TMZ Sports - Page 50

Conor McGregor clearly ain't too worried about his dangerous driving case in Ireland ... the UFC star was seen smiling ear-to-ear and talking fighting outside a Dublin courthouse following a hearing on the matter.

McGregor showed up to court early Thursday morning amid accusations that he drove dangerously in his pricey Bentley Continental GT on March 22 -- and he didn't seem all that concerned about the case after appearing before a judge.

The 33-year-old -- wearing a fitted suit, white shirt and tie -- smiled big for photogs who had camped outside the courthouse, and he even discussed a potential return to the Octagon with some of the photogs.

"Just straight back into training, my man," McGregor said when asked for a comment on the case.

"I'm looking forward to getting back into the Octagon."

McGregor also shot down a potential fight with Henry Cejudo, who he's been bickering with on social media, adding that he's looking to come back to the UFC and fight at 170 pounds.

As for his legal issues, the hearing on his case reportedly lasted just minutes.

Khamzat Chimaev says he knows why Kamaru Usman is helping prep former friend and training partner-turned-rival Gilbert Burns for their fight  ... 'cause the welterweight champ is "scared."

TMZ Sports talked to the 27-year-old undefeated fighter days before his huge UFC 273 scrap with 35-year-old Burns, the #2 ranked 170 pounder ... and we asked Borz why Usman was assisting with the training.

"I feel sorry for both those guys. I'm gonna smash the guy and punch his face and his best friend will be standing there in the corner and make him scared as well, ya know," Chimaev told us.

FWIW, Usman isn't cornering Burns. As he usually does, Vicente Luque -- Gilbert's best friend -- will be in his buddy's corner for the fight.

On Friday, we broke the story ... Usman, the top pound-for-pound mixed martial artist in the UFC, is helping Gilbert prepare for Khamzat. It was surprising because the Nigerian Nightmare and Burns had a bit of a falling out before they fought for the title in February 2021 ... a fight Kamaru won by TKO.

We asked the 10-0 fighter why he believed Usman was helping Burns ... and if it indicated Kamaru was rooting for Durinho.

"Of course 'cause he's afraid. They push him down under me, you know, because he's scared, that's why. That's why he wants to stop me before I come for him."

We asked Khamzat, currently ranked 11th in the division, if he believes a win would be enough to set him up for a title shot against Usman, who hasn't lost a fight in nearly a decade (Kamaru's won 19 straight!).

"Of course. The guy number two in the division that's why I smash him, what are they gonna do? After that, they have to fight me."

Even though he's ranked significantly lower than Gilbert (who BTW is one of the BADDEST men in the world), Khamzat is a significant betting favorite in their fight ... with bettors having to lay down over $500 to win $100.

Chimaev -- who has run through his previous 4 UFC opponents (just 1 took him to the 2nd round) -- his fight with Burns stands to be the toughest challenge he's faced in Dana White's organization.

Shockingly, Khamzat has only been hit 4 times in those 4 fights ... an incredible stat, but one with which Chimaev ain't concerned.

Floyd Mayweather ain’t done just yet … TBE is returning to the ring in May for an exhibition boxing match on a literal helicopter landing pad in Dubai, TMZ Sports has learned.

The 45-year-old undefeated fighter will take on "Dangerous" Don Moore -- 18-0-1, 12 KOs -- in an 8 round exhibition fight on May 14.

The event is being called "The Global Titans Fight Series" ... and FM's holding down the inaugural card.

And, Mayweather isn’t the only legend on the card.

46-year-old MMA G.O.A.T. Anderson Silva, who previously boxed pro fighter Julio Cesar Chavez Jr. in June 2021 ... a fight he (surprisingly to many people) won.

Spider also boxed Tito Ortiz last year ... where he knocked out the former UFC champ.

Silva is boxing Brazilian star Bruno Machado.

Former boxing champ Badou Jack (25-3-3, 15 K) is also on the card.

The location of the boxing matches is pretty awesome. The fighters will box outside on the Burj Al Arab Hotel, one of UAE's top hotels.

