TMZ Sports - Page 50

Lewis Hamilton has no fear -- the Formula 1 superstar spent his free weekend jumping out of planes in Dubai ... and the video is breathtaking.

The 37-year-old Mercedes driver shared several videos from his skydiving trip on Sunday ... showing off his bravery with flips, T-poses, and other wild maneuvers.

Hamilton did a total of 10 jumps during his Sunday off from racing, according to Joe Pompliano ... calling it his "ideal" way to enjoy time away from the track.

While his tricks in the air were smooth, his 2022 season has been a bit bumpy -- after a podium finish in Bahrain, Hamilton finished 10th in Saudi Arabia last Sunday.

Hamilton will try to get back to his usual self at the Australian Grand Prix this weekend ... in hopes of gaining ground on Charles Leclerc, Max Verstappen and Carlos Sainz in the driver standings.

There's still a ton of season left, so don't be surprised if Hamilton finds his way back to the top ... especially after this adrenaline boost.

Univ. of South Carolina students lost their minds after the school's women's basketball team won the NCAA title on Sunday ... with many stripping down to their undies and jumping into a campus fountain!!!

The wild party all happened just moments after the Gamecocks dominated UConn in a 64-49 win on Sunday ... with students choosing to celebrate the title in a wet way.

You can see in video from the scene ... students surrounded the fountain outside of Thomas Cooper Library before jumping into it. One fan actually came prepared -- and rocked a speedo for the occasion!

Fans celebrated at the school all night -- with others lighting off fireworks and climbing into trees.

Of course, this ain't the first time Gamecocks fans went all out for their women's hoops team -- you'll recall, fans got drenched in the same fountain in 2017 when they won their first title.

And, it appears the campus might need to get used to parties like this -- because coach Dawn Staley -- a former 6x WNBA All-Star point guard -- has turned the SC program around since she arrived in 2008.

The Gamecocks have won 6 SEC titles, been to four Final Fours and won two championships -- and look poised to be a powerhouse going forward for the foreseeable future.

Tiger Woods took yet another big step this weekend toward competing in this week's Masters -- hitting the course on Sunday for hours ... and looking VERY pleased with his results.

The Masters posted footage of the golf superstar while he was out at Augusta -- showing Woods taking a bunch of swings and smiling big as he took yet another practice spin around the course.

Woods has still not officially committed to playing in the prestigious event -- a tournament he's won five times in his career -- but it's clear, things appear to be trending toward him returning this week.

In other videos of Tiger at the course on Sunday, he didn't seem to have any issues swinging or walking around on his surgically repaired leg.

Woods has a press conference set for Tuesday morning at Augusta -- one in which many believe he'll formally announce his comeback.

Tiger did release a statement Sunday prior to hitting the course for his practice work -- saying it will be "a game-time decision on whether I compete."

As we reported, Woods has only played in one event since he mangled his leg in a February 2021 car crash ... looking good at the PNC Championship with his son Charlie Woods.

Johnny Knoxville just pulled off the unthinkable -- the "Jackass" star defeated WWE superstar Sami Zayn in their "anything goes match" at WrestleMania 38 ... with shocking help from his friend Wee Man.

The famous stunt performer just wrestled in his first WWE match -- against bitter rival Sami -- and not only did he hold his own, but he walked away with the W, too.

The former intercontinental champ, Zayn, dominated Johnny for most of the match -- but the tables turned when Knoxville got some much needed help from Chris Pontius AKA "Party Boy" and fan-favorite Wee Man.

Knoxville, who's known for being the KING of pranks, had some special props and traps set up underneath the ring just for Sami.

One of the highlights of the match came when Chris emerged out of nowhere -- Sami looked like he had seen a ghost -- stripped down to his speedos ... and started dancing on Zayn in true party boy fashion.

Zayn disposed of Party Boy -- but Wee Man was there to save the day. The feisty stuntman blindsided Sami when he appeared from underneath the ring ... unleashing a flurry of punches on the pro wrestler.

Knox and Wee Man would join forces back in the ring, where it became a 2-on-1 handicap match (unofficially) ... and Wee Man stole the show when he body slammed Zayn in the middle of the ring at AT&T Stadium.

The crowd absolutely ate it up ... going wild at the impressive feat of strength from the stuntman -- giving Knoxville the upper hand for the first time in the match.

Johnny had one more trick up his sleeve before he put Sami out of his misery. The comedic genius unveiled a life-size mouse trap, put Sami on it, then actually trapped Zayn on it ... as he pinned him 1,2,3.

Ja Morant just had one of the best jewelry shopping sprees ever -- he copped a bunch of expensive diamonds ... and then shot tequila with Gunna!!!

