TMZ Sports - Page 33

It's Christmas in October for Mario Edwards ... the Tennessee Titans defensive lineman just spoiled himself by copping a massive 25-carat diamond pendant of his head!!

TMZ Sports has learned the defensive end wanted some new mini-me bling, so he hit up Ari The Jeweler to design the piece.

You see the pendant looks just like the 28-year-old ... from his hairstyle all the way down to his facial features and beard.

The pendant also has his jersey number, 97, inscribed on his forehead in diamonds.

We're told the piece -- including a chain -- totals out to 650 grams, and the pendant alone has 25 carats of diamonds!!!

Ari also tells us it took six long weeks to design the new ice ... as for the price Mario paid, that's undisclosed. But, Edwards has it ... he's made around $16 million in eight seasons in the NFL.

In other words, his pockets can handle it.

Nate Robinson -- a three-time NBA slam dunk champion -- announced he's been battling kidney failure for four years ... and is undergoing treatment.

Robinson shared the news on Saturday, saying, "I am currently undergoing treatment for Renal Kidney Failure and have been privately dealing with it for the last four years."

He continued ... "I'm sharing this now because I want to be the voice for all those who are having trouble speaking about this illness and come together for a greater cause -- our health."

Robinson, 38, was selected in the first round of the 2005 NBA draft by the Phoenix Suns ... and played for the Knicks, Bulls, Celtics, Nuggets, Warriors, Clippers, Thunder, and Pelicans over the course of his career.

Robinson -- who stands 5'9" -- gained a reputation for playing big above the rim, routinely captivating NBA fans on a nightly basis with his athleticism.

Nate's longest stint with an NBA team came in New York ... where he played for the Knicks from 2005-09.

After retiring from the NBA following the 2015-16 season, Robinson continued his basketball career ... signing with Hapoel Tel Aviv of the Israeli Basketball Premier league.

In November 2020, the longtime point guard tried his shot in another arena -- when he stepped into the ring for a boxing match with the "Problem Child" Jake Paul.

Nate hit the mat several times that night at then-Staples Center, thanks to Paul, including a second-round KO ... which ended the fight.

But now we know that Robinson was fighting another fight with his health when he stepped into the ring with Paul... making his effort all the more impressive.

Robinson expressed his gratitude to those praying for his recovery ... and said a part of why he's coming forward with this information is to help those affected by or dealing with kidney disease.

Dikembe Mutombo has been diagnosed with a brain tumor ... and the 56-year-old Hall of Famer is receiving treatment in Atlanta, the NBA announced Saturday.

“NBA Global Ambassador and Basketball Hall of Famer Dikembe Mutombo is currently undergoing treatment for a brain tumor. He is receiving the best care possible from a collaborative team of specialists in Atlanta and is in great spirits as he begins treatment."

The statement continued ... "Dikembe and his family ask for privacy during this time so they can focus on his care. They are grateful for your prayers and good wishes.”

The family has not released any further information.

Mutombo played 18 seasons in the league ... spending mostly with the Nuggets, Rockets and Hawks. He also played with the Knicks and Nets in shorter stints. Dikembe was a 4x Defensive Player of the Year and made 8 All-Star teams.

Dikembe was inducted into the Naismith Basketball HOF in 2015.

Aside from being one of the most dominant defensive players in NBA history, Dikembe is one of the most philanthropic athletes of his generation.

Mutombo has opened hospitals and schools in Africa, and even welcomed U.S. Secretary of State, Antony Blinken to the Congo this summer.

The dog that opened a can of worms with Sylvester Stallone and Jennifer Flavin is now a full-fledged member of the brood!

Sources with direct knowledge tell TMZ, Dwight is not only living with the fam in Hidden Hills, but Jennifer now really digs the pooch ... a lot!!!

As we reported, Jennifer didn't want another dog, especially a large one like a Rottie, but Sly prevailed and brought Dwight home. It became a source of conflict between the 2.

Sly then covered up a tattoo of Jennifer on his arm and replaced it with Dwight, and our sources say that was super upsetting for her.

Whatever the case, all is forgiven. The divorce petition has been dropped and the family is fully back together and they're happy as clams.

Sly, Jennifer and 2 of their daughters hit up a Ralph Lauren fashion show Thursday night, and they were clearly back on track.

Kim Kardashian and Kanye West aren’t talking, but that doesn’t mean they can’t share the same space for their kids.

Ye and Kim K both showed up for North’s game Friday. North arrived with a teammate, Kim with Saint, Psalm and Chicago ... and Kanye solo.

It’s the second time in a few weeks we’ve seen both Kim and Kanye at one of North’s events … as we first told you, Kim didn’t talk with nor even look in Kanye’s direction as he showed up wearing a 'White Lives Matter' shirt to the last one.

