TMZ Sports - Page 23

Barry Bonds is firmly in the corner of NY Yankees star Aaron Judge as he chases the single-season homerun record once set by him ... saying he wants him to break his record!

“The way he swings, he might as well hit one a day and get past me. I don’t care. Why not?” the former Giants slugger told Sportico.

Bonds -- who hit 73 home runs during the 2001 season, setting the MLB record for most ever in a single season -- also told the outlet he wants to see No.99 in a Giants uniform next season.

“I hope he signs here,” Bonds said. “Can it happen? I don’t know. It depends on what the Yankee payroll is. But we would love to have him, I’ll tell you that.”

The Yankees outfielder has been the best player in the Majors all season -- leading MLB in nearly every offensive statistical category -- and making a serious push for the Triple Crown.

FYI, the Triple Crown is super rare and means a player led the league in batting average, home runs, and runs batted in (RBI).

Judge tied Babe Ruth's single-season high the other night when he hit his 60th homerun against the Pirates -- pulling him within a dinger of tying Roger Maris' record of 61 homers in one season.

Judge -- who turned down a seven-year, $213.5 million extension from the Yankees -- will be a free agent at the end of the season, and Bonds wants him in a Giants uni.

“We in the Bay Area -- he’s a Bay Area boy -- we hope they don’t sign him, and we can get him,” Bonds said. “I would. He’s that good.”

As Judge closes in on Maris and chases Barry, he recently said Bonds hitting 73 home runs in a season is the record in his eyes, despite others who question the legitimacy of it.

"No matter what people want to say about that era of baseball, for me, they went out there and hit 73 homers and 70 homers, and that to me is what the record is."

Gear up Swifties -- Taylor Swift could be this season's Super Bowl halftime show act ... at least, that's what the musician's fans are thinking after the NFL appeared to drop a big clue into it all on Thursday night.

Here's the deal -- back in May, Pepsi pulled out of its longstanding partnership with the league and its Big Game's halftime show ... and on Thursday night, the NFL announced it's finally replaced the soft drink company with Apple Music as the new sponsor.

In its announcement, the league made no mention of a potential halftime performer for Super Bowl LVII ... but, according to Swift fans, it didn't need to -- because the timing of the release said it all.

The league curiously dropped the news at midnight -- something that's been associated with Swift for YEARS. She's put out albums twice since 2020 that were released at that time, and she's sung the word "midnight" hundreds of times in her tracks.

Swift is also set to release a new album next month ... titled "Midnights."

Taylor has never done an SB show before -- with many believing she wouldn't take the gig due to being locked in a sponsorship deal with Pepsi's biggest competitor, Coca-Cola.

With Apple Music now in, though, it seems Swift would be free and clear to belt out "Shake It Off" to millions during the Super Bowl's break on Feb. 12 without issue.

A Roberto Clemente 1955 Topps rookie card just sold for $1,050,000 at an auction -- nearly breaking a record -- TMZ Sports has learned.

PWCC officials tell us the sale of Clemente's rookie card marks the second time a card from the legendary outfielder has passed the seven-figure mark.

As we reported, PWCC believed it could rival the previous mark for a Clemente card of $1.107 million -- and it came close.

"It's an exciting price and signals that collectors continue to see Roberto Clemente assets and vintage trading cards as a very desirable investment," said PWCC exec Jesse Craig.

"It's really amazing when these museum-quality pieces appear at auction because we not only get to curate and present the card, but we also get to discuss Roberto Clemente with new audiences."

MLB celebrated the 21st annual Roberto Clemente Day last week, with players, managers, and coaches in the Pirates-Mets game wearing No.21.

Clemente finished his Hall of Fame career with the Pirates as a 15-time All-Star, four-time batting champ, two-time World Series winner, and World Series MVP.

"Real Housewives" star Meghan King and "Bachelorette" alum Mike Johnson appear to be getting really cozy ... enjoying each other's company at a popular strip club.

Meghan and Mike hit up Crazy Horse 3 in Las Vegas Thursday night, a source at the club tells us the two arrived hand in hand for the Local Love 2.0 party, which always attracts some big attention.

You can see from the video, the two were ALL over each other all night long -- they even snuck off to a VIP table at one point while Meghan spent some time on Mike's lap.

