TMZ Sports - Page 48

Titus O'Neil isn't worried about the future of WWE ... telling TMZ Sports that the company is in good hands under the leadership of "The Game" Triple H -- calling him a "visionary" who has a "great mind" for the business.

O'Neil was effusive in his praise of both his former boss Vince McMahon AND Triple H, who stepped in after Vince retired as CEO and chairman of the sports entertainment conglomerate last month.

"I have full confidence that in time Triple H and Stephanie McMahon will continue to guide us into a whole another stratosphere when it comes to sports entertainment," O'Neil said.

"I think he will play to the purist of wrestling fans as well as those that love sports entertainment and combine it with the best of the best."

Titus -- who has been with WWE since 2009 -- gave HHH credit for signing megastars Logan Paul and Gable Steveson to the company ... saying both "will help contribute greatly to our business."

"Those are just two of, I'm sure, a lot more to come in regards to what Triple H is going to be able to as [the] head of creative," Titus said.

"Vince [McMahon] took a lot of chances," O'Neil said of the 76-year-old billionaire, "and Triple H, I'm sure, will do the same."

Vince grew the WWE into the most popular sports entertainment brand worldwide, but Titus believes HHH's time in charge of NXT prepared him for this moment.

Antonio Brown's decided to treat himself following the success of his new song and dance by copping an insane "The Godfather" watch ... that's filled with 666 diamonds!

TMZ Sports has learned the former NFL wideout hit up Jacob and Co. earlier this week to pick up the timepiece ... and the classic mob film-inspired watch came pretty epic.

We're told it features a miniature Vito Corleone (played by actor Marlon Brando) in the middle of it with his iconic black tux. It also has a hand-painted black piano ... and a Swiss music box that plays the first 120 notes of the movie's theme song!

And, get this ... the music box is played by two cylinders that are paved with 666 brilliant round diamonds and 18k of rose gold!

We're told AB also got a second watch on the shopping spree -- a rose gold Bugatti Chiron Tourbillon that has a crankshaft that turns 16 piston pumps up and down ... like a real engine.

The Super Bowl champ spent somewhere in the neighborhood of $800k for both watches ... and even though AB hasn't earned any money on an NFL field in a few months, he has collected over $80 million in his 12-year NFL career.

Ex-NBA star Caron Butler is using his personal experiences to help teach young kids with his new book ... telling TMZ Sports his close friend Kobe Bryant inspired him to share his real story.

Caron played alongside the late Hall of Famer on the Lakers from 2004-2005 ... and the two remained great friends up until the legend's tragic death in 2020.

The 2011 NBA Champ says Bryant -- who had a series of children's books of his own -- once gave him pointers on how he could use his authenticity to motivate the next generation ... which led him to write "Shot Clock," alongside Justin Reynolds.

"He did like a little moment with me prior to him passing," Tuff Juice tells us. "We connected and we talked about the writing process and how it's so tough to be authentic and clear and real, but it's exactly what the kids need."

"He always told me to 'Tell your truth, be brave and people gonna accept it or reject it, but be brave in that process,'" he added.

Butler says he made a promise to Kobe that his second act would be "far better, more profound" than his playing career ... a vow he also disclosed with Bryant's wife, Vanessa.

The book is deep ... and reflects what Caron really went through in life -- from traveling the world to run-ins with law enforcement and losing friends to gun violence.

"Selling Sunset" producers are racing to fill the void left by Christine Quinn's departure ... they need a new villain for the show, and they need to figure it out ASAP.

Production sources tell TMZ ... the folks who run the popular Netflix show are scrambling behind the scenes to figure out who is going to step into Christine's place as the bad girl, and they're hopeful holdover Chelsea Lazkani leans into the role in upcoming seasons.

We're told execs approached Chelsea about playing into the villain role once it became clear to producers in June Christine wasn't coming back, leading to conversations with Chelsea about embracing the role Christine played so well.

Our sources say producers understand Chelsea, a British real estate agent who joined the show in season 5, has big shoes to fill here ... but they're hopeful she can step up to the plate.

Other candidates, we're told, include newcomers Bre Tiesi and Nicole Young ... they're joining "Selling Sunset" for the upcoming seasons, and sources say there's a possibility producers will look to one or both to be the next Christine if Chelsea doesn't cut it.

Filming began this week, but we're told it's too soon to know if producers have their villain just yet.

TMZ broke the story ... Christine and the producers reached a mutual decision for her to leave the show and she's moving onto other projects, signing with IMG models.

Jason Oppenheim told our photog Thursday he's not stressed about Christine leaving, saying he has no concerns her exit will hurt the show.

