TMZ Sports - Page 44

Lionel Messi -- arguably the greatest soccer player of all time -- is reportedly taking his talents to the United States after his contract with Paris Saint-Germain is up in 2023 ... as he's slated to join David Beckham's club, Inter Miami.

The 34-year-old 7-time Ballon d'Or award winner is expected to take a 35% stake with the MLS franchise, according to Front Office Sports.

Messi, who's currently playing for PSG, will sign with Inter Miami once his contract expires with one of France's top clubs.

On Monday, Beckham posted pics with several members of PSG's club -- Messi being amongst the group -- where he appeared chummy with the Argentinian player.

As we previously reported, Messi parted ways with Barcelona after the club said financial obstacles prevented them from offering him a suitable deal.

Get ready for a slurry of avocado ice cream and deflated football jokes ... Tom Brady has signed up to be roasted as part of a new deal with Netflix.

The streaming service giant announced Tuesday it's making a series of new specials called "Greatest Roasts of All Time: GROAT" -- and TB12 is slated to be one of the first roastees.

Netflix says Brady will also serve as an executive producer for the series ... and the company actually clowned on the Tampa Bay Bucs star in its announcement for it all.

"We can't wait to burn three-time Super Bowl-losing quarterback Tom Brady, who only went back to the NFL in order to delay this roast," Netflix Vice President of Stand-up and Comedy Formats Robbie Praw said in a statement.

"In all seriousness, it's a huge thrill to work with the greatest football player of all time on this project. No one’s better at taking hits and still coming out on top, so we know the roast will be a breeze for Brady."

Brady had fun with the announcement, too ... channeling Marshawn Lynch by saying, "I'm just here so I won't get fined."

Odell Beckham Jr. is making sure the apple doesn't fall too far from the tree -- the NFL superstar is already teaching his 3-month-old son how to hold a football ... and channeling "Remember the Titans" in the process!!

The Super Bowl champ shared the adorable father-son moment on Monday ... placing a toy football on Zydn's right forearm and armpit to ensure it doesn't leave his grasp.

"You drop a ball, you run a mile," the 29-year-old said.

Of course, Beckham is doing his best Herman Boone impression -- who can forget Denzel Washington's iconic speech in the 2000 flick??

But, Odell knows what it takes to be great -- at Isidore Newman School in New Orleans, he played receiver, quarterback, running back and corner ... and was also a beast in basketball, soccer and track & field (just like his mom).

OBJ went on to play for the LSU Tigers and was drafted by the NY Giants in 2014 ... where he recorded one of the best catches in NFL history. So yeah, the dude knows a thing or two about ball security.

Beckham finally won his first Super Bowl with the LA Rams earlier this year ... and his son with Lauren Wood was born a few days later.

Super sweet moment at Camden Yards on Monday ... a young Baltimore Orioles fan was able to get his souvenir home run ball back after he threw it onto the field.

The adorable scene happened in the eighth inning of New York's game against the O's ... when a youngster received a ball that had been smacked into the seats by Yankees slugger Giancarlo Stanton.

The kid was pumped to get the baseball -- but not knowing its true value ... he ended up hurling it onto the field just seconds after he was given it!!

The kid's dad was in disbelief at what happened ... shaking his head and laughing.

Good news, though -- after Yankees outfielder Aaron Hicks spotted the ball and threw it back into the crowd ... the fans returned it to the toddler!

The kid -- who was wearing an Orioles jersey -- was all smiles, and so was his father, who actually lifted up his son with the baseball in hand -- much to the delight of the fans in attendance.

New York Yankees star Nestor Cortes has shut down his Twitter page and is issuing a mea culpa ... after some of his old tweets containing racial slurs were exposed this weekend.

While the Yanks were playing the Chicago White Sox on Sunday, more than a dozen old tweets from Cortes' account resurfaced ... showing the pitcher using the n-word several times in posts between 2012 and 2013.

Cortes was 17 or 18 years old when he wrote the tweets. One of the tweets seemed to be lyrics from French Montana's song, "Ain't Worried About Nothin."

The now-27-year-old baseball player apologized vehemently for it all on Monday ... and deactivated his account.

"It's unacceptable," Cortes told the New York Post prior to the Yankees' game against the Orioles on Monday. "I could have managed myself better and said stuff differently."