Kim wasn’t the only familiar face for Kanye at Friday’s game … giving Nick Cannon a hug as he made his way inside.

Sources at the game tell us Kanye left before it was over, Kim stayed with all 4 kids.

TMZ broke the story, Kim’s cut off all communication from Ye in the midst of an apparent mental health episode.

In times past, sources tell us even when Kim was the target of his attacks, she’d still work behind the scenes to get him help and repair fractured relationships.

Robert Kraft proves you're never too old to find love ... because he tied the knot Friday in a star-studded, surprise wedding.

The octogenarian owner of the New England Patriots is now the husband of 47-year-old Dr. Dana Blumberg.

250 folks showed up for a "Kickoff and a Touchdown" soiree in lower Manhattan ... not a whiff that this was a till-death-do-us-part bash.

Among the guests who were appropriately surprised ... Tom Brady and a bunch of other ex-Pats, Meek Mill and Jon Bon Jovi. Tom, btw, showed up alone.

A 10-minute video played -- a video Bob and Dana put together -- and then Al Michaels introduced them to the crowd.

It was a traditional Jewish ceremony ... Kraft smashed a glass during the nuptials.

Oh, and yes, there was entertainment, and it wasn't the Bar Mitzvah band. How's Elton John and Ed Sheeran!!!

Bill Maher asks the question ... how can Republicans support Herschel Walker, whom he calls a hypocritical, lying moron, who played Russian Roulette, threatened to blow his wife's brains out, stalked a Dallas Cowboy cheerleader, threatened to shoot cops, falsely claimed to be a cop, falsely claimed to be an FBI agent, abandoned some of his kids, wants an abortion ban despite paying for a girlfriend's abortion? Well, Bill has an answer.

The "Real Time" host says Democrats are blasting Republicans -- from Senators on down who support Walker -- for lacking fundamental integrity. B.M. says the integrity ship has long since sailed ... he says it sank after a long battle with tribalism.

Bill acknowledges, some of the supporters are indeed those "deplorables" ... but claims it's more complicated than that. Bill says, for these Republicans, "The worse a candidate is, the more it says to Democrats, 'do you see how much we don't like what you're selling?'"

Translation ... a lot of Republicans know these wacko candidates are, as he says, "egregious assholes," but they'll hold their noses and support them to counter and make a statement about their objections to identity politics. Bill ticks off examples ... cancel culture, victimhood, white self-loathing, forcing ideas of race and sex on kids too young to understand, etc.

He acknowledges, Democrats have the same contempt for Republican values, but Dems have a sense of shame that prevents them from supporting crazy candidates, and Republicans have zero shame.

If you watched the SMU/Navy game Friday night, it was just a bunch of horses**t, right?

Well, thanks to Peruna, the game abruptly stopped in the third quarter, after SMU scored a TD and the mascot bolted onto the turf to celebrate. Thing is ... Peruna has loose bowels, and left an unhappy trail behind.

Officials tried to ignore it, but SMU's head coach Rhett Lashlee thought better and asked to hit the pause button while the poop was removed.

Now this is where a lack of preparation became a glaring problem.  There was no plan, no equipment, to remove the feces ... something you'd think SMU would have at the ready given its choice of mascots. So the staff had to walk out on the field and pick up horse poop by hand.

It took 15 minutes to make the field properly playable again.

ESPN announcers lost it trying to explain what happened.

How would Muhammad Ali, the undisputed OG of trash talk, feel about the slick-talking/fighting Conor McGregor?? He would've loved him ... so says The Greatest's grandson, MMA fighter Biaggio Ali Walsh.

24-year-old Ali Walsh, who recently signed with one of the top MMA promotions, PFL, tells TMZ Sports his grandpa wouldn't just have enjoyed mixed martial arts, he would've been a big fan of The Notorious!

"I think [my grandfather] would've loved it, especially when McGregor was in featherweight in UFC, when he fought [Jose] Aldo, that whole reign, he would've loved it, especially Conor's trash talk," Ali Walsh says.

"Poppy started the trash talk. He would've been super entertained. I think he really would've liked the sport."

Of course, Muhammad wasn't just known for his supernatural ability in the squared circle ... but also for his incredibly sharp tongue.

Ali made talkin' trash cool ... and though Conor may be a bit more vulgar, they're very much alike from the standpoint of getting inside their opponent's head.

Like his grandfather, Ali Walsh is a fighter ... but instead of choosing boxing like his brother Nico, he chose MMA.

Biaggio is new in the sport ... and has a 1-1 record as an amateur. He lost his first fight, but rebounded in his second fight, winning by first-round TKO.

