TMZ Sports - Page 50

Maria Sharapova got the best birthday gift ever this year -- the tennis superstar just announced she's pregnant!!

35-year-old Sharapova broke the news on Tuesday ... sharing a pic of her in a bikini top and sweats -- showing off her growing baby bump.

"Precious beginnings!!! 🤍👼🏻," Maria said on Instagram. "Eating birthday cake for two has always been my specialty ☺️🐣🎂"

The 5-time Grand Slam champ is welcoming the baby with her fiancé, businessman Alexander Gilkes. The couple has been together since 2018 ... and got engaged back in 2020.

Sharapova's celebrity friends shared their excitement for the couple ... including sports broadcaster Erin Andrews, Lily Collins and more.

Sharapova became the #1-ranked tennis player in the world back in 2005 ... racking up more than 600 singles wins in her career. She announced her retirement in 2020.

This is Sharapova's first child. She was previously linked to NBAer Sasha Vujačić and tennis player Grigor Dimitrov.

Kendrick Lamar is a man of the people -- the rap superstar hit up the Dodger game and sat with fans in the stands on Tuesday ... just days after announcing his highly-anticipated album.

The pgLang rapper has been the talk of the town since revealing he's got a new project coming next month ... and despite all the hype surrounding him, Kendrick managed to show his supporters appreciation by mingling with them at the game.

Of course, K. Dot is rarely out in public and hardly has a social media presence ... so whenever he's seen out and about, it's always a big deal for fans.

The Dodgers' broadcast made sure to highlight Kendrick's surprise appearance ... showing him on the big screen in left field as the crowd cheered for the SoCal native.

Lamar has hit up Blue Heaven on Earth in the past -- in 2015, he threw out the ceremonial first pitch to Carl Crawford ... and it was a much better throw than some of the recent celebs who've been tapped to do the tradition (we're looking at you, 50 Cent, Conor McGregor, and Dr. Fauci).

It's been an exciting few months for Kendrick -- he performed during the Super Bowl LVI halftime show with Mary J. Blige, Dr. Dre, Snoop Dogg, and Eminem. As always, Lamar had the visuals and aesthetics on point and he performed two of his classics -- "m.A.A.d city" and "Alright."

Kendrick's next album is expected to be his last one with Top Dawg Entertainment -- the lyricist previously announced he was leaving the TDE label.

Jerry West is breaking his silence on his hot-tempered, booze-fueled depiction in the HBO hit series "Winning Time" ... calling the show a "baseless and malicious assault" on his character and demanding a retraction, an apology and damages.

The Logo -- played by actor Jason Clarke -- is portrayed as a raging alcoholic in the series ... and while a warning explicitly says the show is a dramatization of real events, West says it has caused serious anguish to his family, according to ESPN.

In fact -- West's so pissed about the show ... his attorney, Skip Miller, fired off a letter to HBO and producer Adam McKay accusing the show of acting with malice ... and claiming the warning does not protect the project from liability.

"Jerry West was an integral part of the Lakers and NBA's success," the letter read, according to ESPN.

"It is a travesty that HBO has knowingly demeaned him for shock value and the pursuit of ratings. As an act of common decency, HBO and the producers owe Jerry a public apology and at the very least should retract their baseless and defamatory portrayal of him."

The show is based off Jeff Pearlman's book, "Showtime: Magic, Kareem, Riley, and the Los Angeles Lakers Dynasty of the 1980s" ... but West's team says his scenes in the show did not appear in the book -- nor did they happen in real life.

Many members of the Lakers org. also backed West -- including Kareem Abdul-Jabbar, Mitch Kupchak and Michael Cooper ... who claim the fits of rage and binge drinking were entirely fabricated.

Quincy Isaiah -- who plays Magic Johnson -- defended the show to TMZ Sports recently ... saying it's meant to be entertainment and they meant no disrespect to the real people portrayed in the show.

Clarke previously raved about his experience on the show ... applauding producers and directors for giving actors the freedom to be as expressive as they'd like.

As for the real West, he's been hailed as a true professional and basketball genius ... even receiving the Presidential Medal of Freedom from Donald Trump in 2019.

Dwayne Haskins' panicked wife called cops the morning of the QB's death ... saying she was concerned for her husband after he had been stranded on the highway looking for gas before he stopped responding to her, new 911 audio reveals.

In the call, obtained by TMZ Sports, Kalabrya Haskins says she was calling from Pittsburgh, PA. roughly 10 minutes after she had spoken to Dwayne on the phone in the early hours of April 9.

