TMZ Sports - Page 50

HBO's "Winning Time" hit the nail on the head (literally) when addressing Spencer Haywood's infamous self-circumcision ... 'cause the Hall of Famer tells TMZ Sports everything is 100% true!!

In case you haven't tuned in to last week's episode of the hit series about the Showtime Lakers, Haywood's teammates gossip about how he was known for, uh, taking matters into his own hands and putting a razor to his junk when he was a kid.

While some folks featured have criticized the validity of events on the show, we spoke with Haywood about Wood Harris' portrayal of his character ... and he says straight-up -- "It's the truth."

The 4-time All-Star says he has no issue with the show doing a deep dive into his life ... saying, "I'm fine with it because I'm fine with Wood Harris playing me in this role and he's a good person and a great actor."

"I'm okay with it and I did some bad s***."

Haywood -- who famously fought to allow players to jump straight to the NBA -- says he's come to terms with all he's done in the past ... he's 34 years sober and has a loving family and a podcast (rightfully titled The Spencer Haywood Rule).

The ex-hooper says he knows his life adventures make for great TV ... including the circumcision.

"Yeah, but let me explain it to you," Haywood says. "In this small town in Silver City in Mississippi, it ain't no silver and it ain't no city. It's population of like 370 people and you had no doctors, you had no anything, so my mother was doing it in a biblical standpoint that you gotta be circumcised."

Haywood says he had help from his brothers during the procedure ... and has a perfectly logical explanation for taking care of business himself.

"We did it to the hogs so why not do it to the humans? It's country!! It's country-folk!!"

While Haywood prides himself in the job he did, he admits he later went to a doctor to get it "cleaned up."

Dana White says he absolutely hated the sight of Jorge Masvidal allegedly attacking Colby Covington outside a restaurant in Miami ... but he tells TMZ Sports Chaos had it coming when he brought up Gamebred's family.

"Obviously, I don't condone guys getting into fights in the street and I hate everything about it," White tells us.

"But again, this is a business where I'm gonna fight you and there's a certain level of what I believe is man code where you don't talk about people's families, you don't talk bout the kids and you don't talk bout their wives."

White says Covington should've known Masvidal would (allegedly) come for Covington in the streets ... saying that's what happens when people cross the line.

"Especially with a guy like Jorge Masvidal. If you do that to Jorge Masvidal, you better watch yourself when you're coming out of restaurants."

Masvidal was arrested and hit with two felony charges -- aggravated battery with a mask and criminal mischief -- after allegedly punching Covington twice, breaking his tooth in the process.

Masvidal has pled not guilty to the charges ... and is due back in court for a hearing in the case later this month.

Oscar De La Hoya wants to sign Gervonta "Tank" Davis to Golden Boy -- if the boxing star is truly a free agent. And, his pitch?? Let's make big checks and big fights ... like one with Ryan Garcia!

"I'll sign him! Absolutely," De La Hoya told us this week in Beverly Hills, alongside GF Holly Sonders. "Then make him fight Ryan. Biggest fight in the last decade."

Of course, boxing fans have been wanting this lightweight battle for the longest time ... featuring two of the best and brightest young boxers in the world. Ryan and Tank have been rivals for years, and occasionally engage in some good ol' fashion trash talk.

But, the fight hasn't yet come to fruition ... in part, because Ryan was promoted by Oscar, and Tank, Floyd Mayweather (TBE and ODLH ain't exactly friends). But, now that Gervonta's contract with Mayweather Promotions is reportedly up, De La Hoya wants to lock up the undefeated knockout artist.

"I wouldn't mind making a three-fight deal with him just to make the Ryan fight happen," De La Hoya said.

"Tank, give me a call! Get a hold of me whenever you are free, if you are free."

ODLH added, "I respect Mayweather. Great career with Mayweather, he promoted you amazingly but if you're free, I'm here. Let's make the fight happen with Ryan Garcia."

And, along with the big fights would come big paychecks.

"We'll make him a lot of money. I've been in this business for 22 years, so I've promoted the biggest fighters, including Mayweather. So I'll get him a s***load of money."

Garcia is set to return to the ring against 32-1 Ghanaian boxer Emmanuel Tagoe on April 9 at the Alamodome in San Antonio.