He added, "Those aren't the messages I want to send out. I deleted my Twitter to clean stuff up. Hopefully, I can make a better impact in the world for the people that look up to me to give a better example."

Cortes vowed to eventually return to Twitter "in the next few days" and keep his messages and interactions with fans positive.

Tom and Chet Hanks had a blast at the Dodger game on Sunday ... belting out "Take Me Out to the Ball Game" together -- and TMZ Sports has the vid!!

The Oscar-winning actor and his "White Boy Summer" son had a box seat for L.A.'s 5-4 win over the Philadelphia Phillies ... and during the 7th inning stretch, the duo passionately joined in on the traditional tune.

Tom and his son looked as close as ever as they vibed out to the song ... with Chet wrapping his arm around his dad as the "Finch" star pumped his fists in excitement throughout the jingle.

We're told Tom had a classic approach to the game -- keeping track of all the action on the diamond with an old school scorebook.

Of course, Tom and his son have remained tight over the years -- but Chet has previously opened up about the struggles of having a world-famous pops.

Sasha Banks and Naomi -- WWE women's tag team champions -- reportedly walked out of "Monday Night Raw" last night after an argument with management about the creative direction of the show.

WWE issued a statement to TMZ Sports about the impromptu exit, saying, "During the broadcast, they walked into WWE Head of Talent Relations John Laurinaitis's office with their suitcases in hand, placed their tag team championship belts on his desk and walked out."

Officials from the promotion say when Banks and Naomi arrived at the arena they were made aware of their participation in the main event of 'Raw,' but allege both superstars claimed they were "uncomfortable" with who they were scheduled to wrestle.

It's unclear if the incident is part of an internal storyline. Though, WWE's statement makes it seem it was not part of the show, even writing, "Monday Night Raw is a scripted live TV show, whose characters are expected to perform the requirements of their contract."

Sasha and Naomi were slated to be a part of a six-pack challenge match, where the winner would face Raw women's champion, Bianca Belair, in a match for the title. But, after they left the building, WWE was forced to pivot.

WWE quickly ran a segment backstage with Becky Lynch, former women's champion, where she said she witnessed Naomi and Sasha leave the arena. She then pleaded with on-screen official Adam Pearce for a title opportunity.

Becky Lynch fought Asuka in a singles match -- the new main event -- where she defeated her after spraying green mist in her face, and delivering a roundhouse kick.

As for Sasha and Naomi, PWInsider reports prior to leaving the arena, they met with Vince McMahon. Once it became clear WWE wasn't going to make the changes they wanted, they decided to skip the show.

Horrifying situation for NHL star Mitch Marner on Monday night ... the Maple Leafs forward was carjacked at gunpoint by multiple people in Toronto.

The Toronto Police Service tells TMZ Sports the incident went down at around 7:46 PM ... when three suspects -- two with handguns and one with a knife -- approached a black Range Rover.

The TPS does not name victims of crimes ... but Marner, according to multiple reports, was driving the Range Rover at the time.

Cops say the three suspects ended up jacking the vehicle -- and fled in it. Police said they're now searching the area.

Thankfully, cops added, there were no injuries in the incident.

According to the Toronto Sun -- which first reported the news -- Marner was "shaken up" on the scene, but was otherwise unharmed. He's expected to meet with media members on Tuesday.

Steve Aoki might be able to throw a cake with pinpoint accuracy -- but he sure as hell can't do the same with a baseball, 'cause he absolutely airmailed the ceremonial first pitch at the Red Sox game on Monday night ... and it was truly awful.

The DJ took the mound just minutes before Boston faced off with the Astros at Fenway Park ... and, given the results of the pitch, he's honestly probably wishing he hadn't.

Aoki warmed up his left arm, toed the rubber -- and then heaved a ball that went roughly 20 feet over his catcher's head. It was actually so bad, it rolled over the net behind home plate and fell into the crowd.

Video shot by people in the stadium shows fans were laughing at the pitch -- because it was seriously just that bad.

To his credit, Aoki had fun with the moment ... tweeting after the heave, "i’m gonna stick to throwing cakes."