They also took some time to enjoy the dancers ... grabbing a money gun and spraying the dancers down with some cheddar at one point.

They left together around 1 AM, holding hands on the way out.

Sources close to the two are denying an actual fling, though -- telling TMZ they went to the club as part of her podcast they are doing together -- claiming there's nothing romantic going on between them, just good friends working together.

While they might not be official, they're clearly having some fun together -- Meghan posted about who she "found" in Vegas that night ... calling Mike, "my new fave."

Brett Favre's alleged involvement in a multi-million dollar welfare scandal may have just gone from bad to worse ... 'cause a key figure in a criminal case has just made a deal to cooperate with the feds that could put the NFL legend in the crosshairs of the Justice Department.

Former Mississippi Department of Human Services director John Davis pled guilty on Thursday to conspiring to defraud the State of Mississippi out of more than $70 million in federal funds, which he was accused of misdirecting from the state's poorest people.

As part of his agreement with prosecutors, officials say Davis agreed to tell everything he knows about the massive scheme ... which could be problematic for Favre.

The former Green Bay QB has been under fire after he allegedly worked with Davis and other government officials to obtain $5 million from Mississippi welfare funds to help his alma mater, the Univ. of Southern Miss., build a new volleyball facility. Favre's daughter played the sport at the Univ. at the time Favre was accused of getting the money for the project.

Favre sent a text in 2017 to the woman who ran the nonprofit, seemingly acknowledging it was wrong to take the money ... "If you were to pay me is there any way the media can find out where it came from and how much?"  She responded, "No we never have had that information publicized."

A few hours later, the woman who runs the nonprofit texted Favre back, saying "Wow, just got off the phone with [then Mississippi Governor] Phil Bryant! He is on board with us! We will get this done!" Favre responded, "Awesome. I needed to hear that for sure."

Despite facing 15 years behind bars, Davis is being seen as an essential component in the ongoing federal investigation into the misdirection of the funds, as well as a corresponding state case. Prosecutors on both sides are eager to obtain information on other possible co-conspirators, including those connected to Davis.

Lamar Odom is not romantically involved with transgender actress/model Daniiellè Alexis ... despite a few social media posts sparking speculation they're dating.

Sources close to Lamar tell TMZ ... the former NBA player is currently single and is not seeing Daniiellè, but they do know each other and are friendly -- which is pretty clear from her social media.

We're told Lamar and Daniiellè met back in June when he was in L.A. for the BET Awards. Our sources say Lamar was shopping when a car pulled up, Daniiellè hopped out and asked for a photo ... and afterward, they exchanged numbers.

They kept in touch, and when he recently moved back to L.A. they grabbed lunch together because they were both in town. Daniiellè's an aspiring actress, and our sources say they typically chat about the industry.

Daniiellè's posted a couple photos of Lamar, which got the dating rumor mill going ... but we're told they are just friends.

BTW, our sources also tell us Lamar has no problems with the transgender community, in general, and obviously has no issue with Daniiellè being a transgender woman -- there's simply no romantic spark between them.

Boston Celtics head coach Ime Udoka reportedly had an inappropriate relationship with a female staffer ... and he's now facing a suspension over it all.

ESPN's Adrian Wojnarowski reported Wednesday night the 45-year-old was found to have had a "consensual intimate relationship" with a woman who has a role on the Celtics' staff -- a violation of Boston's franchise guidelines.

As a result, according to Woj, Udoka is facing a ban from the team that could be "significant." Udoka's job, however, is not believed to be on the line.

Further details regarding the allegations were not disclosed. Udoka and the Celtics have yet to address the report.

Udoka -- who took the Celtics job in 2021 and led the team to an NBA Finals appearance in his first year as head man -- has been in a relationship with actress Nia Long since 2010.

The couple reportedly got engaged back in 2015 -- and has one child together.

Udoka played in the NBA for nearly a decade in the early 2000s -- and began his coaching career with the Spurs following his playing days in 2012.

He later coached for the Philadelphia 76ers and Brooklyn Nets before joining the Celtics.

Floyd Mayweather admits he's impressed with Jake Paul's ability to win fights and promote big events ... but the 50-0 legend says don't go overboard, 'cause a legit boxer would wreck The Problem Child.