It'll be King Ry's (21-0m 18 KOs) first bout since January 2021 ... and first return after taking a break to work on his mental health.

"Yeah, it's been 15 months, man, since he's been off so he's looking great," De La Hoya said.

"Hopefully, he'll knock out Tagoe and then we can go straight to Tank Davis."

We also asked De La Hoya if Garcia -- who signed with Golden Boy Promotions in Nov. 2016 -- is on the path to becoming one of the greatest Mexican fighters ever ... like himself and Canelo Alvarez.

Luke Rockhold has a message for Paulo Costa ... fight me, or stop running your mouth once-and-for-all -- and oh, stop being a bitch.

TMZ Sports talked to the 37-year-old former UFC champ at Churchill Boxing Club -- director Peter Berg's club -- in Santa Monica ... and we asked the MMA star about Costa's nonstop trash talk.

"July 2nd, international fight week. [A Costa fight is] what the UFC offered. I'm ready to sign the contract, you're making excuses. You're bitching about weight, you're bitching about the fight. Look, I'm right here," Rockhold says, adding, "Whatever the f*** you wanna do, come and step up. It should be an easy win, get yourself back in the limelight. Otherwise, you'd be a bitch running your mouth and walk away."

Of course, 30-year-old Costa, the #4 ranked UFC middleweight (though, he may have to move up to light heavyweight) has been trashing Luke, calling him everything from a guy with a fragile chin to "Luke RockOLD"

"If it's that fragile, come test it. Come and step up. I mean, [Costa] has no clout right now, he has nothing to stand on. He needs a win, he needs to get back in the favorite. He ain't in no f***ing contender ship,  f***in' fighting for the title."

"The motherf***er needs a fight, he needs a name and if he wants to f***in' do it, then let's do it. Otherwise, you're scared and you're a bitch and making excuses. I don't make excuses. I just come and fight."

FYI, Luke, who has beaten everyone from Chris Weidman to Michael Bisping, hasn't fought since losing to Jan Błachowicz in July 2019. It's not that Rockhold hasn't wanted to fight ... but he's dealt with several serious injuries.

But, now Luke is back, and ready to rock with Costa ... who has lost his last two fights (Marvin Vettori and Israel Adesanya).

He also weighed in on Khamzat Chimaev's meteoric rise to UFC stardom ... something Luke says he didn't necessarily deserve, 'cause he hasn't beaten anyone with a name.

"Who the f*** knows what Chimaev is capable of until he fights a real fighter?! He hasn't fought anybody either. I mean, he's talented for sure, but if he can withstand Gilbert [Burns] and get off his ass, get off his back, but I mean he's talkin' [205 lbs.], I mean c'mon. They offered you the fight versus me and you didn't take that fight so don't talk about 205 and [185 lbs.]."

Regardless, a fight with Khamzat would be down the line.

Dana White says Khamzat Chimaev will likely fight Colby Covington ... IF he can get past Gilbert Burns -- the #2 ranked contender -- at UFC 273 Saturday night.

The UFC honcho joined Babcock on the TMZ Sports TV show (airs weeknights on FS1) ... and was asked if Chimaev, the #11 ranked welterweight, would get a title shot against Kamaru Usman if he were to beat Burns.

The short answer is no ... but the fight fans can expect is equally as awesome.

"In a perfect world, you know, I have a fight coming up on ABC," White tells us, adding ... "If Khamzat Chimaev should win, I would love to do a fight with him and Colby."

Covington is coming off a win against former-best-friend-turned-enemy, Jorge Masvidal.

Obviously, a lot has to happen (agreeing to date, money, etc.) ... and beating Burns is a monumental task (Durinho's beaten Tyron Woodley and Stephen "Wonderboy" Thompson), but it'd be a massively popular matchup.

As for the actual fight between Khamzat and Gilbert, the excitement from fans is off the charts.

"Anything to do with Chimaev and Burns is outperforming the main or co-main by six to seven times. It's an interesting card."

FYI, the main and co-main events are both title fights ... featuring Alexander Volkanovski (C) vs. "The Korean Zombie" and Aljamain Sterling (C) vs. Petr Yan.