It'll be the first time Floyd returns to the ring since boxing YouTuber turned boxer Logan Paul on June 6. No winner was declared because the fight was an exhibition.

It's unclear if Floyd's fight with Moore will be judged.

Mike Krzyzewski is riding off into the sunset for real -- the Duke legend is shutting down any speculation he might return for one more season ... saying he's "done with coaching."

The Blue Devils' head coach of 42 years confirmed he is, in fact, retiring for good in an interview with ESPN U on Tuesday ... just one day after his former player, Jay Williams, stated he could see Coach K return in 2023 after key assistant Nolan Smith left for Louisville.

When Coach K was asked if he was going to "pull a Tom Brady" and come back ... he says it ain't happening, but went on to say he's flattered by the comparison to the 7-time Super Bowl champ.

"Wow, to even be put in the same room, maybe, that Brady would be in is an honor, but he still has talent that can be used at a really high level," Krzyzewski said.

"I'm done with the coaching part of it, but wow."

Coach K continued ... "I've been so lucky to be in [coaching] for 47 years -- almost five decades of coaching at either West Point or Duke, and then 11 years with U.S. How lucky can you be?? To be in that arena with two of the best institutions in the world and then to represent your country in the global arena its been an unbelievable honor."

Johnny Manziel and Kenzie Werner are clearly getting serious ... the two have now reached the stage of getting in make-out sessions while on hot arcade dates.

The new couple(???) hit up Dave & Buster's for a fun night out on Tuesday -- and in between air hockey and shooter games, the two cozied up in the place's photo booth.

In pics that Kenzie shared to her social media page, you can see Johnny and the model got REAL close for the camera -- kissing and hugging in each shot.

Manziel reposted the pics -- and even shared some video from the date night as well.

As we reported, the two have been inseparable over the last couple weeks ... hitting the beach, the clubs, the bars and more.

In fact, just a couple days ago, the two were spotted holding hands during broad daylight -- a pretty clear indication they're officially an item up at this point.

29-year-old Manziel seems to be embracing it all -- joking about the relationship in an Instagram caption last week, "So much for a sneaky link 🤷🏻‍♂️."

WWE legend Tammy Sytch allegedly caused a car crash last month in which a 75-year-old man died ... and police suspect she was under the influence of booze at the time of the wreck.

The Ormond Beach Police Dept. spelled out the allegations against Sytch in a new traffic crash report, obtained by TMZ Sports, saying the accident happened at around 8:28 PM on March 25 on U.S. Highway 1 in Volusia County.

According to the docs, Sytch was driving a 2012 Mercedes when she crashed into the rear of a 2013 Kia Sorento that had been stopped at a stoplight.

Police in the docs say the front of the Kia then crashed into the rear of a 2011 GMC Yukon that had also been stopped at the stoplight.

Cops say two witnesses said Sytch had been "driving at a high rate of speed" before hitting the Kia.

In the docs, officers say the driver of the Kia was transported to a nearby hospital, where he died from injuries suffered in the wreck. The officers say Sytch was also transported to the same hospital with unknown injuries.

In the docs, cops say the driver and the passengers in the Yukon complained of neck, back, side and head injuries -- but were not transported to the hospital.

Police say in the docs that they believed Sytch was under the influence of alcohol at the time of the crash. They added that a blood sample was taken -- though the results of that test are still pending.

In a statement to TMZ Sports, a spokesperson for the Ormond Beach Police Dept. said they are actively investigating the crash -- and said toxicology results could ultimately lead to criminal charges against Sytch.

"OBPD has requested an expedited timeframe on the processing of these samples," the spokesperson said, "and the results will be made available as soon as the department receives them."

Sytch has been accused of drinking and driving before -- she's been arrested at least six times for DWI, including back in 2019 in New Jersey.

Sytch -- who was elected into the WWE Hall of Fame in 2011 -- was also arrested earlier this year for allegedly threatening to kill a man with scissors.