Khabib Nurmagomedov
Henry Cejudo
Kamaru Usman

... three bonafide legends who happened to be managed by Ali Abdelaziz. But, forced to pick the best fighter he's managed, Ali says it's the "Nigerian Nightmare."

TMZ Sports talked to Abdelaziz days before his star client, 35-year-old Usman, takes on Leon Edwards in the main event at UFC 278 in Salt Lake City ... and that's when we asked who was #1.

"It's very hard, man. You're talking about Henry Cejudo, two-division champion, defended two-weight divisions, right? Khabib, undefeated, never lost, barely lost a round," Ali told us, continuing, "But when you talk about Kamaru, for me Kamaru at welterweight, one of the hardest divisions in the UFC, he's beating these guys and he's sticking around. He's 35, sticking around."

Abdelaziz says you could argue both Cejudo and Nurmagomedov left the sport while they were in their primes ... while Usman continues to stack wins over the best fighters in the world.

"You can say Khabib a little bit retired early, you can say Henry retired a little bit early, right? Right now, it's tough man. I love all of them. Everybody knows how close I am to Khabib and how I love them. I love Kamaru too but right now, the way Kamaru is doing it, I don't think anybody's doing it the way Kamaru is doing it and he's willing to go up to light heavyweight and do a two-division champion and skip a weight division."

"You have to give it to Kamaru right now. Wherever he is at with his career, it's Kamaru."

Of course, Khabib, Henry, and Kamaru all have absolutely incredible resumes.

- Nurmagomedov: Undefeated. 29-0. Former Lightweight champion. Wins over Justin Gaethje, Dustin Poirier and Conor McGregor. Retired in 2021.

- Cejudo: 16-2. Former Flyweight and Bantamweight champion. One of only a handful of double champs in UFC history. Wins over Dominick Cruz, TJ Dillashaw and Demetrious Johnson. Retired in 2020. Currently semi-unretired.

- Usman: 20-1. Current UFC Welterweight champion. Wins over Tyron Woodley, Colby Covington (twice), Jorge Masvidal (twice), Gilbert Burns and Rafael dos Anjos. Hasn't lost since his second ever professional fight in 2013.

Can't go wrong with any of the three fighters.

BTW, Abdelaziz has repped a bunch of other incredibly talented fighters ... including Gaethje, Burns, Kayla Harrison, Cody Garbrandt, Rashad Evans, Frankie Edgar and more.

Usman's been kicking ass for a decade, but his star has really taken off recently. Proof? Kamaru recently locked down a role in the upcoming Black Panther sequel ... a film all but guaranteed to become one of the most popular movies of all time.

How'd Usman lock down the gig ... Ali walked us through the process.

Kamaru takes on Leon Edwards this weekend at UFC 278 ... where he'll look to tie Anderson Silva's record for most consecutive wins (16).

In search of more, rare Michael Jordan-era memorabilia? Horace Grant's got ya covered -- 'cause TMZ Sports has learned MJ's former Chicago teammate's three title rings he won with His Airness in the early 1990s are up for auction.

The rare items come from the Bulls' first 3-peat in 1991, 1992 and 1993 -- when HG played a key role alongside Jordan and Scottie Pippen.

The rings feature the former power forward's last name ... with the Bulls' season record on one side and the World Champion title year/postseason record on the other.

We're told each ring -- which are all size 12 and have "14k Jostens" on the interior bands -- is so valuable, they could fetch over $100K apiece.

Heritage Auctions officials tell us each ring also comes with a letter of provenance from Grant as well.

Grant's 2001 championship ring that he earned while playing alongside Kobe Bryant and the Los Angeles Lakers is also up for grabs. That bling, we're told, is expected to sell for over $40k.

FYI, Grant is not the consignor for the rings -- we're told Horace sold his rings a long time ago for charity.

Kamaru Usman has an opponent in mind for his next fight after Leon Edwards -- but it's not anyone in the welterweight, or even middleweight division -- the number one pound-for-pound fighter in the world says he's eyeing a move to light heavyweight!

"A lot of people think I'm joking when I say [I wanna move up]. I wanted to skip -- skip middleweight and I want the light heavyweight belt because I wanna be a two-division champion," Usman told Babcock on the "TMZ Sports" TV show (airs weekdays on FS1).

The 35-year-old, 170 lb. champ continued ... "One, not only am I the best in the world, but I wanna prove that I am the pound-for-pound best, so I'm gonna skip that pound-for-pound, I'm gonna take that light heavyweight belt and I'm gonna defend the belt."

There's a reason Kamaru plans to jump two divisions, and not just move up one and fight at 185 lbs. ... the middleweight champ is Israel Adesanya.