Of course, Aoki is far from the first celeb to embarrass himself on an MLB diamond ... you'll recall, 50 Cent is known for the worst ever, throwing one sideways in 2014.

And, it ain't like Dr. Fauci's toss in Washington was much better in 2020.

The late Tupac Shakur's last studio album "The Don Killuminati: The 7 Day Theory" is celebrating its 25th anniversary this year, and it's being pushed into the digital world.

That means creating an NFT -- non-fungible token -- from the original artwork ... a controversial piece depicting Pac as Jesus Christ wearing his crown of thorns while nailed to the cross. The parental advisory sticker infamously covered his pelvic area.

Released on November 5, 1996, nearly 2 months after his murder, Pac recorded the album under the alias Makaveli ... unleashing some greatest hits material such as "Hail Mary" and "To Live In Die In L.A." -- and fueling rumors he was still alive in the process.

Riskie Forever designed and sold the painting Tupac handpicked to be the album cover back in 2015 ... but crypto/NFT wallet manager Zelus helped him recover the art, and auction house Heritage Auctions will sell it to the highest bidder.

The auction goes down starting today through June 18 in Dallas at 445 Park Avenue and fans will also have a chance to win up to $100,000 through sweepstakes on the MakaveliArt.com website starting today all the way to June 5.

Mike Tyson will host the painting Tuesday on a special episode of his "Hotboxin" podcast, where he will also run through some of his cherished Tupac memories. They enjoyed a long-running friendship during the course of Pac's life, whose last moments were spent attending the Tyson vs. Bruce Seldon fight on September 7, 1996, in Las Vegas.

Iron Mike tells TMZ Hip Hop: "This episode was cool to shoot. Having the opportunity to honor Pac and have this painting here with us was awesome. It's by far the most iconic hip hop album artwork of all time."

Riskie, an iconic hip hop artist, was initially propositioned by then Death Row Records CEO Suge Knight, who later introduced him to 2Pac -- and commissioned Riskie to create the album cover.

Tim Tebow's already so convinced that Tom Brady will be great in the broadcast booth ... he tells TMZ Sports he's hoping the G.O.A.T. will give him TV advice -- not the other way around!!

We got the former Heisman Trophy winner -- who's been analyzing football games for ESPN for nearly a decade -- out at LAX ... and he's guaranteeing TB12 will thrive in a post-football role as a color commentator.

"He'll be amazing," the 34-year-old said. "He'll be so good at it. He's got so much knowledge and he's such a good guy and kind guy. And, he knows the game too well. He'll be amazing."

Tim, who actually played with Brady during his short stint as a New England Patriot back in 2013, said repeatedly he doesn't have any TV advice to share with Tom -- simply because he believes Brady already has all the tools needed to be the next Tony Romo or Troy Aikman.

"Listen," Tebow said just a few days after Brady signed a monster contract earlier this month to join Fox Sports after his career ends, "He's the greatest of all time for a reason. He's going to go up there and he'll be amazing. So, truly will."

Cristiano Ronaldo ain't the only one in the family with shredded abs -- 'cause his 11-year-old son showed he can flex, too ... just like his pops!

The Manchester United soccer star -- and father of six -- showed off his athletic bod on Monday when he posted a shirtless photo on social media with his son, Cristiano Jr.

Now, not exactly breaking news that Ronaldo has a ridiculous body ... but who knew Jr. was a little ripper mini me of his international soccer star dad.

"Recovery time with my boy," the 37-year-old forward wrote in the caption.

Everyone loved the 'like father, like son' moment ... in fact, almost 6 million fans liked the post, with Al-Sailiya's midfielder Driss Fettouhi writing, "the present and the future."

Of course, that's because Jr. is also a soccer stud. In fact, CR Jr. busted out his father's signature 'Siu' celebration after scoring for Man Utd under-12 team in April.

Cleveland Browns fullback Johnny Stanton is praising his primary care physician, Dr. John Cheng, for sacrificing his life in the Laguna Woods shooting ... honoring the man for his heroic actions.

Officials say 52-year-old Cheng was killed as he tried to stop the gunman who opened fire at the Geneva Presbyterian Church on Sunday. 5 others were injured in the shooting ... and cops say if Cheng hadn't taken action, there would have been "numerous additional victims."