Kalabrya told the dispatch officer that Dwayne had called her from the side of the road near I-95 in Broward County, FL. ... claiming his car had left him stranded, and he was walking to try to find gas.

In the audio, Kalabyra can be heard saying, "He said he was going to call me back after he finished putting the gas in," but she says he never called back.

"I kept calling and kept calling," Kalabyra told the dispatch officer. "He wasn't answering. Eventually, after 10 minutes of calling the phone, eventually it cut off. It's not working now. I had his location. I just want somebody to go in the area and see if his car is there and if he's OK and if anything happened to him."

A short time later ... the officer told Kalabrya, "I don't want you to panic, but I'm going to be honest with you. We do have an incident on the highway -- but I can't confirm if that's your husband or not."

In a separate 911 call, a witness can be heard telling a dispatch officer, "There was a man hit in front of me. I was travelling on the road and I saw a dump truck hit the man."

As we reported, Dwayne was killed after he was struck by a dump truck while walking on the highway in Florida. Cops have not released further details surrounding the incident, saying an investigation is ongoing.

Devin Booker turned the toughest shot in the Suns' playoff game Tuesday night into the cutest ... dapping up a baby to celebrate a wild make!!!

The Phoenix star's adorable interaction with the courtside toddler happened after he drilled a stepback jumper to end the first quarter of the Suns vs. Pelicans game.

Booker dribbled to get some space and knocked down a 2-pointer before the buzzer sounded ... and then he fist bumped a toddler!

The scene was super sweet, Booker was gentle with the baby's little knuckles -- and, his own girlfriend, Kendall Jenner, appeared to love it all too!!

KJ posted video of her view of the play on IG -- seemingly enjoying every second of it.

Unfortunately for Booker ... his night took a turn for the worse about two quarters later -- because in the third, he injured his hamstring and couldn't return to action.

The Suns went on to lose without the star, 125-114 ... and there's now big concern in Phoenix about his availability for the rest of the playoffs.

Amir Khan is providing a blow-by-blow of the terrifying moment thieves stuck guns in his face and stole his luxury watch -- while his wife watched from just feet away -- telling TMZ Sports "it's the first time I ever had a gun literally pointed at my face."

We talked to the 35-year-old former boxing champion a day after his night out on the town with wife Faryal Makhdoom nearly turned deadly ... and asked the former boxing champion about the life-altering experience.

"In the UK, I mean the law is quite strong where hardly anyone, even the police, don't really carry guns," Amir explained, exasperated.

"So, it was quite shocking to see a gun pointed at me. And you could see that they were young. They seemed a bit nervous, and he kept saying to me, 'take off your watch.'"

We asked Amir, who had just finished eating in a restaurant about 45 minutes outside of London, if he believed the lick was somehow an inside job.

"Yeah, definitely. Obviously, I was in a restaurant taking pictures with a lot of people. I've never said no for a picture whenever someone wants to come for a picture," Khan said, explaining someone may have spotted the wristwatch and knew it was worth a pretty penny.

"Someone must've recognized that watch. I was wearing a really expensive watch which is worth like maybe $100,000. I think that news must've traveled a little bit. So, I do think that somehow it was set up. Maybe the news just went to the wrong people, and they knew I had a watch there."

We asked Khan -- who has some of the most dangerous hands in the world -- if he considered launching a counter-ambush and attempting to disarm the thieves.

Amir says the thought crossed his mind.

"I'm a fighter. There was a time I thought, he had the pistol and I can just move the pistol to the side and hit him. I know I would've hurt the guy."

But, he felt with two gunmen, and Faryal only feet away, the risk was too high.

"The only thing that stopped me was having my wife not far from me, behind me. Even if he shot the gun and even if it didn't hit me, it could've hit someone else."

After the robbery, Amir, as you'd expect, called the cops ... who immediately launched an investigation. We asked him if the police had any leads or suspects.

"The last time I spoke to them was obviously after the interview I had and they said that they saw where the car went, and they've got the car in that radius -- they've got the cameras around that car."

So far, Khan hasn't heard of any arrests that have been made.

Perhaps the saddest part about the story ... Amir, who grew up in Manchester, says he no longer feels secure in one of the world's most popular cities.

"I don't feel safe. I'm in the city London which is obviously a very well known town and everyone loves London. Now, after I was robbed, you start hearing all the stories or you start reading up on all the robberies that have happened. I mean, it's quite regularly happening," Khan says.