The fun time all went down at the Icebox jewelry store in Atlanta last week ... when the NBA star came to the famous showroom to get some of his old pieces cleaned up and to shop for more.

TMZ Sports has learned ... as the 22-year-old was browsing items -- they brought out Don Julio 1942, and everyone had a shot.

Later, "Drip Too Hard" rapper Gunna entered the shop -- and he, too, got in on the drinking!

The interaction between the guys was awesome -- they chatted it up about jewelry and admired some of the pieces in the store.

Eventually, we're told Morant copped several items -- a 14MM Miami Cuban bracelet, three other diamond bracelets and two diamond rings.

He also got a leather Icebox travel case to carry all his new bling ... and we're told his overall shopping spree bill came out to over $55K!

LeBron James might soon pass Kareem Abdul-Jabbar as the NBA's all-time scorer, but the dude still has a long way to go to be truly great as a role model ... so say KAJ.

The Lakers legend shared his pointed criticism at LBJ Sunday amid his presentation of a new trophy bearing his name ... which he bestowed upon Carmelo Anthony for his social justice work during the 2021-22 season.

It seems that after the ceremony, Kareem stuck around and talked to reporters ... who asked him how he felt about the idea of LeBron overtaking him as the points leader, which is likely to happen sometime next season -- barring any prolonged sitting out on LeBron's part.

Kareem said he had no problem with Bron taking the mantle, but where he (still) has issues is with LeBron's legacy as a whole -- including his off-the-court comments/antics/stances ... some of which Kareem said were "beneath him" in the grand scheme of things.

While he praised LeBron for some philanthropy work he's done -- including sending TONS of kids to college on his dime -- Kareem said there are still some things the King should be embarrassed about.

He's also quoted as saying this ... "Some of the things he's done and said are really beneath him, as far as I can see." Kareem adds, "Some of the great things that he's done, he's standing on both sides of the fence almost, you know? It makes it hard for me to accept that when he's committed himself to a different take on everything. It's hard to figure out where he's standing. You've got to check him out every time."

Now, as for what exactly Kareem may be referring to -- it's no secret if you've been following along. Dude's been openly critical about LeBron's apparent vaccine hesitancy, not to mention his waffling on where he stands with COVID in general, a la that Spider-Man meme.

At the time, Kareem wrote an essay ... saying LeBron's joke was a blow to his legacy, asking he do better -- especially as a leader in the Black community. He's also opined about LeBron celebrating on the court (particularly in dancing), saying that's not G.O.A.T.-worthy.

Channing Crowder thinks there's no way Ciara would leave a guy like Future to get with Russell Wilson -- at least not without some money motives behind the move ... yikes.

The ex-linebacker made the inflammatory comments on a recent episode of his podcast "The Pivot," where they were talking about the Broncos QB and his wife ... whom Crowder apparently feels is in the wrong relationship, invoking her ex of several years now.

We'll let CC speak for himself here, because he says a lot ... and much of it is pretty mean. He calls Russ a "square" and speculates Ciara is only with him for cash.

He also theorizes there's just no way Ciara would ditch someone like Future and get with Russ -- who's seen as his polar opposite -- unless there was something deeper fueling her ... because he thinks all women have a type, and believes Ciara's shown her cards.

On Sunday, Crowder doubled down on his "goofball" jabs -- posting an old photo of Russ at the NFL draft in 2012 next to his then-GF Ashton Meem, whom he mocked in the pod.

Of course, he got strong pushback from his fellow podcasters ... who tell him that women want peace, and that Ciara and Russ are perfectly happy together -- as they've been married since 2016 and have kids together.

Sooo, it seems the proof is in the pudding here ... namely, the fact they've stayed together this long proves Crowder's train of thought isn't actually supported by reality. Russ and Ciara have been couple goals for a very long time now -- and yet, this narrative persists.

Russ, meanwhile, appears to have responded to all the renewed chatter ... albeit cryptically.

He tweeted Sunday, "'But the fruit of the Spirit is love, joy, peace, forbearance, kindness, goodness, faithfulness, gentleness and self-control. Against such things there is no law.' Galatians 5:22-23 NIV."

It was bedlam on the streets of Chapel Hill Saturday night, after the Tar Heels snagged a spot in the NCAA men's basketball National Championship game.

10 people, and maybe more, were hurt after the game ... 4 were injured badly enough to require hospitalization.

Chapel Hill cops planned for a big celebration -- shutting down streets in advance -- but it got out of hand as it turned into a wild block party. There were around 40,000 fans who were reveling in the Tar Heels 81-77 win over Duke in the Final Four.

It got real when some fans started bonfires in the streets.

