis in a 2021 Movie! It's for "Cosmic Sin" ... in case you're interested.

Jake Paul tells TMZ Sports he's dead serious about an MMA fight with Conor McGregor ... saying even in an Octagon, under UFC rules, he'd KO the Irish star.

Paul has called out McGregor a bunch of times over the last couple years ... but now, more than ever, he seems ready to make the tilt actually happen.

And, this time, he tells us he's willing to go onto Conor's turf to do it.

"Conor is on a downhill spiral," Jake said. "His limbs are all broken. So, stand-up game, I'm coming out and knocking him out, first round."

Paul tells us he and McGregor weigh the same now, and he's legitimately looking into leaving boxing for MMA to make the fight.

Jake also said he wants to throw down with McGregor in the UFC in order to try to persuade Dana White to give more of the company's revenue to fighters.

"If I win, then Dana has to increase the minimum of fighter pay," Jake said. "If I lose, then they can take all of the money and whatever and so be it."

"But, I know I can beat Conor."

If the matchup with Conor doesn't happen, there's still a chance Jake heads to MMA for his next fight regardless. He tells us he's been in talks with Bellator and PFL -- "and other MMA entities" -- to try to hammer out some kind of deal to potentially fight in a cage.

Johnny Knoxville says he's not only gonna beat former WWE Intercontinental champion Sami Zayn at WrestleMania 38 in Texas ... he's literally going to end his career!!

Knoxville joined Babcock on the TMZ Sports show on FS1 ... where he said he's champing at the bit to settle the score between him and Sami.

"I can't wait to get to Dallas to slap Sami Zayn in his stupid face," Johnny says.

Of course, the feud between Knoxville and Zayn has been going on for months. When Knoxville made his WWE debut recently, he challenged Zayn to a match.

Zayn denied Johnny's request ... telling him he had no business being in the WWE. Knoxville exacted some revenge when he cost Zayn the intercontinental title against Ricochet on Smackdown a few weeks ago -- setting the stage for their showdown next week.

Knoxville, the ultimate prankster, predicted the worst is yet to come for Zayn when the two fight at WWE's crowning spectacle in an "anything goes" match.

FYI, "anything goes" means the standard rules and stipulations governing a typical WWE fight are out of play.

But, the "Jackass" star isn't taking his fight with the pro-wrestler lightly ... he says he's been training and working with a wrestling coach to hold his own in the ring.

Knox took things a step further in their bitter rivalry when he used a plane banner to blow up the Champ's phone number (which hasn't stopped ringing since) for all of L.A. to see.

Knox made it abundantly clear he's got one goal -- to retire Sami Zayn.

Several pairs of Virgil Abloh's Off-White collab with Nike are hitting the auction block ... but they're even more rare than usual -- they're actually signed by the late fashion icon.

TMZ Sports has learned ... one pair included in Sotheby's Modern Collectibles catalog is the Air Jordan 1 x OFF-WHITE "UNC" ... which features the famous "Off-White For Nike" label and red zip tie.

These blue and white sneakers are also signed by the fashion icon -- reading "Virgil 2018" on one shoe and "HODEI" (which means cloud) on the other.

The bids for the Js have already surpassed Sotheby's initial estimate for the sneakers ... which was $10k.

There's another signed pair in this auction ... the yellow and green Louis Vuitton "LV Trainers" that debuted in 2019 when Abloh was the luxury line's artistic director.

The shoes are signed "Air Abloh" and come with two Polaroids of him posing with them. These, too, have already exceeded the max estimate of $12k.

But, for those who want it all, "The Ten" collection features the first ten designs Abloh had with Nike when he signed with the Swoosh in 2017 -- it's considered one of the "most ambitious" collaborations with Nike and is expected to sell for $40k.

This is not the first time Sotheby's has auctioned off the legend's sneaks -- in fact, 200 pairs of his LV Air Force 1s sold earlier this year for a "record-breaking" $25.3 million.

Of course, getting your hands on any sneakers by Abloh will be tough and expensive ... especially after the fashion designer's death in November 2021.

"You gotta expect that out of f***ing Colby Covington. He's a bitch for pressing charges. And, if I got a message for him it's 'snitches get stitches' around here homie. That's some bitch s**t."

That's 35-year-old rising UFC welterweight star Daniel Rodriguez going in on Colby Covington ... after the #1 ranked 170 lb. contender cooperated with police and pressed charges against Jorge Masvidal for allegedly attacking him and cracking his tooth outside a fancy Miami restaurant earlier this week.

"I'd do the same thing," D-Rod told us Thursday afternoon in Los Angeles.

Of course, Masvidal allegedly attacked Colby as he was leaving Papi Steak in South Florida Monday night. Police responded, and took a report for battery.

Days later on Wednesday, Jorge turned himself into a local jail around 10 PM local time, and was hit with several charges, including felony battery, which can carry a lengthy prison sentence.

Some fighters, including Khabib Nurmagomedov, believe Colby was out of line for going to the cops -- especially after some of the trash talk the men engaged in leading up to their UFC 272 fight -- and you can count Rodriguez in that group.

"I respect Khabib for that. He's always been that kind of fighter that doesn't disrespect, especially family. Trying to promote, trying to sell a fight is one thing. But, when you throw family in the mix, it's kind of personal. So, ya know, I'm not mad at Jorge Masvidal for this incident where he ran up on [Colby] in Miami."

It remains to be seen if fellow welterweight fighters will heed Khabib's advice and not fight Covington. However, it's almost impossible to imagine fighters passing on an opportunity to take on the consensus 2nd best 170 lb. fighter in the world.

We also talked to Daniel, 6-1 in the UFC, about his health.