TMZ Sports - Page 50

Two famous Seattle ballers in Macklemore and Marshawn Lynch are now biz partners ... in a completely new field for both of them.

On Monday, the NHL announced the rapper and ex-NFL great are both minority owners of the NHL’s Seattle Kraken, the league's newest franchise.

Mack, a 4x Grammy Award winner, and Beast Mode, a Super Bowl champ and 5x Pro Bowler ... are almost getting in on the ground floor -- this is the Kraken's first season on the ice.

Team CEO Tod Leiweke admitted he was initially taken aback when the guys approached the team last summer, but their missions to uplift the Seattle community proved to be an invaluable addition to the organization.

Plus, Macklemore can always be a handy choice for pre or post game entertainment. The hometown hero says he has nostalgic ties to the team's arena.

Speaking of hometown, Macklemore will be using his association with the team to cross-brand with his Hip Hop-centric, youth development program, The Residency, to continue to foster kids in the area.

Paralympian Jen Lee's three Paralympic gold medals were stolen from his car over the weekend -- and JL asked for the public's help by sharing footage of the alleged thief in action.

And, it worked ... 'cause the medals have been found!

The incident happened Saturday when the U.S. hockey sled player says someone broke into his Tesla as it was parked in his San Antonio garage.

"First time for everything," Lee said via Instagram.

"Got my car broken into, and all my Paralympic gold medals stolen. Not 1, not two, but 🥇🥇🥇☹😭"

The 35-year-old athlete shared surveillance video of the alleged suspect in action -- and you can see a man in a black Levi's shirt, shorts and tan cap walk up to Lee's vehicle.

He then started breaking into the back passenger side window with the help of a tool that he used to break the glass.

Once it shattered, the man is seen running off with Lee's "USA" backpack that contained his three gold medals from the 2014, 2018 and 2022 Winter Paralympics.

Lee -- whose left leg was amputated (above the knee) after a motorcycle crash in 2009 -- was the starting goalie in this year's games.

"Just want to share this as I’m seeking for help," Lee said, "and see how I can get my gold medals back."

Well, great news ... the medals were found at a local fire dept. station.

"The Officers were able to confirm that the three gold medals were the same medals that had been stolen a day prior and were in immediate contact with the victim - Jen Lee," a San Antonio PD rep told us on Monday.

"It is unknown who dropped off the medals at the fire station."

Despite Jason receiving his medals, SAPD says they're still actively investigating the alleged theft.

Vanessa Bryant is remembering her late husband, Kobe, on their wedding anniversary, posting a throwback photo of the two with a heartfelt message on what would've marked their 21st year as a married couple.

On Monday, Vanessa shared a photo on her Instagram of her and Kobe from their younger days, paying homage to the love the two shared over the years.

"I love you forever, baby. Happy Anniversary @KobeBryant #21" she captioned the pic.

The Bryant's were married on April 18, 2001 ... so this would've been 21 years Kobe and Vanessa celebrated their matrimony.

It's been over two years since Kobe (along with eight other people including his daughter) tragically died in a helicopter crash in Calabasas, CA ... and Vanessa has been doing everything in her power to keep Mamba's name and legacy going.

She recently announced the longstanding partnership between Kobe and Nike -- which temporarily ended last year -- was repaired, paving the way for the release of the "Mambacita Sweet Sixteen" shoe under the Swoosh brand.

DJ Khaled better hit up Lil Baby (remember?) for some jump shot tips ASAP ... 'cause the rapper/producer hilariously airballed a 3-pointer during the Heat's playoff game on Sunday.

The "We The Best" star was on tap for the first game of Miami's 1st round series against the Hawks ... and decided to get in a "practice shot" during a break in the action.

In the video, you see Khaled take one dribble to gather his shot before launching a 3-pointer from the top of the key ... and, well, he misses everything.

In Khaled's defense, security was coming over to stop him from shooting, even going as far as to put a hand up to try and block the attempt.

So, the degree of difficulty was definitely there, but the airball wasn't even the funniest part ... 'cause security then booted the hip hop icon off the court in epic fashion.

Khaled, however, was a good sport about it all ... leaving the court and returning to his seat to enjoy the rest of the game.

On a recent episode of LeBron James' "The Shop," Khaled's close friend, Rick Ross, was asked what would happen if the two played one-on-one.

"I'd do em dirty," Ross said ... and judging from Khaled's airball, it's kind of hard not to agree with Rozay.

Moneybagg Yo kept his word to ice-out Ja Morant with a Bread Gang Chain ... and gave it to the Memphis Grizzlies star after Game 1 of the NBA Playoffs!