So, now the real dead ... North Carolina faces off with the Kansas Jayhawks Monday for the brass ring. Ya gotta wonder who Chapel Hill cops will be routing for!

Logan Paul looked like a total natural in the squared-circle at WrestleMania 38 just now ... dominating his tag team match with The Miz -- and coming away with the win.

Logan and Miz were in control throughout the match against Rey Mysterio and his son, Dominik at AT&T Stadium in Arlington ... and the whole thing was filled with action.

The Maverick's performance was a display of his true athletic ability -- he executed some of the most challenging wrestling moves in the book ... including jumping off the top rope.

Worth noting -- at one point, Mysterio tried to pay homage to his friend, Eddie Guerrero, by hitting Miz with Eddie's signature "Three Amigos" move ... but wasn't able to complete the third suplex.

Logan, however, flipped the script -- not only did he hit Mysterio with a "Three Amigos" of his own, he then hit Rey with a "Frog Splash" ... which was also one of Guerrero's moves.

Logan -- who came out wearing a $5.2 million super-rare Pokémon card around his neck -- and Miz rocked matching yellow and black 'fits for the match ... and they looked damn good.

But, in true Heel form, Miz hit Logan with his finisher move -- the Skull-Crushing finale -- after being declared winners ... much to the delight of the crowd, who booed Paul throughout the match.

Sergey Kovalev is the latest pro fighter who wants a piece of Jake Paul ... the ex-boxing champ tells TMZ Sports he's down to fight the YouTuber after his next scheduled match.

"Fight with Jake Paul? I'm ready," the 39-year-old former light heavyweight champion said. "And I will knock him out."

Paul has insisted he wants somebody with a name brand for his next bout -- and while Sergey might not have the biggest social media following, he certainly has the resume Paul is looking for.

"Krusher" is 34-4-1 in his 39 career fights -- and has a win over boxing legend Bernard Hopkins on his resume. He's also fought Canelo Alvarez and Andre Ward in his impressive career.

Kovalev says he's all for trying to add Paul to that list of opponents -- saying he'll be happy to try to make the fight after he returns from his long layoff against Tervel Pulev in May.

"Let me make my comeback fight," Kovalev said, "and then we can do any fight."

He added, "Any day."

WWE wrestler Brock Lesnar's grappling looks have been front and center since 2002, and they are Brock solid!

Here's a 30-year-old version of the then 265-pound pro fighter back in 2008, posing at a UFC photo shoot in Minneapolis, Minnesota (left). Brock's 2008 season concluded with two wins, beating Randy Couture and Heath Herring, and one loss to Frank Mir.

"The Beast Incarnate" ... now 44 years old and 286 pounds ... recently shared a selfie of himself in the gym, working on his stacked physique, as he gears up for WrestleMania 38 (right). The current WWE Champion will be going up against Universal Champion Roman Reigns.

Brock-n-roll!

The question here is ...

Petra Ecclestone has withdrawn her request to change her kid's last name to hers and drop that of her ex-husband James Stunt ... but not before some angry filings from Stunt.

In Stunt's opposition docs, obtained by TMZ, he opposed the billionaire heiress' request in their bitter divorce to change their children's surnames from Stunt to Ecclestone.

In the docs, James argued it would not be in the kids' best interests to drop their father's name and replace it with their mother's ... claiming it would alienate him from his offspring.

What's more, James says he's concerned the Ecclestone name has been tarnished and could lead to danger for the kids ... pointing to reports their famous grandfather, Formula 1 racing honcho Bernie Ecclestone, recently defended Vladimir Putin as "honorable."

Clearly, for some reason, Petra had a change of heart, because she's dropped the request altogether ... but there's still a chance she could refile.

TMZ broke the story ... Petra filed legal docs trying to change their kids' names, claiming he's an "absentee father who is subject to regular negative media and tabloid articles and criminal investigation."

In his opposition, James says he recently found out Petra was already using Ecclestone for the kids without his permission, and before a court ruling ... claiming Petra recently displayed their daughter's name as Lavinia Ecclestone, instead of Lavinia Stunt, on birthday party flyers.

Somebody got you good on April Fools? There's no way it was worse than what Johnny Knoxville's prank did to WWE superstar Sami Zayn, who tells TMZ Sports the jokester's stunt last month caused his phone to ring nonstop!!!

The wrestler says that after Knoxville put his phone number on a plane for all of Los Angeles to read on March 11 -- he got nearly 300,000 text messages and more than 250,000 calls!!!

"I'm not making these numbers up," Zayn said. "That's insane. That's insane!"

Zayn tells us the phone number prank "ruined my life" -- and now, despite having big beef with Knoxville for a while, he's ready for the shenanigans to end.