Revolve Festival was a nightmare for a ton of influencers ... and social media star Olivia "Livvy" Dunne was no exception -- the LSU gymnast says someone made off with her phone!!

Of course, the complaints piled in about the super-exclusive bash during Weekend 1 of Coachella ... with folks claiming they were stranded in the heat at shuttle stops without water or any other way to make it to the venue.

Dunne says her experience wasn't all gravy, either ... sharing a pic in a pink outfit while breaking the bad news.

"To the person who pick-pocketed my phone, thanks I needed an upgrade anyways:) #revolvefestival," Dunne said on Instagram.

The awful turn of events didn't completely ruin Dunne's time, though ... as she posted a TikTok from 'Chella in front of the iconic Ferris wheel.

Dunne is one of the best gymnasts in the country ... and was a Women's Collegiate Gymnastics Association All-American in 2021.

On top of being an incredible athlete, Dunne also has a massive social media audience ... with 5.2 million followers on TikTok and another 1.7 million on Instagram.

The presence has helped her rake in a ton of dough ... as Dunne has earned more than $1 million in name, image and likeness deals.

MLB star Starling Marte wanted the #6 so badly with his new Mets squad ... his teammate, Jeff McNeil, said the outfielder gave up a pricey watch for it!

McNeil explained the trade to MLB.com writer Anthony DiComo prior to New York's game against the San Francisco Giants on Tuesday ... saying after he gave away his NY #6 to Marte before the year, Starling returned the favor recently by getting him a Rolex.

McNeil had worn the number since 2019, but switched to #1 after making the deal with Marte, who signed with the Mets this offseason after playing for Oakland and Miami last year.

As for if it was worth it ... McNeil told DiComo, while grinning, that the watch was very nice.

No word on what the timepiece cost ... but most Rolexes come with a hefty four-, five- or even 6-figure price tag.

Of course, Marte signed a 4-year, $78 million contract with the Mets ... so he could certainly afford it.

Trades like these happen fairly often in sports -- but sometimes they can end up disastrous ... you'll recall, Clinton Portis and his former teammate Ifeanyi Ohalete got in such a dispute over payment for a jersey number back in the day that they actually ended up in civil court over it all.

Doesn't seem the Marte/McNeil swap has any shot of reaching that point ... especially 'cause both dudes are off to great starts this season in their new threads.

Shaquille O'Neal is opening up about his divorce with Shaunie O'Neal, not only taking blame for the split, but also acknowledging the loneliness that followed when his then-estranged wife and kids left their family home.

The 50-year-old Hall of Famer joined "The Pivot Podcast" with Ryan Clark, Channing Crowder and Fred Taylor this week ... and got real about the breakdown in his relationship.

"I had the perfect situation," Shaq plainly told the guys.

"Wife was finer than a mug. Kept giving me babies, still finer than a mug -- I had it all."

The hoops legend and Shaunie got married in 2002 -- in the midst of Shaq's dominant NBA reign -- and had four children together ... Shareef, Amirah, Shaqir and Me'arah.

Unfortunately, the two separated in 2007 ... before almost immediately reconciling. However, despite getting back together for some time, Shaunie filed for divorce in 2009, citing "irreconcilable differences."

The divorce was finalized in 2011.

And, Shaq isn't trying to place blame elsewhere ... he plainly says he was at fault.

"I don't make excuses. I know I messed up."

Shaquille last played in the NBA during the 2010-2011 season ... so he had a lot of free time on his hands, and he admits he was lonely.

"I was lost. 76,000 square-foot house by yourself. Lost."

O'Neal says his divorce from the "Basketball Wives" star and executive producer -- who's currently engaged to fiancée Keion Henderson -- is one of the three big regrets that continues to linger in his mind.

The other two ... the strained relationships he had with Kobe Bryant and Penny Hardaway.

"Big mistake in the Penny relationship. Big mistake in the Kobe relationship," Shaq said.

Cristiano Ronaldo will not play in Manchester United's game against Liverpool on Tuesday ... his soccer club just announced the star is sitting out while he mourns the tragic death of his newborn son.

Man U officially ruled Ronaldo out early Tuesday morning ... saying in a statement, "Family is more important than everything and Ronaldo is supporting his loved ones at this immensely difficult time."

Manchester United is set to kick off its game in Anfield at 12 PM.

As we reported, Ronaldo and his partner, Georgina Rodriguez, announced Monday their baby son passed away. In a statement, they said "it is the greatest pain that any parents can feel."