As we previously reported, the Memphis rapper and Morant have been cool since last season ... and Moneybagg Yo copped a diamond BGC chain last week for the NBA All-Star.

"Come get yo trophy" Moneybagg Yo said last week. "Proud of ya bra #Big12."

It seems Ja didn't have much time to go get his gift with the playoffs starting ... so Big Bagg pulled up.

You can see the "Time Today" rapper sitting courtside at the Timberwolves-Grizzlies game on Saturday at FedExForum ... and Yo gave Morant the BGC pendant right on the court after the game.

FYI, the Grizzlies actually lost after the T'Wolves beat them 130-117 ... and one fan questioned Moneybagg why he would still give Morant the new bling if he took a L.

"U have to except yo losses like u do yo winnings," the 30-year-old rapper said.

"Either way, it go he a champ to me. He been putting on for our city regardless."

The 22-year-old guard did go off in Game 1 with 32 points and the 2nd overall pick in the 2019 draft has led the Grizzlies to their second consecutive playoff appearance.

Kyrie Irving and Celtics fans are still beefin' ... the Nets star point guard gave double middle fingers behind his head to a group of fans who were heckling him during Sunday's game.

Celtics fans were all over Kyrie -- who spent two seasons with Boston before signing with the Nets -- trying to get him off his game ... and Kyrie seemingly had enough and responded.

In the short clip, you see Irving flip not one but two birdies behind his head as he stands along the baseline, waiting to receive the ball from the ref before inbounding the ball.

Of course, Irving's double bird drew a response from the crowd ... who was happy they finally got KI to respond.

After the game, Irving addressed the incident with the C's fans ... saying, "Where I'm from I'm used to all these antics and people being close nearby. It's nothing new when I come into this building what it's gone be like. But it's the same energy they have for me, I'm gonna have the same energy for them."

He continued ... "It's not every fan. I don't want to attack every Boston fan. When people start yelling p**** or bitch and f*** you and all this stuff, there's but so much you can take as competitor. We're the ones expected to be docile and be humble and take a humble approach. Nah, f*** that, it's the playoffs."

It's not the first time Kyrie's gotten into it with the Boston fans. You may recall, he compared C's fans to a "scorned girlfriend" after they chanted "Kyrie sucks" late in the fourth quarter of a game back in March.

"If somebody's going to call me out my name, I'm going to look them in they face and see if they bout it," Irving said on Sunday. "Most of the time they not."

And, it wasn't just the court where Kyrie was getting into it with the fans ... as he was walking to the locker room in the hallway, a fan can be heard saying "Kyrie you suck."

"Suck my d*** bitch," Irving quickly responded.

Despite the heated back-and-forth between Irving and C's nation ... Ky still dropped 39 points against a physical Boston defense.

Colin Kaepernick just wants to play football in the NFL ... even if it means signing on as a backup quarterback, saying "I just need that opportunity to walk through the door."

The 34-year-old QB sat down for a rare interview with former NFL stars Chad Johnson, Adam "Pacman" Jones, Brandon Marshall for an episode of "I AM ATHLETE" -- after a recent workout near the House of Athlete facility in Weston, FL -- where Colin discussed his desire to return to the NFL.

Marshall asked Kaepernick if he'd be willing to take a role similar to Carmelo Anthony in the NBA ... where the Future Hall of Famer signed for the veteran's minimum (about $2.6 million) to play a minimized role with the Los Angeles Lakers.

Colin's answer ... yes, as long as he starts when he proves he's the best person for the job.

"I know I have to find my way back in. So, if I have to come in as a backup, that's fine," Kaepernick told the guys.

"But that's not where I'm staying. And when I prove that I'm a starter, I want to be able to step on the field as such. I just need that opportunity to walk through the door."

Of course, Colin hasn't played in the NFL since 2016 ... where he started 11 games for the San Francisco 49ers.

Kaepernick has long accused the league of blackballing him for his kneeling protest, filing a lawsuit alleging the owners colluded against him ... in an effort to keep him out of the NFL.

In February 2019, Colin settled his lawsuit with the NFL.

If Jake and Logan Paul make the switch from boxing to MMA, they could go up against some of the biggest talent in the game -- so says Bellator CEO Scott Coker, who tells us they could fight some Top 10 guys in his promotion!!

Of course, Coker has previously said he's had ongoing dialogue with the internet superstars ... and when we spoke with him at a Bellator event at the Grammy Museum last week, he gave us an update on their status.

"We've had convos with [Logan] and Jake about, 'What does MMA mean to you guys,' and 'What do you guys wanna do?'" Coker told us. "There's ongoing dialogue, but if they wanna really get down and get serious, we'll bring them in. Sure, why not."

Coker says Jake and Logan are great athletes who are still learning and getting better ... adding he warned people of their potential.