Chimaev hasn't lost a fight, ever (10-0 overall, 4-0 in the UFC) ... and has literally only been hit two times in four UFC fights. TWICE. Only one of the matches went past the first round.

But, Burns is the toughest test (though, Chimaev says it's MMA fighter Ikram Aliskerov) of his young career. Does Khamzat beat Burns and set himself up for a mega-fight with Covington ... and a possible title fight with Usman to follow?

Or, does Gilbert derail the very fast-moving hype train?

We find out Saturday night at UFC 273.

South Korean figure skating superstar Kim Ye-lim just took her talents to the grass ... pulling off an incredible spin during her first pitch at a baseball game!!

The 19-year old dropped the skating maneuver during the SSG Landers' home opener against KIA Tigers on Friday ... when she received the honor of the ceremonial toss.

You can see Ye-lim -- who just won the bronze medal at the 2022 Four Continents Skating Championship -- decked out in a Landers 'fit next to the mascot on the field as she preps for the throw.

But, before she shows off her arm, she leaps into the air for an amazing spiral spin ... just like she does at the skating rink!!

What makes it even more impressive -- besides the move being on grass vs. ice -- is that it didn't make her dizzy at all ... and she managed to throw a nice right-handed strike to the catcher.

The crowd and broadcasters were in complete awe and gave her a round of applause  ... which was well deserved, especially since there's a long list of awful first pitches by athletes/celebs who HAVEN'T done crazy stunts before their throw.

Megan Rapinoe clearly believes Dwayne Johnson jacked her fiancée's company's logo for his new XFL brand -- and now, she's demanding the actor changes it before lawyers get involved.

The soccer superstar explained her beef with The Rock on social media on Thursday -- just one day after Dwayne revealed his football org.'s new "X" logo -- saying she thinks his new logo looks a bit too much like Sue Bird's Togethxr's.

And, Rapinoe said if he doesn't change things quickly -- Bird's team will be sending over a cease and desist letter.

"Welp. This is awkward," Rapinoe said. "Only thing @TheRock and @XFL2023 are gonna be cookin up is a response to the Cease and Desist and an ENTIRE new brand ID. @togethxr got this on [lock] boys."

If you're unfamiliar, Bird and other star female athletes started Togethxr -- a company designed to promote equality in the media and highlight the achievement of women in sports -- several years ago, and used a unique "X" as part of their logo.

Rapinoe and Bird clearly believe The Rock's "X" logo too closely resembles Togethxr's -- and they made it apparent, they're not going to let it slide.

"Well," Bird said of The Rock's new design, "doesn’t this look familiar."

No word yet on if The Rock is aware of the two athletes' gripe, or if he has any plans to change the image going forward.

Jovan Vavic -- a former USC water polo coach -- was found guilty by a federal jury on Friday for his part in the "Varsity Blues" college admissions scandal ... the same bribery case that put Lori Loughlin and Mossimo Giannulli behind bars.

As we previously reported, Vavic, USC senior associate athletic director Dr. Donna Heinel, ex-USC women's head soccer coach Ali Khosroshahin and ex-assistant soccer coach Laura Janke were all indicted in 2019 for taking money from rich parents to get their kids admitted into prestigious schools.

Vavic was accused of getting two fake recruits into USC, taking $250k and getting other coaches involved in the "Operation Varsity Blues" scandal.

The 13-time national coach of the year was arrested on March 12, 2019 and charged with fraud and bribery -- the only coach to stand trial rather than taking a plea deal.

His trial began three years later ... and on Friday, the Boston federal jury found the 60-year-old guilty of conspiracy to commit mail, wire fraud and conspiracy to commit federal programs bribery.

We might as well start giving Tyreek Hill speeding tickets at this point -- the former Chiefs wideout dusted an entire women's flag football team this week ... and the whole thing was caught on video.

Hill -- who recently inked a 4-year, $120 million ($72.2 million is guaranteed) contract with the Dolphins -- is by far one of the fastest players in the NFL ... and has even called out Usain Bolt for a race.

"Cheetah" is living up to his rep ... 'cause he outran the entire Lady Warriors Flag Football team at Hebrew Academy Miami Beach Middle School.

In the wild clip, Hill waits for the entire squad to get as close as possible before he suddenly plants in the ground and makes a cut up the field -- and then it's off to the races.