Ali-Walsh will make his Professional Fighters League debut on November 25 ... and fittingly, it's going down at Madison Square Garden.

Of course, MSG was the site of many of Ali's legendary fights ... including the "Fight of the Century," Muhammad Ali vs. Joe Frazier I on March 8, 1971.

We asked Biaggio about fighting under the same roof as grandpa ... and while he thinks it's pretty neat, he was honest in saying it's not a huge deal.

"I think it's cool but at the end of the day, a fight's a fight. It's me, the ref, and another guy who's trying to hurt me, whether it's Madison Square Garden or in the back of someone's barnyard. It's cool that it's at Madison Square Garden but I don't care, honestly."

Considering Biaggio clearly has fighting in his blood, we had to ask how his grandpa would've fared as an MMA fighter.

"I think he would've done great just because of how strong he was mentally. A lot of it is mental, a lot of fighting is mental and he had the mental part. He had the heart and he had the will, so if you have the will, you can definitely get the skill."

Iman Shumpert says Draymond Green's punch on Jordan Poole was "bogus" ... telling TMZ Sports after watching the viral video, he sees why there was such public outrage.

We spoke with Shump at LAX this week ... and the former hooper kept it real, saying it's ultimately up to the Warriors to decide punishment, and they opted not to suspend the 4x champ.

"It's a grown man business," Shumpert said. "I'm sure they got to spoke about it amongst themselves. Whatever they choose to do, we got to honor that," he continued.

We asked Shump if he thinks the punch will fracture the Dubs' team chemistry as they prepare to defend their title.

"I don't think so," said Iman, who played 10 seasons in the NBA with the Knicks, Cavs, Kings, Nets, and Rockets. "They'll be alright," he added.

FYI, IS won a championship with Cleveland in 2016.

Green -- who stepped away from the team for just under a week after punching Poole at practice -- said Thursday he's not worried about co-existing with Jordan because they're professionals.

"We both know how to play basketball," Draymond said. "We're paid to do a job, and we're gonna come and do that job to the best of our ability."

Kirk Gibson says he knows firsthand how special Barry Bonds was during his playing days ... and he tells TMZ Sports the guy should be recognized for all his accomplishments -- even if it's not the popular opinion.

We spoke with the MLB great at LAX this week ... and asked about Aaron Judge's 62-home run season and whether he's the REAL single-season king, considering every player above him on the record list is allegedly tied to PEDs.

Gibson heaped a ton of praise on Judge ... but as for whether guys like Bonds, Sammy Sosa and Mark McGwire should lose recognition due to their alleged ties to steroids, he's against the notion.

"People go down different roads in different ways," the Dodgers legend said. "I've played with Barry. You gonna tell me the guy didn't accomplish anything?" Gibson asked.

Gibson and Bonds were teammates on the Pirates in 1992 -- and he said that 20 years from now, it might be popular to say Barry didn't accomplish anything.

"It's the thought of the day, 'Barry's was no good, he did this, that and McGwire did this and Sosa did this.'"

"How do you know what anybody does?" Gibson said.

We asked Gibson, a former Silver Slugger Award winner, if this 2022 Dodgers team that won 111 games during the regular season is the best in the franchise's rich history.

"They're pretty incredible," said Gibson, who hit the iconic walk-off home run in Game 1 of the 1988 World Series. "They've had one heck of a run. This is maybe the best team to win."

Gibson won two World Series titles during his 17-year career ... and has always had a vested interest in the team's success.

So we had to talk about Craig Kimbrel, who was left off the Dodgers' NLDS roster ... and he tells us the flame-throwing righty will be fine once his confidence is restored.

"How many times has he succeeded?" Gibson asked. "Has he failed more than he's succeeded? That's why he's the closer."

"He's succeeded so much. He has to instill that feeling within himself. He'll be ready."

Finally, Kirk tells us about a man with one leg who will run a 26.2-mile marathon on two crutches to support his Kirk Gibson Foundation, which helps people with Parkinson's disease.

Phillies fans lived up to their ruthless reputation on Friday ... chanting "DUI" at Braves star outfielder Marcell Ozuna during Philadelphia's playoff game against Atlanta.

It all went down in the first inning at Citizens Bank Park in Philly -- Ozuna was up for his first at-bat of the afternoon ... when the fans trolled him over his August arrest.

"DUI! DUI! DUI!" the Philly faithful chanted in unison as 31-year-old Ozuna swung at an 81 MPH slider from Phillies' right-hander Aaron Nola.

Ozuna -- a 10-year MLB veteran -- was arrested for DUI after police in Georgia pulled him over for speeding and failing to maintain his lane while on the road.