"When they started boxing two years ago," Coker said, "I told people don't underestimate these guys, because they're gonna get better and better and better."

He continued ... "It's just a matter of them training and practicing. If they get into a gym like [American Kickboxing Academy] with Javier Mendez ... talk to me in a year, man."

Jake and Logan still have their fair share of haters as they continue to transition from social media stars to real fighters ... but Coker applauds the brothers' work ethic.

"I'm impressed with how much they've grown over the last two years, and if they have their mind made up, I think they can come get into it."

The Bellator boss says he wouldn't put the Paul bros. against a current champion or an experienced MMA fighter just yet ... but with enough training and hard work, he believes they could fight someone ranked in the top 10.

As for his message to the Paul Bros??

Harry and Meghan were all about the Invictus Games Saturday ... this after 2 years of delays.

The Prince and Dutchess were front and center at The Hague, Netherlands ... they were scheduled for 2020, but the pandemic put a stop to that. The thought was 2021 would work, but again, the COVID sidelined the plans.

They attended a soiree for the athletes Friday night, and then on Saturday enjoyed the Jaguar Land Rover Driving Challenge which was the roll-up to the opening ceremony.

You may recall ... H&M went official at the Invictus Games in Toronto back in 2017. Although she's a U.S. citizen, she was living in Toronto where she filmed "Suits."

Dana White says he's hoping to get Jon Jones back in the Octagon this summer ... telling TMZ Sports a fight against former heavyweight champ Stipe Miocic is an obvious move.

Bones hasn't fought since February 2020, when he beat Dominick Reyes via unanimous decision at UFC 247.

We talked to the UFC boss about the superstar's future recently ... and it sounds like this year's International Fight Week is going to be an absolute banger.

"Listen, people have been talking about how awesome this card is, and I was just telling somebody the other day our lineup for this summer is incredible," White said.

"I'm hoping that Jon Jones is gonna be a part of that lineup this summer."

We followed up and asked if this meant we could see Jon take on Francis Ngannou or Stipe Miocic ... and fans of the former champ out of Ohio are gonna be excited.

"Yeah, Stipe makes sense."

As for another UFC legend -- Conor McGregor -- Dana says he's not going to consider giving him a fight until he's 100% and cleared ... and that hasn't happened yet.

Super Bowl champion? Check. Hall of Fame career? Check. Wrestling match with The Rock? Coming soon???

Rob Gronkowski tells TMZ Sports if he ultimately makes a run in the WWE following his storied football career -- he wants to take on Dwayne Johnson!!!

Gronk broke it all down for his BFF Mojo ... saying if he got the chance to call the shots in the WWE, he'd book a match against The People's Champ.

Gronkowski said he'd prefer it to be a tag team match, 'cause he's still wet behind the ears in the squared circle ... but if for some reason The Rock wanted to join him instead of beat him -- he'd be up for that too!

"It would be pretty cool to have The Rock come back, and face The Rock," Gronkowski said, "or have him as my tag team partner."

Gronk has made appearances in the WWE before ... but he's yet to have a true match of his own.

As for why he wouldn't mind starting off that career with The Rock ... the NFL star said the guy is just one of his favorite wrestlers -- and he'd love to take a People's Elbow from the dude in front of a packed house.

It's been nearly four years since Cris Cyborg lost to Amanda Nunes ... but she STILL wants her revenge -- telling TMZ Sports she's still gunning for a rematch with The Lioness.

Cyborg initially lost to the UFC legend in December 2018 -- and she's clearly not over it ... explaining to us out at LAX that she'd love to get another crack.

The 36-year-old says she initially wanted to run things back right after the fight 3.5 years ago -- but wasn't able to make it happen.

Now, she tells us she's down to get it done in any way -- even if that means making the fight happen on their own.

In the meantime, Cyborg is set to square off with Arlene Blencowe at Bellator 279 on April 23 ... and she says she's excited to try to get the win even though she's already beaten Blencowe back in Oct. 2020.

As for how much longer Cyborg plans to fight ... she tells us she's still planning to be around for a while -- hoping to get three more years in.

Master P isn't giving up on his NBA coaching dreams just yet -- the rap legend tells TMZ Sports if Jeanie Buss hires him as the team's next head coach, he guarantees they'll win a championship.

Remember, P was campaigning to join the New Orleans Pelicans' staff last season ... even hiring an agent in an attempt to secure an interview.

The mogul didn't land the gig, but now that there's an open spot at the head of the Lakers' bench ... he wants owner, Jeanie Buss, to look his way.

"Bring me in, I can help get us some W's."