At the end, Hill even slowed down to give the ladies a chance to catch up to him and pull his flags ... but no dice.

Now in fairness, Hill -- who ran a 4.29 40-yard dash when he participated in the NFL combine -- clearly has the wheels to beat pretty much anyone in a race ... so the Lady Warriors shouldn't hang their heads at all.

Ben Roethlisberger spent most of his career beating the Cincinnati Bengals -- but it turns out, The Tiger King is still a huge fan!!!

TMZ Sports has confirmed ... Joe Exotic has written a letter to Big Ben from prison, asking the Pittsburgh Steelers star for his autograph.

Exotic's lawyer, John M. Phillips, tells us the 59-year-old penned the note just recently.

In his letter, Exotic told the future Hall of Famer that he needed a signature from Ben so he could gift it to his stepson for a birthday present.

"I promised him an autographed jersey by you because he thinks you are the s*** and he holds you on a pretty big pedestal," said Joe, who's been in prison since 2019 after he allegedly tried to hire men to kill his rival, Carole Baskin.

"There is one on eBay, but I don't have the $600 to buy it for his birthday. My fans helped get everything else he wanted. I'm just missing your jersey."

Joe ended his note by pleading for Ben to honor his request -- saying, "Can you help a man out that is fighting for his own freedom? Every kid needs a hero and you are his!"

WWE Superstar Carmella and WWE commentator Corey Graves tied the knot, getting married in front of friends and fellow wrestling stars -- and the ceremony looked amazing!!

Carmella and Corey said their "I dos" together in Florida on Thursday ... after the couple got engaged last year.

Carmella shared a photo of her and Graves from the ceremony ... where she was wearing an all-white dress, while Corey rocked an all-black suit.

"The best day of my life," Carmella captioned the pic of her and Graves.

The lovebirds jumped the broom in front of a star-studded group including some of WWE and AEW's biggest names.

On tap to witness the matrimony was a slate of wrestling VIPs -- AEW star Jon Moxley and his wife, Renee Paquette, were there ... as well as WWE Superstars Natalya, Tamina, Bayley, Liv Morgan, Sonya Deville, and Happy Corbin.

In vintage Moxley fashion, "The Lunatic Fringe" showed up wearing an all-black get-up -- black leather jacket, black pants, black boots -- and a black Cincinnati Bengals shirt underneath it all.

Glad to see Jon dressed for the occasion. 😅

But, in all seriousness, the guests looked awesome, and everybody was all smiles as they celebrated the couple's momentous occasion.

Now, word is the couple is headed to Hawaii for their honeymoon.

Khloe Kardashian is in no mood for criticism on how she cares for her daughter, and she's now telling critics to worry about their own kids ... not hers.

Khloe was front and center at the premiere of the Kardashian's Hulu series Thursday, and she brought 3-year-old True along for the ride. Khloe was holding her kid for a time, and, of course, the Twitter mob dragged her because they felt the kid was too old to be held.

Khloe just responded ... "For the people who comment that I hold True too much… number 1 I'm gonna hold my baby until I can't hold her anymore."

She went on to say she had good reason to hold her daughter ... there was a flood of flashbulbs, lots of screaming and a crush of people all around her.

Khloe ended with a fair shot ... "Worry about your own children. We good over here".

Tom Segura is opening up on the awful injury he suffered while playing basketball in 2020 ... saying the damage was so bad, he couldn't even wipe his own ass.

The 42-year-old comedian ruined his arm and leg while attempting a dunk during a hoops sesh with fellow funny guy Bert Kreischer ... and if you haven't seen the video yet -- it's worse than you could ever imagine.

But, if you REALLY wanna check it out, click here -- but you've been warned. IT. IS. BAD!!!

In fact, Segura even needed a nerve transfer to help fix his arm ... after he already had pins and screws put in.

Segura joined Big Cat and PFT Commenter on Barstool Sports' "Pardon My Take" to break down the days following the incident ... saying he couldn't even feel his leg injury because his brain was focused on his arm.

"I was just like, 'Oh my God, my arm is so f***ed,'" Segura said. "And it was shattered. So I was just like, 'Goddammit.' And they were just giving me f***ing Dilaudid into my neck. I was like, 'Give me more!!'"