Kamaru and Izzy are tight ... and have said they'd never fight each other.

Meanwhile, Kamaru and Jiri Prochazka -- the light heavyweight champ -- not so tight.

29-year-old Prochazka, who beat Glover Teixeira for the title in June, stands 6'4" tall. He hasn't lost since 2015. Not to be outdone ... Usman hasn't been defeated since 2013.

But Usman isn't looking to abandon the division he's ruled for 3.5 years ... the Nigerian Nightmare says he's planning to defend both belts once he beats Jiri.

"I'll defend both belts so people can really understand what it means to be pound-for-pound," Kamaru says ... "Not just this fictitious stuff that they make up. When I actually go up and do it and I walk away from the sport, I'll let you decide what you wanna call me or my legacy."

We also talked to Kamaru about landing a role in the new Black Panther movie ... a project that's incredibly important to the star fighter.

"For one, I'm extremely excited because it's my first one. I knew I was gonna be in movies some point, one day, but to be in that movie, I'm extremely excited because that's a movie that transcends just being a movie star. It's a movie that stands for something, it's a movie that represents something so powerful."

And, it won't be the last film in which Usman appears ... despite the fact people have accused him of being "Hollywood."

"It's crazy 'cause people are 'oh he Hollywood now.' Of course! Ya damn right I'm Hollywood now. I wanted to be Hollywood. What's wrong? You don't want me to be Hollywood?!"

"You want me eat Little Caesars and Ramen noodles in my little shack all day every day for the rest of my life? No, I'm gonna be Hollywood, but one thing they're failing to realize is that it took work to get to this point to be Hollywood."

Usman takes on Leon Edwards for the second time (Kamaru won by unanimous decision in 2015) at UFC 278 Saturday night on ESPN+.

As WWE prepares to celebrate the 1200th episode of "Smackdown," Drew McIntyre tells TMZ Sports he's obsessed with beating Roman Reigns in two weeks at "WWE Clash at the Castle" ... 'cause he has to finally win it all in front of fans!!

McIntyre and Reigns are set to meet face-to-face in the ring Friday night on a historic edition of "Smackdown" -- one of WWE's three flagship programs -- and the former two-time WWE champ isn't backing down from Reigns, whose held both titles for over 700 days!!

"I'm looking to raise those titles and Roman has been on this incredible run. But the truth is, it's been 700 days," Drew said. "He's not here as often as he used to be. I do believe titles need to be represented every single week. He's not able to do that these days."

McIntyre -- a native of Scotland -- told us a victory at 'Clash at the Castle,' which will be held in Wales for the first time in over 30 years, would mean the world to him since his first two title runs came with limited or no fans.

"I am very proud of the fact I was champion during that difficult time," McIntyre said. "I'm glad I was the champ setting the example. As a kid, I had the dream of main-eventing WrestleMania, lifting the title in the main event and I did that."

"But I also imagined there being tens of thousands of screaming people there," Drew said. "Which there wasn't."

"I would like to have some live fans in attendance for that third reign and I have the biggest opportunity of my life to do that in the UK, in the heart of Wales, against Roman. This is something I couldn't have envisioned as a kid because it didn't exist."

McIntyre -- who beat Brock Lesnar at WrestleMania 36 to win his first-ever WWE title during the height of the pandemic -- knows defeating Reigns will be a tall task, but, ultimately, the Scottish native thinks a victory near his home turf is what's best for business.

"I think that titles need to be represented every single week and on the shows and in the live events and the appearances," McIntyre said. "And I want to be that man to represent the company on the highest level."

Easton Oliverson just crossed another huge milestone in his road to recovery ... the Little League World Series player is now walking -- just days after he suffered severe head injuries in a fall from his bunk bed.

Oliverson's family shared a video on their social media page on Friday showing the Snow Canyon Little League pitcher/outfielder standing up and walking with the help of medical personnel.

"We are at a loss for words," the family said in the caption. "There are none that seem fitting other than: God is Good. SO GOOD!🤍"

"We love our Easton so much. Thank you for loving, and supporting him with us. Keep the prayers coming- he’s getting stronger every day!"

The 12-year-old initially fractured his skull on Sunday after falling off his bed at the players' dormitory complex in Williamsport, Penn.

Things looked dire for Easton the night of the accident -- he was actually placed in a medically induced coma -- but, he's since shown a ton of progress, and appears to be on his way to a full recovery.

Vanessa Bryant just talked about Kobe Bryant, Gianna, the crash and the photos that officials took of their bodies while on the stand -- and she was overcome with emotion while trying to explain how awful it all has truly been for her.

