TMZ Sports - Page 50

LaMelo Ball's game is smooth on the court, and he might be trying to get your skin to feel the same -- the NBA star's team just filed a trademark for his very own skincare line.

TMZ Sports has learned ... LaMelo's manager, Jermaine Jackson, filed papers last week to trademark the phrase "LaFrance Skin By LaMelo Ball" for the purpose of "Skincare products, namely, non-medicated skin serum."

The filing was made under the name "Purple Goat Management" ... which is a nod to the nickname JJ gave himself.

Now, Melo is no stranger to off-court ventures -- as we previously reported, Ball recently launched his own LaFrance clothing line and luxury watch collection.

The clothes ($120 for a premium hoodie) and watch ($15k for a top-tier version) come with a hefty price tag ... so we're guessing the new skin products won't be cheap.

LaMelo averaged over 20 points a game this season ... and blossomed into one of the top young talents in the game.

If he becomes the face of the NBA, the league will be in good hands.

Silky smooth hands, that is.

Buffalo Bills offensive lineman Spencer Brown had a wild experience at the airport Tuesday ... saying a pissed-off passenger unhatched his plane's emergency inflatable slide and escaped on it before take-off!

The 24-year-old football player described the chaos in a series of tweets ... explaining a woman was so angry about something on the plane at the Buffalo Niagara International Airport, she deployed an emergency slide to get off.

"Sitting on a plane," Brown said, describing the scene. "A lady is pissed. Lady pulls the emergency inflatable slide to escape the plane. Lady is running wild through the tarmac currently."

Brown shared a photo of the mayhem from his window seat -- showing the slide sticking out from the side of the plane.

Someone in Brown's comments was also at the airport at the time of the incident and shared their own pic of the plane -- showing the slide and law enforcement on scene.

"Cops have arrived," Brown continued in his description of the scene. "Flight ruined."

American Airlines confirmed the incident to TMZ Sports ... telling us the flight was taken out of service after the "disruptive customer opened the main boarding door, which deployed the emergency slide, and exited the aircraft onto the ramp."

AA officials added, "The individual was quickly apprehended by local law enforcement and has been placed on American’s internal refuse list pending further investigation."

The flight, according to officials, was scheduled to take off for Chicago O'Hare International Airport. They said the passengers onboard were placed on alternate flights.

Despite the travel mishap, Brown -- a 3rd-round in the 2021 NFL Draft -- had a sense of humor about it ... saying, "Memories made. Noice 👍🏻"

Dwayne Haskins' body was hit by two vehicles in the accident that took his life earlier this month ... a crash report, obtained by TMZ Sports, reveals.

In the Florida Highway Patrol documents, investigators say after Haskins was struck by a dump truck in the middle of a Broward County highway in the early morning hours of April 9 -- a Subaru Outback also "partially" hit Haskins' body.

Officials released a diagram of the crash -- showing what they believe were the two points in which the vehicles struck the Pittsburgh Steelers quarterback (labeled as NM01 in the image).

In the docs, investigators say a witness told them a third vehicle may have been involved as well.

Officials say Haskins succumbed to his injuries on the scene and was pronounced dead just minutes after being struck.

Investigators say both drivers came to a stop shortly after hitting the football player. They also noted in the docs neither driver was tested for alcohol nor drugs.

Officials in the documents did not reveal why they believed Haskins was walking along the busy highway before being hit -- a final Traffic Homicide Investigation is still pending.

As we reported, Kalabrya Haskins said in a 911 call that Dwayne had said he was on foot in search of gas after his car had stranded him. She said in the frantic call, "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."

Antonio Brown didn't shy away from his Bucs blowup on his new rap album ... in fact, the NFL player dropped multiple bars about his famous Tampa Bay exit on several tracks.

AB posted the album -- called "Paradigm" -- on Wednesday morning ... and in two songs, he referenced his Jan. 2 shirtless tirade at MetLife Stadium.

In the songs "Business Boomin" and "Put That S*** On" ... he rapped about the way he quit on his team during the Bucs vs. Jets tilt.

"Sorry, ran up off the field," AB sang in the "Business Boomin" track. "I’m boomin'. Gotta get my money. I'm boomin'."

"Walk out your bitch life like I walked off the field or something," he sang in the "Put That S*** On" track. "AB, why you make the G.O.A.T retire? What's your deal or something."

DaBaby -- who's featured on the "Business Boomin" song -- also brought up the incident ... rapping at one point, "I throw off my shirt like AB, I don't wanna play for your team."

Brown also poked fun at his infamous failed trade to the Buffalo Bills in 2019 ... rapping in "Put That S*** On" ... "Buffalo skin on my coat, she think I play for the Bills or something."