A former Portland State University football player is currently behind bars ... after he turned himself in for allegedly murdering a 19-year-old female student.

The Portland Police Bureau says Amara Marluke was gunned down near the campus in Oregon on Monday ... and tragically, she passed away.

After an investigation, police identified the suspect as 20-year-old Keenan Harpole, a former running back for the PSU Vikings.

Harpole -- who last played for the PSU in 2021 -- turned himself in on Monday and was booked at the Multnomah County Detention Center for second-degree murder and unlawful use of a weapon.

During Harpole's arraignment on Tuesday, he entered a plea of not guilty.

PSU President Stephen Percy said in a statement on Tuesday that Marluke was an artist, activist and "vibrant member" of the Viking community and "her death is mourned by all of us."

"My heart breaks for Amara’s family," Percy said, "and for everyone who knew her. I offer my deepest sympathies. We will work together as a campus community to heal."

PSU professor Bright Alozie says Marluke was passionate about social justice and tells KOIN they will honor her with "commitment to equity, commitment to fighting injustice, commitment to inclusivity and diversity."

The 6'0", 190-pound Harpole was a redshirt RB in 2021 for PSU. During his senior year at Mountain View High School, he rushed for 1,615 yards and 24 touchdowns. He was named first team All-League.

Add Caitlyn Jenner to the list of family members Kim Kardashian's introduced to Pete Davidson ... bringing him to Malibu for an official face-to-face.

Caitlyn says she met Pete for the first time recently when she called up Kim to catch up ... which resulted in Pete and Kim making the trek up to Caitlyn's crib.

It's funny ... Caitlyn told the bros on the "Full Send" podcast she actually got in trouble for calling the 'SNL' star "Peter" as a way to be polite ... with Kim laughing and correcting her to keep it short and drop the "R."

Caitlyn says Pete came off as a "very nice guy" but the best part for her was how "Kim seemed so happy." Caitlyn says that's her top concern, so it sounds like Pete passed another family test.

As we first told you ... Pete's met Kim and Kanye's kids, tooling around Sunday afternoon with North West in a pink, electric MOKE car.

Mark Wahlberg is getting out of Beverly Hills -- his massive estate there just hit the market ... and he is going to turn a HUGE profit considering what he first paid for it way back when.

The actor has listed his BH compound -- which includes a main mega-mansion with 12 bedrooms and 20 baths, plus a separate guest house -- for a whopping $87.5 million ... he first bought the land in 2009 for $8.25 mil and spent years building the home.

Overall, it's 30,500 square feet of living space ... covered in European limestone.

No matter what amount Mark settles for, he's obviously coming up big in the black ... we're talking tens of millions of dollars based on nothing but good old-fashioned real estate appreciation. Not bad!

As for the property itself ... it's literally Los Angeles luxury defined. It's got a full-blown library/study room, a waterfall pool, a grotto, tennis court, basketball court, a private spa, a 5,000-bottle wine cellar, a fully-equipped gym, a movie screening room -- and even separate quarters for any hired help, plus a media entry space!

There are other amenities that you should see for yourself ... seriously, this place rocks.

Like we said ... Mark's been soaking in this palace for well over a decade. Now, he seems ready to move -- because it's for sale and up for grabs. Whoever the new owner will be is someone that's gotta have deep pockets ... because this purchase is no walk in the park.

The house is listed by mega-realtor Kurt Rappaport.

K-Pop superstar BamBam and the Warriors are teaming up once again -- this time, the GOT7 rapper released a merch collab with his favorite NBA squad ... and a huge group of Warriors fans gave up their Wednesday morning to get their hands on it!!

Remember, BamBam -- the Warriors' global ambassador this season -- helped GSW hooper Andrew Wiggins secure a spot in the All-Star Game in February ... calling on his millions of social media followers to vote for the 27-year-old forward.

BamBam's newest Dubs collab is proving to be just as successful ... with a long line forming outside the Chase Center team shop as fans try to snag the exclusive merch.