But, the severe pain medication -- along with a nerve blocker in his leg -- came with some crappy consequences ... and Segura gave every detail about the "assistance" he needed from nurses in order to go #2 at the hospital.

Yeah ... we're not going to put it into writing, but you can use your imagination or check out the clip.

However, Segura said he couldn't even wipe his tush on his own when he WAS able to take care of business ... and shared the hilarious reaction one nurse had when he found out what he was going to have to do to help out.

Devastating news for Cleveland Browns linebacker Jeremiah Owusu-Koramoah ... his older brother was tragically found dead by police on Tuesday inside of a Virginia home.

He was only 23 years old.

Hampton Police say officers responded to a 9:57 AM call on Tuesday about a deceased person at the 400 block of Lake Tower Drive (one hour east of Richmond, VA).

When authorities arrived on scene, they said they found a dead body inside the residence ... as well as evidence of a fire.

Police announced on Wednesday they ID'ed the victim as Jeremiah's brother, Joshua Emmanuel Owusu-Koramoah. Authorities added they are now investigating the death as a homicide.

22-year-old Jeremiah -- who is currently in Ghana hosting an NFL in Africa football camp -- played football at Bethel High School in Hampton with Joshua.

While Jeremiah ended up going to Notre Dame -- and becoming the Browns' 2nd-round pick in the 2021 draft -- Joshua played three seasons (2016-2018) as a reserve linebacker at William & Mary, where he majored in chemistry.

"Our sympathies are with the Owusu-Koramoah family," the W&M football team said in a statement on Wednesday.

"Joshua's loss will be felt by the many individuals in our athletics program and campus community whose lives he touched with his kindness and caring."

Joshua was a science teacher at Hampton Christian High School, according to his friend Drew Barker, who told the Daily Press he knew something was wrong earlier this week when Joshua stopped responding to his messages.

"It was automatically heartbreaking when he wasn’t answering phone calls, because he was the most punctual, respectful, humble and reliable person I know," Barker said.

"We tried to hold out hope as long as we could. When we found out it was him, it was demoralizing trying to figure out how this happened.”

Police say the homicide investigation is ongoing and "there is no additional information to release at this time."

RIP

British Cycling is now banning transgender athletes from participating in their races ... just a week after trans cyclist Emily Bridges was disqualified from the women's championship.

It's a bit surprising because British Cycling has a Transgender and Non-binary Participation Policy that seemingly allows trans cyclists to compete.

But, since the incident with Bridges -- when the Union Cycliste Internationale banned her from the April 2 race because she was registered as a male cyclist -- the board voted this week to suspend the policy.

"As a result of this, on Wednesday 6 April the British Cycling Board of Directors voted in favor of an immediate suspension of the current policy, pending a full review, which will be initiated in the coming weeks," BC said in a statement.

British Cycling says its initial policy is "unfair on all women riders and poses a challenge to the integrity of racing."

Bridges' mother was not happy when she received the ruling via email ... saying on Twitter, "Dumped by email."

"We've just received this in our inbox. We will be making a statement at some point during the next 24 hrs."

British Cycling says they will work "tirelessly" to make sure their new policy remains "free of hate, discrimination and abuse in all forms, and that we prioritize the welfare of riders, volunteers, event organizers, commissaries and others that our sport can’t continue without."

"As an organization, we remain committed to ensuring that transgender and non-binary people are welcomed, supported and celebrated in the cycling community, and the inclusion of these groups within non-competitive activities remains unaffected by the suspension."

Jamal Crawford missed some key shots over his amazing NBA career -- but none was more expensive than the one he bricked on the set of "Inside the NBA" on Thursday night ...

While shooting around on the show with Hall of Famers Shaquille O'Neal and Dwyane Wade ... the three-time Sixth Man of the Year accidentally broke a camera when his ball ricocheted off the rim and crashed into a pricey piece of equipment.

In video from the broadcast, you can see Crawford's ball hit the camera's lens head-on -- causing the glass to shatter everywhere.

D-Wade couldn't believe what he saw at the time of the accident ... and Shaq immediately pointed toward Crawford to tell on who was responsible for the damage.

Wade, though, joked Shaq shouldn't have done that -- yelling, "Snitches get stitches!"