Overall, the album shows the receiver is serious about the craft ... and has some dope features Fivio Foreign, Young Thug, Jacquees and Keyshia Cole, who did a music video with AB for "Don't Leave".

Of course, Kanye West might've been a major influence on this project ... especially since the award-winning rapper/producer has been spotted with AB in the studio numerous of times.

Scott Disick is keeping his ex's-enemies close -- chatting poolside with Larsa Pippen -- who had a major falling out with the famous family.

We got pics of Kourtney's ex having an animated convo with Pippen at the Setai Hotel in Miami, while Larsa dropped in for David Einhorn's birthday. Not totally surprising, Larsa calls Miami home, and Einhorn owns Papi Steak, so it's possible she and Scott just happened to be same place same time thanks to mutual friends.

One source says the two spent several hours chatting it up.

As you know, Larsa's falling out with Kim created a rift between her and the Kardashian clan ... Larsa's talked about it on "The Real Housewives of Miami," saying she knew a lot about Kim's failing marriage with Kanye West as it was falling apart.

Larsa said she thought she "took a beating" because she saw the relationship crumbling between Kim and Ye, causing them to no longer be friends.

As the war between Russia and Ukraine continues to rage on, Russian tennis players will be banned from this year's Wimbledon tournament ... arguably the biggest, most important tennis tourney in the world.

The story was first reported by Sportico Tuesday morning ... and The All England Club -- who runs the club which hosts Wimbledon -- later released a statement explaining the move.

"Given the profile of The Championships in the United Kingdom and around the world, it is our responsibility to play our part in the widespread efforts of Government, industry, sporting and creative institutions to limit Russia's global influence through the strongest means possible," TAEC announced.

"In the circumstances of such unjustified and unprecedented military aggression, it would be unacceptable for the Russian regime to derive any benefits from the involvement of Russian or Belarusian players with The Championships. It is, therefore, our intention, with deep regret, to decline entries from Russian and Belarusian players to The Championships 2022."

Of course, Russia is in the midst of a brutal invasion of Ukraine ... and has routinely, without mercy, shelled civilian populations over the 50+ day war.

Belarus -- a strong ally of Russia -- is presumably banned because of the country's involvement in the war. They've acted as a jumping-off point for Russian forces ... as Belarus shares a border with Ukraine.

Many of the West's sanctions have also been aimed at Belarus.

Wimbledon kicks off on June 27 ... and goes through July 10.

The ban is bad news for tennis star Daniil Medvedev, the current No.2 ranked men's tennis player in the world, who won't be allowed to compete.

One of Medvedev's contemporaries, Andrey Rublev, who's also from Russia, will be banned from competing at Wimbledon as well.

You'll recall, Rublev famously wrote, "No More War Please," after advancing to the Final at the Dubai Championships in February.

Before NFL linebacker Damien Wilson was arrested last week and took a mug shot where he appeared to have a slight smile ... he told cops he did not assault anybody -- this according to new police documents obtained by TMZ Sports.

In the docs, police say after they pulled over the 28-year-old Carolina Panther on April 16 in Frisco, Texas following allegations that he choked a female ... Wilson explained to them he wasn't violent with anyone.

According to police, Wilson said he and Ryan Sokolosky, who he said he was in a "sexual relationship with," had gotten into a tiff on April 15 after he claims she saw him with another woman.

Cops say Wilson told them he believed Sokolosky had broken into his house and taken the other woman's belongings after seeing them together ... so he went to Sokolosky's place to "confront her."

In the docs, police say Wilson told them he confronted Sokolosky and her friend ... and then took Sokolosky's keys from the friend's hands. Cops say the football player then told them "there was no additional physical altercation" and that he left immediately after.

Cops, though, say in the docs Sokolosky and her friend had a different version of what went down when Wilson confronted them -- claiming he was violent with them.

Sokolosky's friend, according to the report, told cops he grabbed her neck before taking Sokolosky's keys -- and also grabbed her phone. Cops say she added that Wilson ripped a nail off her hand when he grabbed the keys.

Meanwhile, Sokolosky said, according to the report, that following the key-grabbing incident, he then smashed her $1,500 laptop before "he pushed her away from him," breaking two of her nails in the process.

In the docs, cops say they ultimately arrested Wilson for assault causing bodily injury to a family member due to his dating relationship with Sokolosky.

Wilson -- who signed with the Panthers this offseason after playing for the Cowboys, Chiefs and Jaguars -- was booked in Frisco on the misdemeanor charge ... and the docs show he was later released on bond.

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.