Floyd joined Babcock on the "TMZ Sports" TV show (airs weeknights on FS1) earlier this week ... and analyzed Jake's impact on the sport and his skill in the ring.

"Jake Paul, as of right now, for what he's doing, it's good for what he's doing," Floyd told us. "But once he fights a real actual fighter, it's gon' be bad."

"But one thing I like about him, he's selling it. He's making good money. He's entertaining. I like it."

Of course, Jake's just 25 years old and has only been training for a few years. Still, he's 5-0 with 4 KOs ... and he's beaten future UFC Hall of Famer Tyron Woodley twice.

In fact, Paul previously told us his ultimate goal is to box Canelo Alvarez ... and Jake believes he can win.

Floyd, however, does not.

"He'll get f***ed up by Canelo," Floyd said.

Mayweather continued ... "There is no way. He'll get demolished. For what he's doing, as long as they keep getting YouTubers and keep putting him in there with MMA guys that's kind of over the hill, he's going continue to shine. So, I'm proud of him. I'm not really upset."

Of course, Floyd isn't exactly best buds with Canelo or Jake. Mayweather comfortably beat Alvarez in 2013 ... the first loss of the star boxer's career (it was Saul's 44th fight).

As for Floyd and Jake ... remember JP snatched Floyd's hat at a Miami media event promoting Money's June 2021 bout with Logan Paul.

In fact, Floyd-Jake is a fight fans have clamored for since the incident in South Florida. The issue is there's a large size difference between the men. 5'8" Mayweather spent most of his career fighting around 150 lbs. Paul is 6'1" and fights around 185 lbs.

But, Floyd says he doesn't care about the weight difference ... and would fight Jake, despite the sizeable difference in physical stature.

"I think [Jake] was doing a sitdown on a podcast one time, and he talked about [a fight with me]," Floyd said. "He said, 'I don't want to do an exhibition against Floyd Mayweather.' He said, 'I'm only doing real fights.' And of course, I can't get high up in weight, but I'll fight him in a real fight at the weight that I'm at."

Speaking of Floyd's fight with Logan ... Mayweather touched on allegations made by LP, where he claimed he was never paid by FM for the exhibition boxing match.

We also asked Mayweather about the final fight of the Canelo and Gennady "GGG" Golovkin trilogy ... which Money may have missed because he was flying across the world in his private jet.

Ten Pennsylvania H.S. students have been charged ... after a month-long investigation into hazing and sexual assault allegations involving the school's football team.

As we previously reported, Middletown Area High School's football season was canceled in August after several cell phone videos surfaced that appeared to show serious hazing incidents at the school.

The Superintendent of MAHS said the footage was "disturbing and upsetting." Other officials said one of the videos showed two players restraining a group of students while poking two boys with a muscle therapy gun and other athletic equipment in the turf room.

Lower Swatara Township Police and the Criminal Investigation Division of the District Attorney’s Office in Dauphin County opened an investigation ... and on Wednesday, Dauphin County District Attorney Francis T. Chardo announced they're charging 10 students in the case.

"Two students, both seventeen years of age, have been charged with multiple counts of criminal attempt to commit involuntary deviate sexual intercourse, indecent assault, unlawful restraint, simple assault, and hazing," Chardo said in a statement.

The other students were charged with various offenses from unlawful restraint, simple assault, hazing, and violating hazing statute.

Officials say the cases will be handled through the juvenile system.

According to officials, the investigation revealed that six student-athletes -- ages ranging from 14 to 17 -- were victims in the case ... but there could be more.

"As many as six other students may have been assaulted but they have been reluctant to cooperate with the police," Chardo said.

Don't sleep on Drake's ability on the basketball court ... 'cause the hip hop superstar can flat out hoop, so says Dribble2Much, Drizzy's longtime trainer.

TMZ Sports recently talked to Dribble2Much -- AKA Johnny Stephene -- and we asked him, who is the best hooping rapper.

"Big shoutout to my boy Drake right now because listen, me and Drake have been working for several years. We're good friends, first of all, and he really loves basketball. He loves the game. The fact that he loves the game and so passionate about getting better at something that he loves, put us on the same level as far as mentality-wise."

FYI, in addition to Drake, Dribble2Much has worked with celebs like 2 Chainz (and many more), and NBA superstars like Kevin Durant, Devin Booker, DeMar DeRozan and Chris Paul.