Using a handkerchief to wipe away tears after nearly every sentence -- Vanessa said she first learned of the crash after an assistant informed her of it at her home. She said L.A. County Sheriff Alex Villanueva was the one who eventually told her there were no survivors.

Vanessa said on the stand that she begged him to secure the area, as she was concerned about paparazzi. She testified he didn't tell her at the time that his deputies had photographed her family members' bodies.

She later said she learned of the graphic photos through the Los Angeles Times report -- and, while speaking through sobs, she said it gutted her.

"I felt like I wanted to run down the block and scream," she said in the courtroom. "I can’t escape my body. I can't escape what I feel."

She added that she was "blindsided, devastated, hurt and betrayed" to know that authorities had snapped pics at the scene.

"I trusted them," she said. "I trusted them to not do these things."

Vanessa told the courtroom one of the most disturbing things to her was that because of where Gianna was located at the crash scene, she believed officials had to have moved the 13-year-old's body in order to photograph it.

"They took advantage that Daddy couldn't protect her," she said. "He was at the morgue."

Vanessa testified that if the photos ever got out, and if she were to somehow see them, it'd rip her apart.

"I don't ever want to see my babies in that way," she said, explaining to the courtroom that she lives in constant fear that the photos could surface. "Nobody should ever have to see their family in that way."

As we reported, Vanessa arrived at the courtroom earlier Friday morning in a black dress, black coat and dark sunglasses. She wore a "Mama" necklace -- and appeared to be confident, flashing a smile on her way into the L.A. building.

The 40-year-old is suing L.A. County officials after learning deputies had taken and shared graphic photos from the wreckage scene.

Marcell Ozuna pulled the celeb card during his DUI arrest on Friday morning -- telling a cop during the stop, "Sorry, I'm Ozuna from the Braves" ... this according to a new police report obtained by TMZ Sports.

In the docs, a Norcross Police Dept. officer said he pulled over Ozuna -- who was driving in a black 2021 Mercedes-Benz -- at around 3:35 AM after he says the MLB slugger was speeding in a 35 MPH zone while failing to stay in a lane.

Moments after being stopped, Ozuna allegedly told the officer, "Sorry, sorry, I'm Ozuna from the Braves." The baseball player's car reeked of booze, the police officer said in the report. The officer also claimed Ozuna had red and watery eyes.

Ozuna told the cop, according to the docs, that he was in Norcross heading to "the party." The officer said that he later learned the 31-year-old was on his way to "a nearby after-hours nightclub."

When Ozuna went to hand his driver's license to the cop, the officer said in the docs he also handed over an MLB ID card showing that he played for the Braves.

According to the report, just before administering field sobriety tests on Ozuna, the outfielder admitted he had drank "like three or four" beers before getting behind the wheel.

"If I'm drunk, if I can't drive, I do like this," the officer said in the docs, claiming Ozuna -- who allegedly had $8,000 in cash in his pocket -- "motioned for me to take his car key."

After administering three tests, the officer arrested Ozuna. But, according to the cop, Ozuna refused both a breath test and a blood test.

Records show he was eventually booked on charges of DUI and failure to maintain lane.

Hours before the arrest, the Braves had won a huge game over the Mets in Atlanta -- but Ozuna did not play in the contest.

This is the second time Ozuna has been arrested in the last 15 months -- he was previously taken into custody in May 2021 after he was accused of roughing up his wife in an incident in Sandy Springs, GA.

Ozuna -- who agreed to enter into a pretrial diversion program to close out the case a few months after the incident -- was suspended 20 games by the MLB over it all.

He later said before this season began that he apologized to his teammates, adding, "I made a mistake."

Ozuna has played in 107 games for the Braves this season ... batting .214 with 20 home runs.

James Dolan is shutting down all talk of selling the New York Knicks ... laughing at the notion and straight-up saying it's not happening.

The rumors started to swirl earlier this week ... when investment analyst Jonathan Boyar predicted Dolan would put the team up for sale after the new MSG Sphere opens up in Las Vegas next year.

An MSG rep was quick to deny the speculation ... saying there were "no plans" to sell both the Knicks and New York Rangers.

Dolan doubled down on the statement as he was leaving businessman Noah Tepperberg's birthday party at LAVO in West Hollywood ... smiling and saying, "no" after being asked about the rumors.

Some angry fans have been calling for Dolan to sell the team for years -- and chants have broken out at Madison Square Garden on numerous occasions.

As we previously reported, there have even been cases where Knicks supporters have been BANNED from MSG for telling Dolan to sell the team in person.

It's no secret -- the Knicks have struggled for a while now, but that could always change overnight with a superstar free agent signing or trade.