The shirts and hoodies feature a yellow, blue and red basketball being held up by the iconic K-Pop finger heart, as well as the BB logo and his favorite number -- 97.

There's also another design with BamBam's name, #97 and a ball going through a hoop.

The merch drop comes one day before BamBam's performance during halftime of the Dubs' matchup against the Los Angeles Lakers ... which is believed to be the first K-Pop performance in NBA history.

Steve Aoki's a great DJ -- but clearly a horrible Shaun White impressionist ... 'cause he comically failed at trying to hit a backflip on the slopes this week.

The 44-year-old posted video of his attempt at the difficult snowboarding trick on Tuesday -- and it's pretty hilarious.

In the footage, you can see Aoki in a blizzard hitting a ramp at full speed ... before launching himself into the air and slamming into the powder below him.

To his credit, he did get nearly all the way around -- but before he could land the trick, he pounded the snow hard.

"Still feeling this tbh," Aoki said of the failed stunt.

The DJ, though, seems to be pretty good on the board nonetheless -- and in a TikTok, he posted later Tuesday, you can see he's actually got at least some skills on the mountain.

Drake might be the most successful music act on the planet, but the dude can't buy a bucket against NBA star Kyle Lowry ... 'cause the Heat guard says he whopped his ass in one-on-one!!

Remember, the 2019 world champ accepted Drizzy's challenge to face off against each other in Miami back in January ... with footage showing the "Way 2 Sexy" rapper bricking a 3-pointer.

Lowry revealed more details about the pickup game in an interview with Complex this week ... saying the 6 God simply can't hang with his skills.

"Yeah, I beat his ass," Lowry said. "Yeah, no chance. Drake, don’t try me again, boy."

Lowry says Drake begs him to play ones every time they're in the same city ... despite the same outcome every time.

"As a competitor, you got to appreciate it," he added. "But yeah, he don’t want that smoke."

Lowry admits he thinks Drizzy has been working hard on his game ... and applauds his dedication to the craft.

"He’s gotten better, though. He's gotten better, man. I think he's working on his jump shot a lot, working on his handle a lot. I think really from the time I’ve first seen him to the time now, he’s gotten a lot better."

Magic Johnson is doing his best to douse any potential flames between LeBron James and Kareem Abdul-Jabbar ... telling TMZ Sports there's no real beef between the two NBA legends.

We spoke with Magic out in NYC Tuesday night ... and the Lakers great reassured us there's no need to sit down for mediation with LBJ and KAJ -- 'cause he trusts they'll hash it out.

"I think they'll work out," Johnson said. "They'll work out. It's not that big of a deal. They'll work it out."

Kareem recently criticized James for engaging in actions "beneath him" -- most notably when LBJ imitated Sam Cassell's infamous "big balls" dance earlier in the season -- saying that type of behavior was "embarrassing" for the 4x champion.

Abdul-Jabbar also took issue with James' reluctance to promote the COVID-19 vaccine. Although LeBron was vaccinated, he clearly wasn't comfortable pushing the vax on people.

In fact, LBJ used a popular Spider-Man meme that compared COVID and the flu.

"Help me out folks," James captioned the post.

It hasn't been all negative from Kareem. Cap has publicly praised James for his philanthropic efforts ... saying he "admires the things he's done," and that he has "deep admiration and respect" for the Lakers star.

KAJ has since apologized to LeBron, saying, "It wasn't my intention to criticize LeBron in any way. He has done so much for the Black community as well as for the game of basketball."

"We may not always agree, but I want to wholeheartedly apologize to LeBron and make it clear to him that I have tremendous respect for him. And if he can accept that, I'll be very happy."

Magic didn't say whether he spoke with James or Kareem, but sounds confident their relationship hasn't been fractured as a result of Kareem's remarks.

Hubert Davis is getting Kenny Smith's stamp of approval after his first year at North Carolina -- the former Tar Heels star tells TMZ Sports he's "super proud" of his team's new coach.

Davis and the 8-seed Tar Heels were 20 minutes away from cutting down the nets at the national championship game on Monday ... but the Kansas Jayhawks were able to come back from down 16 to win it all.