Zayn -- who initially started a feud with Johnny when the comedian made an appearance in the WWE several months ago -- said he's going to beat Knoxville to a pulp when the two throw hands in an "anything goes" match at WrestleMania 38 at AT&T Stadium today.

"If you've enjoyed Jackass over the years," Zayn said, "and you've enjoyed watching Johnny Knoxville getting hurt, boy have I got something for you."

For Knoxville's part, he's insisted he's going to beat up Zayn so badly -- the wrestler is going to have to retire after the match.

Aaron Jones will now certainly never forget how he made it to the NFL -- 'cause the Packers star just got memories of his football journey tattooed right on the front of his leg!!

TMZ Sports has learned ... the 27-year-old hit up his go-to guy, Bobby Ortiz, in El Paso, Texas to get a new leg tat representing his high school football career, his college one (at UTEP) and his time in the NFL.

The ink was put on his left shin ... featuring his old Burges High mascot, El Paso mountains, and the 915 area code with a mariachi -- a hat tip to his time at UTEP.

The tat also includes the NFL logo and Jones' nickname, "Showtyme" ... which he also named the restaurant that he opened up last year in El Paso.

We're told Jones also got two other tattoos on his left and right thighs ... featuring the words "Relentless" and "Grit," which Ortiz tells us Jones wanted to always remember for motivational purposes.

Ortiz -- who's been tatting the Green Bay running back since he was 18 -- says he got the job done in two different sessions ... with each taking about two and a half hours to get done.

We're told the Pro Bowler -- who's UTEP's all-time leading rusher (4,114 yards) -- left some room on his shin so he can add another accolade down the road.

"He plans to add a Super Bowl trophy," Ortiz tells us, "when he wins it."

Aljamain Sterling says he'll employ a special move during his rematch with Petr Yan at UFC 273 ... the Will Smith slap!!

TMZ Sports talked to the 32-year-old UFC bantamweight champ about a week before his second fight with heated rival, 29-year-old Yan, the interim champ.

"I am a certified weapon right now, and ready for battle, and I can't wait to go out there and unleash these tools, and put a little beatdown on this guy that he's been deserving for well over a year at this point, and move on to the victim," Aljamain told us.

Of course, the men fought in March 2021 ... a fight that Aljo was losing, but ultimately won when Petr blasted Sterling with a blatantly illegal knee. But, because Aljamain was losing on the cards and fading in the fight, he's dealt with endless crap online, and as you'd expect, that's bothered the starfighter.

"That's the most frustrating part of this whole thing. It's not being able to compete to shut these guys up," Aljo said.

He even compared himself to a caged animal who isn't able to retaliate because he's chained ... but Sterling says the cage door opens at UFC 273.

"Those chains come free April 9 and I get an opportunity to finally put my hands on this guy, and it's gonna be so rewarding to see the shock in people's eyes when I'm out there and I finally get to put my hands on him and see who is really who."

Sterling, the champ, is a big underdog against Yan ... something Aljamain has taken notice of.

"I know the Vegas oddsmakers got me as a big underdog. This is what everyone wants to go out of their way to tell me. I don't give a s***, at the end of the day, I bet on me. And, I know that betting on me is right. I bet on me the last 6 times and I've won every single time," Sterling said.

Lastly, we asked Aljamain if he had a message for Yan ... and he dropped the A-list actor's name while threatening violence against Petr.

"When they lock that door he's gonna get 'Will Smith'd.' I can tell you that. He's gonna get Will Smith'd. And, after that, it's gonna be a lot worse than what Will did to Chris Rock. It's gonna be a beatdown."

The high school track runner who was punched by another athlete mid-race wants to press charges ... and he could even end up filing a lawsuit, TMZ Sports has learned.

As we previously reported, the Osceola County Sheriff's Office claimed neither side wanted to move forward with pressing charges after the incident.

But, the Florida Firm's Nathan Carter, attorney for the punched runner, says that's not the case.

"The family has read reports that the OCSD claims [my client] refused to press charges," Carter said in a statement. "This is false."

"The family of the victim did want to press charges for this vicious attack and assault caught on video and witnessed by hundreds of people. The OCSD deputy told the family that if [my client] pressed charges then he would also be arrested for battery."

"Only because of this threat did the family choose not to press charges."

Carter adds the runner suffered a concussion as a result of the incident ... and is "exploring civil remedies against all those responsible."

"If this event hired proper officials to help run this track meet, they could have prevented this," Carter added. "They could have prevented the CC athlete from standing on the track during the first turn. Or they could have moved the CC athlete after the first lap incident. Or they could have moved the CC athlete before the second lap incident. Or they could have stopped the CC athlete before he chased [my client] down and sucker-punched him."