So, when the man says Drake can play ... listen.

Drake wasn't always regarded as a good player. In fact, he was routinely clowned on social media back in the day for his perceived lack of ability on the court.

But, Johnny says there's been a huge improvement.

"Listen, he's not that Drake from five years ago my man. He's got way better, man. I'm excited just because it's healthy for him to be playing and just being happy doing what he loves. That's dope."

His biggest strength?

"Shooting the ball."

Penn State ain't letting a great opportunity slip through its fingertips ... TMZ Sports has learned the school will capitalize on the "Chad Powers" craze -- with plans to sell merch this weekend on the heels of Eli Manning's hilarious bit at the university.

A spokesperson for the school said T-shirts with Eli/Powers' images on them will hit the Beaver Stadium bookstore on Saturday. They'll be available at trailer locations during the Nittany Lions' home game against Central Michigan as well.

The shirts are hilarious -- they feature the character and jersey number from Manning's "Eli's Places" episode earlier this week.

If you missed it -- click play right now ... the skit is laugh-out-loud funny, showing Manning caking on makeup and donning a wig in order to "try out" for PSU's football team.

In addition to the shirts, a PSU official tells us there will also be a Chad Powers-themed promotion going on at the school's Beaver Stadium Block Party on Saturday.

At the event, if people run faster than 5.49 seconds in a 40-yard dash (the time Manning recorded as Powers during the workout), they'll get a free Powers T-shirt!

No word on what one of the for-sale tees will cost or if Manning's getting a cut.

"While Chad was not eligible to make our roster as a run-on," a PSU official added, "he is still part of our Penn State Family."

Xavier McClain -- a sophomore high school football player in New Jersey who suffered a traumatic head injury during a recent football game -- has died, the school tells TMZ Sports.

"The Linden Public School district is deeply saddened by the tragic death of a Linden High School sophomore student," the school said in a statement. "The district extends its heartfelt condolences and will continue to offer prayers and support to the family during this difficult time."

The district says they've made counseling available to any students and staff who want to talk to a professional.

McClain was "critically injured" during a varsity football game on September 9 ... when Linden was taking on Woodbridge H.S. in Woodbridge.

According to witnesses who were at the game, Xavier, in the second half, was returning a kickoff when the injury occurred. An ambulance was quickly brought onto the field, and play was temporarily halted.

FYI, kickoffs are one of the most dangerous plays in football. In fact, there's been a push by some to eliminate the play from the sport.

Derek Armstead, the mayor of Linden, asked the community for prayers for Xavier's parents, Lisa and Norman, as they grieve the tragic loss of their son.

"At this time, the best way to help them and Xavier is for every one of you to pray," Armstead wrote in a social media post. "If you can, stop what you are doing for a minute right now and join me in a moment of silence and prayers."

Armstead -- who's known Xavier and his parents for years -- said the news "hurts," adding, "I trust that God knows better."

"HE needed an angel and decided to call Xavier home to be with HIM," Armstead wrote. "I asked that you continue to keep the family in your prayers."

Sylvester Stallone and Jennifer Flavin are moving towards a settlement in their ugly divorce, putting a hold on court proceedings to hammer out a deal in private ... and shockingly, we're told there was no prenup in place.

According to new legal docs, obtained by TMZ, Sly and Jennifer both requested an order of abatement -- which the court granted -- in their divorce down in Florida. This means filings have been put on hold, however, sources connected to the case say the divorce is still happening ... they just don't want the negotiations made public.

The docs state, "The Parties agree that is in the best interests of each of them individually, and more importantly collectively as a family, to resolve all issues attendant to the dissolution of their marriage in a dignified, amicable, and private manner out-of-court."

What's more, we're told the two did NOT have a prenup when they got hitched back in 1997, seemingly leaving hundreds of millions of dollars up for grabs as the earnings of both are community property.

Of course, Jennifer has her popular Serious Skincare cosmetic line, and Stallone's got a string of Hollywood blockbusters including the "Rocky" franchise.

Remember, Jennifer filed for divorce from Sly last month following 25 years of marriage, saying their relationship was "irretrievably broken." She also accused him of moving marital assets, something he's denied.