While the loss was crushing for UNC fans, pretty much nobody predicted the Heels would make it all the way to the title game ... and The Jet says he's thrilled with Roy Williams' replacement's success.

"I think from start to finish, his team improved the most in college basketball," the TNT analyst said on Tuesday. "Without question. Not even close. I don't think that any of us could have predicted that they'd be in the Final Four in his first year in the final game in the national championship."

"We're super proud of Hubert. I'm proud to be a Tar Heel today."

If Tiger Woods is somehow able to pull out a win at The Masters this weekend -- just 14 months after severely breaking his leg -- Al Michaels tells TMZ Sports the moment would be "the most amazing thing ever."

The play-by-play legend -- who's called some of the greatest sports events in history -- gushed over the possibility of a Tiger dub outside of Craig's on Tuesday night ... saying it would be huge.

"That'd be the coolest thing," the 77-year-old said.

In fact, Michaels seemed to believe it would have a legitimate chance to be arguably the top sports moment ever -- saying the win would be "up by the top" of the list.

As we reported, Tiger has committed to playing in this weekend's prestigious golf tournament ... as long as his injured leg doesn't hit a snag between now and tee time on Thursday.

And, when Woods was asked Tuesday about his chances in the tourney ... he said he thinks he can legitimately win it.

So, would it top "Do you believe in miracles?!" or "He did what?!"

Terrell Owens is officially back!

The 48-year-old wide receiver -- who hasn't played professional football in a decade -- has signed a contract with Fan Controlled Football (FCF), the NFL legend tells TMZ Sports.

"Playing football, I mean that's something that comes naturally. Something that I've been doing pretty much all of my life. To get on and get back on the field, obviously competitively play, I mean that's when I get my juices flowing," Owens says.

"At the end of the day, I'm not really worried about getting tackle, taking a hit, things of that nature, that's part of football."

If you aren't familiar with the FCF, it's an indoor pro league where fans literally control the game ... even picking the plays run on the field. The FCF has a bunch of celeb owners like Marshawn Lynch and Quavo.

Even though the Pro Football Hall of Famer hasn't played competitively in years, T.O. wanted to make it clear this isn't a football player coming out of retirement. 'cause he never quit the game.

"First and foremost, I know the headlines have been I'm 'coming out of retirement,' all this good stuff, but I never retired, number one. As I try to explain to a lot of people, what I'm doing playing Fan Controlled Football is no different than anything that I've been doing over the last five, six, seven, eight years, going out mentoring guys, running routes, helping guys, learn how to play the receiver position."

"Just giving them the little tools and kind of the blueprint of what made me the Hall of Famer that I am today."

Of course, Owens is one of the very best WR's in football history. He was a 6x Pro Bowler, and 5x First Team All-Pro. T.O. caught 1,078 passes for 15,934 yards. Terrell caught 153 touchdown passes over his 15 year NFL career.

Owens, highlighting the sometimes absurd personal nature of HOF voting, had to wait a year before being inducted into Canton.

Even though he hasn't caught a ball in the NFL since 2010, Terrell has openly expressed his desire (and what he believes is his ability) to still play in the National Football League, despite his age.

So, we asked T.O. if he was playing in the FCF as a way to prove to NFL front offices that he's no ordinary man standing on the doorstep of his 50s ... and could still help a team.

"Not necessarily. That's not my main objective, but at the end of the day, being who I am, I know there's gonna be some eyes," Owens answered, adding, "If it happens, it happens. But at the end of the day, like I said my main focus honestly is to have fun and like I said, getting paid a little bit."

Who will throw Terrell the football? It's unclear which team he'll suit up for, but there's a chance he could link up with fellow star and FCF player, Johnny Manziel.

We broke the story a few weeks back ... Johnny Football is returning for another FCF season, after playing last year.

Regardless of the team, Terrell's hyped for the opportunity.

"I get to do something and have fun and really mentor a lot of these guys while I'm doing it."