Ronaldo and Rodriguez -- who announced back in December they were expecting a twin boy and a twin girl -- added that the birth of their daughter "gives us the strength to live this moment with some hope and happiness."

Fans, teammates, celebs and more have poured out support for the soccer player and Rodriguez since the announcement.

It's unknown when Ronaldo will return to the pitch next ... but it's clear his team is going to give him all the time he needs.

"Cristiano," Man U said in its statement Tuesday, "we are all thinking of you and sending strength to the family."

Kyrie Irving's middle fingers and potty mouth just cost him some serious coin ... the NBA announced it has fined the Nets superstar for flipping off Celtics fans as well as cussin' at some of them at Sunday's playoff game.

The NBA released a statement Tuesday saying the Nets guard has been docked $50K for "making obscene gestures on the playing court and directing profane language toward the spectator stands."

Of course, the gestures the league is referring to came when Irving flashed his middle fingers behind his head while standing in front of a group of Celtics fans who were trolling him.

The other incident occurred when Kyrie was walking in the hallway at TD Garden and a fan shouted, "Kyrie, you suck." Irving responded by yelling, "Suck my d*** bitch."

Unfortunately for Kyrie, this isn't the first time the NBA has come down on him. Earlier this year, KI was hit with a $25,000 fine after he clapped back at a fan in Cleveland who was giving him a hard time.

Irving's relationship with Celtics fans has been contentious ever since he left the team to sign with the Nets ... and Cs fans make sure to let him know they feel whenever he steps foot in TD Garden.

Aaliyah Gayles -- USC basketball recruit and no. 8 ranked player in the 2022 class -- was reportedly shot multiple times after gunshots rang out at a house party this weekend in Las Vegas.

The incident occurred around 11:15 PM in North Las Vegas on Saturday according to the Las Vegas Review-Journal. The paper reports 4 people were hit, including the 18-year-old hoops star ... who had two emergency surgeries Sunday morning.

Details surrounding the shooting are currently unclear.

Her father, Dwight, went to social media to ask for prayers for his daughter, writing, "I know there is some that will say it's my fault and I take full responsibility for it but please please keep my baby girl in your prayers Las Vegas."

"I will give everyone that support Aaliyah an update but she's ok she go make it like always thank you all 💔 true warrior."

Gayles is a McDonald All-American from Spring Valley High School -- the first Vegas player  to make the exclusive squad since 2010.

The 5-foot-9 guard averaged 13.8 points, 4.9 rebounds, 3/.5 steals and 3.3 assists per game this past season and led the Grizzlies to the Class 5A state tournament.

Gayles is ranked #8 in ESPN's class of 2022 ... and committed to USC last August.

"Aaliyah is one of the strongest, most resilient young people I have ever known," USC head coach Lindsay Gottlieb said in a statement to ESPN.

"I have no doubt she will continue to face this unfathomable situation with courage and resolve. We will continue to support her and her parents in every way that we possibly can."

Speedy recovery, Aaliyah!

Despite reportedly being a person of interest in a murder investigation, Cowboys cornerback Kelvin Joseph did work out with the team on Monday and is participating in Dallas' offseason program.

Cowboys Executive Vice President Stephen Jones confirmed that Joseph was with the team to begin this week ... saying on 105.3 The Fan that Joseph will be in and around Dallas' facility as police continue to investigate a March 18 murder.

"We're waiting to get all of the information," Jones said. "But, in the meantime, he was here yesterday, participating in the offseason program."

Jones added he and the team were "not going to comment further on any of the details at this point."

According to Yahoo Sports, police interviewed Joseph after they believed he was seen on video near where a 20-year-old man died in a shooting on March 18.

Cops say the victim was killed after people in a black SUV shot at him following an altercation in a nearby street.

Joseph's attorney, Barry Sorrels, said last week that Joseph was a passenger in the car in which the gunshots came from ... though he said Joseph did not pull the trigger.

Cops say they arrested 28-year-old Aries Jones and 21-year-old Tivione English over the weekend in connection with the homicide -- but they have yet to confirm or deny if Joseph is in the clear or not.

The Cowboys said in a statement last week that they were aware of Joseph's "possible connection" to the incident ... and said they were cooperating with authorities.

Jones added in his interview Tuesday, "We're obviously getting a lot of details here. But, that's all we're going to say at this point."