The Bills Mafia is teaming up to support star tight end Dawson Knox -- putting their wallets together to honor his brother, FIU football player Luke Knox, after his tragic death ... by donating nearly $100k to a charity that is close to their family.

P.U.N.T. -- a pediatric cancer organization affiliated with the Knox brothers -- has been receiving donations of $16.88, representing their jersey numbers, after news of Luke's passing broke on Thursday.

Dawson has been affiliated with the org. since his rookie season in 2019 ... and as the Bills Mafia is known to do during tough times, they did what they could to share their condolences.

The charity says its inbox has been flooded with contributions ... saying, "Since yesterday [Thursday], over 5000 donations have come in, most in the amount of $16.88, in acknowledgment of Luke and Dawson’s football numbers, totaling nearly $95,000."

"These resources will be meaningful and impactful in our service to WNY families facing pediatric cancer in the ways they need it most."

Thoughtful donations have become a trend for Bills fans -- they also previously made contributions to the Oishei Children's Hospital after Josh Allen's grandmother passed away.

As we previously reported, Luke -- who began his college career at Ole Miss -- died at the age of 22. No details surrounding the cause of Luke's death have been released.

P.U.N.T. Exec Gwen Mysiak said, "Dawson Knox and his family are an incredibly valued and cherished part of our organization. They have stood behind our mission with their whole hearts. In sorrow, we stand with them now at this time of profound loss."

Actor Frank Grillo is speaking out about the senseless murder of his beloved boxing trainer ... and he's not pulling punches when it comes to what he views as L.A.'s crime problem.

Grillo, who played Crossbones in Marvel's 'Captain America' films, was visibly upset as he spoke about the death of Azuma Bennett during an interview at Fortune Boxing Gym in Hollywood on Thursday.

"He made everybody feel good about training," Grillo told KNBC. "I don't know what's happened to Los Angeles that a beautiful guy like this gets shot and killed over nothing."

Police say Bennett died en route to the hospital after he was struck by at least 8 bullets outside a marijuana dispensary in Windsor Hills last Friday. Detectives are still searching for the shooter, and there's not yet a motive.

Bennett was a centerpiece at Fortune Gym with a roster of celeb clients, including Grillo, UFC fighter Jason "Mayhem" Miller and musicians Kiana Ledé and Eddie Benjamin.

The staff at Fortune Gym released a statement in Bennett's honor, "Azuma was our family. One of the best of the best. We are all so broken."

NBA hooper Brook Lopez -- a self-proclaimed Disney fanatic -- went to his favorite place in the world to propose to his girlfriend ... getting on one knee and popping the question right in front of the iconic Tree of Life at Animal Kingdom!

The Milwaukee Bucks center had it all planned out for Aug. 15 -- starting off with an intimate dinner with Hailee Nicole Strickland at Disney World's Tiffins Restaurant in Florida.

After filling their bellies, Lopez brought Strickland to the massive Tree of Life -- which stands 145 feet high -- and asked for her hand in marriage.

If Strickland's smile didn't give it away ... she said "YES!!"

After the engagement, the 7'0" baller enjoyed a photo shoot with his private Pilates instructor fiancée -- rockin' a special pair of Minnie Mouse ears and a diamond ring.

And, the reason for the specific date and location ... that's exactly when and where the couple first met 13 years ago!!

Of course, this is the most important ring of Lopez's life, but it ain't the first -- he won an NBA Championship with Giannis Antetokounmpo and the Bucks in 2021.

Even posthumously, Hank Aaron continues to set records ... 'cause TMZ Sports has learned one of his rookie cards just sold for over $700K, making it the most expensive Aaron card EVER.

Aaron's famous 1954 Topps piece netted $720K at auction on Thursday night -- easily surpassing the old record of $645K for a Hank card.

Officials at PWCC tell us it sold for the staggering price because the card "is one of the finest on the market" ... and "ranks among the most recognized and respected baseball cards in the industry."

The card's front features two images of Aaron when he was a member of the Milwaukee Braves. The back showed off some of Aaron's stats and fun facts. It was given a 9 grade, meaning it's still in nearly perfect condition.

"Simply stated," PWCC officials said of the piece, "this card belongs in the Baseball Hall of Fame. It is a national treasure."

During his rookie campaign with the Braves, Aaron took the Majors by storm ... playing in 122 games with the team while logging a .280 batting average and hitting 13 home runs.

"Hammerin' Hank" would go on to have an iconic Hall of Famer career -- setting the record for most-ever home runs (755 in 23 seasons) ... a mark that's only since been topped by one other, Barry Bonds (762).

It's unknown who the lucky buyer of the card is -- but safe to say they're very happy on this Friday morning.