Stanton -- who grew up in California before reaching the NFL in 2018 -- paid tribute to Cheng on Twitter minutes ago ... after realizing Cheng is the man who helped him out with regular checkups over the years.

"I just found out the person killed in the Laguna Woods shooting yesterday was my primary care physician, Dr. John Cheng," Stanton said.

"Absolute hero," Stanton added. "He attacked the gunman and helped save so many in that church. I just wanted his name to be known."

"He will be missed."

A super rare, nearly 40-year-old Kareem Abdul-Jabbar sticker just hit the auction block ... and TMZ Sports has learned it's about to sell for a STAGGERING sum!!

We're told the piece -- which is a sticker/card from the 1986 Fleer set -- is currently sitting at $95,000 in the bidding ... and is expected to fetch several thousands more by the time the auction concludes later this week.

Officials at PWCC Marketplace -- the org. hosting the auction -- tell us the scarcity of this particular KAJ sticker is what makes it a must-have item.

The experts say out of the 2,484 Abdul-Jabbar fleer stickers that have been graded by PSA, only 14 of them received a perfect 10 -- and this sticker is one of them.

"It is extremely hard to find this sticker in this grade," PWCC exec. Jesse Craig said. "A gem mint version of this asset surfaces for sale so rarely at auction that collectors are moving very aggressively to secure it."

The previous record for the sticker -- which is also notable because it's from the same set as the famed Michael Jordan rookie card -- came back in May 2016, when a piece sold for $23,766.

KAJ was a dominant force at the collegiate level -- he won three straight national titles under John Wooden -- and that brilliance translated to the NBA, where his success continued.

Kareem made 19 All-Star teams, won 6 NBA titles to go along with 6 MVP awards ... and is regarded as one of, if not, the greatest big man in NBA history.

Kareem was also a key part of the Showtime Lakers with Magic Johnson, that won 5 championships in the '80s ... and Craig says that's another reason the sticker's value is exploding.

Craig tells us ... HBO's 'Winning Time' documentary, which highlights the players from the Showtime Lakers, has added to the intrigue of Kareem and this sticker.

"While it has been controversial," Craig said, "the show definitely reminded many of how impressive the 'Showtime' Lakers were."

"Kareem was a critical part of that era and that point is made clear in the dramatized retelling."

Sean McVay's fiancée has taken her disdain for Vladimir Putin to her bathroom ... revealing she just recently added some Putin toilet paper to her house.

Veronika Khomyn, who's been dating McVay -- the L.A. Rams head coach -- for years, showed off the new bath tissue on her social media page on Sunday evening.

The T.P. in her crib now has Putin's face all over it ... and Veronika insinuated there might be more than just one roll -- captioning the photo, "Home accents," with a poop emoji.

Of course, Veronika is from Ukraine and has been one of Putin's biggest detractors since Russia invaded the country in February.

Khomyn initially called the first hours of the conflict "the hardest day I've ever experienced." She and McVay later took the stage at the Critics' Choice Awards in March to pan Putin for starting the war, and praise Ukrainians for their resiliency.

"I proudly stand with my fellow Ukrainians and I admire their strength," Khomyn said at the awards show with McVay by her side. "They have faced unimaginable adversity with such profound grace and bravery, their fight and the way they have united the world is truly inspiring."

"There is no place in our world for this kind of violence and our prayers go out to all the lives that have been lost."

Dallas Mavericks owner Mark Cuban got the last laugh over Lil Wayne on Monday ... firing back at the legend for calling Luka Doncic a "ho" -- by using one of Weezy's very own song lyrics!!

Of course, Wayne -- who is a big Chris Paul supporter -- was sitting courtside as he watched the Suns lose Game 7 to the Mavs in pathetic fashion behind Luka's 35 points on Sunday.

Wayne ended up getting a ton of blame for the 123-90 blowout loss ... with folks claiming his "Luka a ho" tweet from May 8 gave the Mavs too much motivation.

Cubes shared his two cents on Monday ... and the clapback's gotta sting.

"'It’s a s*** show, put you front row' #MFFL," Cuban's tweet read with a pic of Wayne at the game.

Of course, the line comes from Tunechi's hit, "Uproar" from 2018 ... and ya gotta admit, Cuban's taking the win on the court AND on Twitter here.