Kareem-Abdul Jabbar isn't holding back his feelings on the HBO series "Winning Time: The Rise of the Lakers Dynasty" ... saying the whole production violates a cardinal sin -- it's boring!!

The Lakers legend went to town on the show -- which has garnered strong reactions (both good and bad) over its characters' portrayal of the Lakers players from the 80s --  in a lengthy blog post, accusing the series of being "drearily dull."

"There is only one immutable sin in writing: Don’t Be Boring! 'Winning Time' commits that sin over and over," Kareem wrote.

KAJ prefaced his comments by saying his opinion has nothing to do with his portrayal on the show ... and that although the show attempts to retell actual stories, he's not "a stickler" for everything being factual.

Kareem, however, went on to lament how some of the characters being portrayed in the production -- including Jerry Buss, Jerry West, Magic Johnson and Cap himself -- are depicted, saying they are presented as caricatures of themselves instead of as real people.

"Jerry Buss is Egomaniac Entrepreneur, Jerry West is Crazed Coach, Magic Johnson is Sexual Simpleton, I’m Pompous Prick," KAJ wrote.

"Amusement park portraits that emphasize one physical feature to amplify your appearance—but never touching the essence," he added.

Kareem says his issue with WT was never enough to amount to outrage, but he admits it never held his interest. Instead, Kareem says the filmmakers "replaced solid facts with flimsy cardboard fictions that don't go deeper and offer no revealing insights."

Of course, Abdul-Jabbar isn't the only Laker great to take issue with the show. Magic told us a few weeks back he was "not looking forward to [the show]" when we saw him out in Los Angeles.

Actor Quincy Isaiah -- the man playing Magic -- recently defended the project, saying his intention wasn't to disrespect any of the Lakers icons, and he hopes guys like Johnson and Abdul-Jabbar recognize it's just storytelling.

But, after reading Kareem's post, it doesn't sound like he'll be tuning in much longer ... if at all.

Formula 1 superstar Charles Leclerc reportedly had his $320,000 Richard Mille watch snatched right from his wrist during a photo op with fans in Italy ... but thankfully, the driver was allegedly unharmed.

Leclerc -- who's off to an incredible 2022 for Ferrari and sitting atop the driver standings -- was with his friends and trainer, Andrea Ferrari, in Viareggio on Monday when the incident happened, according to the report.

Motorsport.com says the 24-year-old was walking around Via Salvatori at 10 PM when he was recognized by fans, who asked for a pic.

After posing for a shot with the group, Leclerc realized his watch was taken ... and reported it to police.

Andrea went to social media shortly after the alleged theft to complain about the area being poorly lit ... calling for the street lamps to get fixed.

Of course, Leclerc has had a partnership with RM for years ... and even has his own signature watch. On top of that, Richard Mille became an official sponsor for Leclerc's Ferrari team ... so it won't be too hard to get a replacement.

Leclerc is in Italy for the Emilia Romagna Grand Prix ... which is set to go down on Sunday.

Scary situation ... but the guy was back to meeting with fans just hours later -- posing for pics, although it's unclear if he was wearing any extra jewelry.

We've reached out to Ferrari for comment ... so far, no word back.

Scary moment for boxer Amir Khan ... the former champ says he was robbed at gunpoint on Monday night while walking with his wife, Faryal Makhdoom, after dinner in East London.

And, the alleged suspects were caught on video!

Khan spoke about the terrifying incident on social media ... saying two men approached him as he was walking across the street with Faryal in Leyton -- a town about 45 minutes east of London.

"I crossed the road with Faryal, luckily she was few steps behind me," Khan said, "2 men ran to me, one holding a gun from afar and one had the gun pointing to my head asking for my watch."

"The main thing is we’re both safe."

Faryal -- who married Khan in 2013 -- shared footage of the alleged suspects on Tuesday ... highlighting two men getting out of a car, saying, "they knew exactly what time we walked out."

"Seems like a set up to me. Considering we didn't even post where we were."

Faryal also posted the Franck Muller watch they say was stolen -- along with the serial number -- "incase it goes around we can find out who's done this."

If you're not familiar with Franck Muller watches ... they're a Swiss luxury watchmaker. Their timepieces can range from anywhere between a few grand to upwards of $100k and beyond.

As you'd expect, Khan is pissed off over the alleged robbery ... saying he couldn't sleep in an Instagram video, but is ultimately just happy he and his wife are okay.

"I was a bit mad," Khan said, adding ... "Glad everyone was safe. I'm all good, me and the wife."