The rap icon said he's not used to seeing the Lakers like this -- having witnessed Hall of Fame players such as Magic Johnson and Kobe Bryant win 5 titles during their careers.

P says he has a plan to get the Purple and Gold back on track ... and it starts with bringing in Shaquille O' Neal to be one of his assistants.

"They need some alpha males over there," P said. "Cant get nothing bigger than me. If you want to win, bring me in."

"I'll bring some hell of assistant coaches with me. Shaq, John Lucas. I don't know if Shaq wants to do that, but if he do, we can take over. I can't see another team like that."

P knows his hoop -- the guy almost made an NBA team back in the '90s ... and has experience coaching Bulls star DeMar DeRozan at the AAU level.

Boxer Chris van Heerden is fighting undefeated rising star, Conor Benn, in the U.K. Saturday afternoon ... but the vet isn't content with being Benn's 21st victim, he's looking to shock the boxing world and emerge victorious.

TMZ Sports talked to 34-year-old van Heerden (28-2-1-1, 12 KO's) in Los Angeles days before he hopped on a plane and headed across the pond for one of the toughest matchups in his long career.

We asked Chris if he felt confident he'd beat Benn.

"Hell yeah, man. You know what, we're goin' to Manchester, I know we're going to a hostile crowd. I'm excited," Chris says.

"We're talking about 20,000 people in the AO Arena. I'm going to London with one thing on my mind and that's to get the victory. I want to upset him, you know? Conor Benn 20-0."

Benn -- who was born in London -- is only 25 years old. He's ranked 5th in the welterweight division. There's been talk of him being ready to take on the likes of Terence Crawford and Errol Spence. Conor is also the son of former champ, Nigel Benn.

In the week leading up to the fight, Conor has talked about being ready to face the top fighters in the division ... but Chris -- the first southpaw CB will fight -- believes Benn hasn't faced any tough competition thus far.

"Who has he fought? Who has he fought? He hasn't really fought anybody, but much respect. I've gotta task on my hands that I know I can successfully accomplish so we're going to bring the heat to the U.K."

How does he see himself getting his arm raised?

Leonardo DiCaprio, Saweetie and Doja Cat are among some of the big names who've secured entry to the biggest and most exclusive party during Coachella, TMZ has learned.

Neon Carnival is known as THE party of the weekend at Coachella, and our sources in the desert say Shailene Woodley is also on the guestlist for the event ... which goes down Saturday night into Sunday morning at the Desert International Horse Park. about 15 minutes outside the music festival grounds.

Doja's performing Sunday night at Coachella ... so, she probably won't be raging too hard, but Shailene's presence creates a little mystery -- will her man, NFL superstar Aaron Rodgers be raving with her at Coachella??? We're told it's unclear if the Green Bay Packers QB will be on hand, but what a sight that would be.

Paris Hilton's gonna be spinning some tunes in the virtual world ... and she's also hosting a virtual replica of the after-party experience, courtesy of the Metaverse.

The virtual experience, dubbed "Paris World," is for folks who don't have an actual ticket to the party ... or a big enough name to get on the guestlist ... and it will recreate what it feels like to actually be inside the velvet ropes. Futuristic stuff, for sure.

Neon Carnival, which is sponsored by Levi’s in association with Liquid I.V., is definitely the place to be for the first Coachella weekend since 2019, and another one of its sponsors is Don Julio tequila, so you can already hear the chants ... shots, shots, shots, shots!!!

Well, hell has officially frozen over and pigs are flying ... 'cause the long-standing feud between Oscar De La Hoya and Dana White could be coming to an end after the boxing legend told us he wanted to patch up his relationship with the UFC president.

TMZ Sports talked to De La Hoya and his girlfriend Holly Sonders outside the Christian Louboutin store in Beverly Hills ... when the conversation turned to Las Vegas, and eventually the UFC honcho.

"I wanna fix things up with Dana."

You probably know ... Dana and Oscar pretty much hate each other's guts. They've both gone back and forth, verbally eviscerating each other in the process.

"I criticized the UFC a bit and I was wrong for it but yeah, I would love to patch things up with Dana and Mayweather."

It's gotten personal -- very personal -- between the men over the years (search YouTube) ... but it's clear Oscar had a change of heart and wants to squash the beef.

ODLH says he's building a house with Holly in Sin City (which happens to be Dana's backyard, where he lives and runs the UFC ... and actually wants to work with White as business partners.

"I have some big plans for Vegas."

As for Floyd Mayweather ... TBE and Floyd previously fought each other in 2007, where Mayweather won by split decision. Mayweather Promotions and Golden Boy, Oscar's promotion, also worked together for years.

Question is ... after all the barb's back-and-forth, will Dana and/or Floyd be open to the peace talks??