Khloe Kardashian has given everyone the first peek at her baby, but she dropped some info about Tristan Thompson and the child he had with another woman that is really messed up.

The cameras were rolling at Cedars-Sinai Medical Center July 28 when Khloe and Tristan were able to hold their newborn for the first time. TMZ broke the story that they had the baby boy via surrogate.

Now here's what's messed up. In Season 2 of "The Kardashians," which dropped on Hulu Thursday, Khloe says Tristan knew he was having a baby with another woman when he pressured Khloe to have another child with him.

She says Tristan found out Maralee Nichols was pregnant with his child in July 2021 and afterward put the heat on Khloe to have their second child. She says just before Thanksgiving, an embryo was implanted in the surrogate.

Then, in December, Khloe found out about Maralee's pregnancy.

Khloe made it clear on the show, she never would have gone down this path had she known about the other baby before committing to another child of their own ... "Why would I want to have a baby with someone who is having a baby with someone else? I'm not that much of a sociopath. I'm a lunatic, but not that f***ing deranged."

As you know, Tristan and Khloe are co-parenting 4-year-old True. His involvement going forward was not discussed on the show.

Ben Simmons says things got so nasty between him and the 76ers ... that at the height of their tension, it felt like everyone in the org. was "just trying to f*** with me now."

Simmons finally opened up about his breakup with Philly on JJ Redick's "The Old Man and the Three" podcast ... and he said during the worst part of their relationship back in Oct. 2021, he thought multiple high-ranking people in the franchise, including head coach Doc Rivers, were out to get him.

"I actually spoke to Doc before practice," Simmons said when recalling the infamous fall workout that he was booted from and later suspended over. "I was like, 'Doc, I'm not ready. Mentally, I'm not ready. Please, just understand that.'"

"I tried to let him know prior," Simmons continued. "He was like, 'Well, I'm going to put you in any way.'"

Simmons said early on in the practice, Rivers put him on the floor. Predictably, Simmons didn't handle it well, and Rivers kicked him out. The Sixers later banned him 1 game for it all.

He said it was just one of a few things the Sixers did that month that had rubbed him the wrong way.

"It seems like everyone's just trying to f*** with me now," Simmons said, recalling the events. "Like, I'm getting fined for not lifting weights, but, physically, I'm like one of the strongest guys on the f***ing team."

"So they're fining me for little things. It was just a buildup."

Simmons did admit "obviously I didn't handle things the right way, but also the team didn't either and the people who had that power."

The 26-year-old was ultimately traded to the Nets for James Harden in February.

"For me, I was trying to -- for myself, personally -- get to a good place," Simmons said of all the drama. "To get back on the floor. Getting on the floor was my priority and trying to get myself to a place where I was mentally good to do that."

"And I was in such a bad place where I was like, 'F***. Like, I'm trying to get here and you guys are, like, throwing all these other things at me to where you're not helping.' That's all I wanted was help."

Adam Levine isn't putting down the mic while he's in hot water over a DM mess -- he's still stepping into the spotlight on stage ... TMZ has learned.

Sources with direct knowledge tell us ... the singer is still scheduled to perform early next month with his band, Maroon 5, at The Shaquille O'Neal Foundation's annual fundraising gala, "The Event" in Vegas.

The gig is set to go down Oct. 1 at the MGM Grand, and we're told the show will go on -- even now, with Adam's relationship status in the headlines amid a DM scandal. Our sources tell us there will be no red carpet at the event, similar to last year, so Adam won't be grilled by reporters.

Not just that, but our sources tell us Adam is also going to forge ahead with other professional commitments he's already made -- and that would seem to include his M5 world tour, with stops all over Asia through the end of the year, as well as one final NYE show in Palm Springs.

It's interesting, considering the drama has now ballooned even beyond what was originally alleged. It all started with one woman claiming she had an affair with Adam, which he denied. She offered up DMs suggesting he wanted to name his unborn kid after her.

Although Adam denied being physically involved, he did cop to sending flirtatious messages and also expressed regret, while noting he's working it out with his wife, Behati Prinsloo.

More women have come forward with claims he was DM'ing them as well -- including some famous ladies alleging he attempted to DM them.

Adam and Behati were photographed together this week, but it's unclear where things stand between them.

At any rate, AL's plowing ahead with his frontman duties.