Ozuna -- in his third season with the Braves -- told police on the scene that he was heading to a party at a nearby nightclub to celebrate his team's win over the Mets earlier.

Ozuna ultimately took responsibility for his actions ... telling the media that he was "disappointed" about the incident and expressing remorse to his teammates and family.

Herschel Walker showed up to his Georgia Senate debate Friday, expecting barbs from his opponent, incumbent Raphael Warnock ... but ended up getting a scolding from the debate's moderator for intentionally breaking the rules with a seemingly bogus badge.

The two shared the stage in Savannah to mix it up before the election next month, and when someone asked a question about policing, Warnock pivoted into an accusation aimed at the former Georgia Bulldog star running back.

"One thing I have not done ... I've never pretended to be a police officer," the Senator said,  "And I never threatened a shoot-out with the police."

Warnock's accusations were met by applause and cheers from the crowd, so a flustered Walker tried to cut in.

"You know what's so funny?" and the 1982 Heisman winner flashed what appeared to be a fake police badge ... "I am with many police officers, and at the same time..."

The debate moderator cut him off, sternly and sharply called him out ... "You have a prop. That's not allowed Sir! ... You're very aware of the rules, aren't you?"

Warnock was referring to Walker's claims of being a cop when in reality he's an “honorary deputy” in Cobb County, a distinction former DeKalb County district attorney J. Tom Morgan told WaPo was nothing more than a "political token" that holds no power.

The "shoot-out" comment stems from a new AP report that in 2001, Walker's therapist called police in Irving, Texas, saying he was "volatile," armed and scaring his estranged wife. The officers went to his suburban Dallas residence and later said Walked had "talked about having a shoot-out with police."

The badge debacle is just the latest in a string of calamities in the Walker campaign. Two weeks ago, a woman claimed Walker -- a pro-life Republican candidate --- paid for her abortion, prompting his son Christian to blast him on social media. Also, last week, Home Depot came out to make sure people knew it was not donating to his campaign.

New Orleans Saints superstar Alvin Kamara is being sued for allegedly attacking a man outside a Vegas nightclub during Pro Bowl weekend in February ... TMZ Sports has confirmed.

The plaintiff, Darnell Greene, claims he was among a group of people waiting for an elevator near Drai's around 6:30 AM ... when Kamara put his hand on his chest to keep him from entering the lift.

Greene says the running back then shoved him into a wall and repeatedly punched him in the face.

The lawsuit claims Greene tried to escape ... but AK chased him down and attacked him, causing injuries including a broken orbital.

Now, Greene has lawyered up ... and is seeking $10 million in compensatory and punitive damages.

"The brutal violent assault broke Greene's orbital lobe, severely injured his shoulder, back, and neck, and left him temporarily unconscious and helpless on the floor," the lawsuit states.

Greene claims Kamara boasted about his role in the alleged beatdown ... saying, "I connected with the [expletive]’s jaw so hard,'" according to the suit.

The alleged injuries were so bad, Greene states he will need to undergo multiple surgeries to repair the damage done to his body.

"Medical testing confirmed a disfiguring facial fracture to Greene's right orbital bone, blunt force trauma to his head, multiple disc protrusions, and structural tears in his shoulder," the suit says.

The lawsuit provides pictures of Greene's bloody face following the alleged beatdown ... as well as still shots from security footage -- and Greene claims NFL commissioner Roger Goodell hasn't taken any action to discipline Kamara.

Bob Costas was left saying "Sorry" while working the Yankees vs. Guardians game ... after he accidentally called Cleveland pitcher Shane Bieber "Justin Bieber" -- and the moment is hysterical.

The legendary broadcaster made the mistake during the top of the 6th inning of Game 2 of the American League Division Series on Friday ... when he meant to talk about the 2020 Cy Young winner, but ended up name-dropping the pop star.

"Justin Bieber just threw his 84th pitch," Costas said before immediately realizing his mistake. "Did I actually call Shane Bieber 'Justin Bieber?' I vowed that would not happen."

Costas hilariously defended himself ... saying, "I'm sure that's not the first time that's happened in his life."

In fact, it's not -- Topps accidentally put Justin's name on Shane's trading card back in 2019 ... which led J. Biebs to shout out the pitcher on Twitter.

TMZ Sports even talked to Shane about the Justin confusion shortly after it happened ... and he said it was just "a matter of time" before someone made the mistake -- and he was right, thanks to Costas.

JB and SB have been tied to each other since ... and the "Honest" singer even has his very own "Not Shane Bieber" jersey.

Brittany Renner dusted off her cleats and hit the soccer field this week ... showing she's still got it when it comes to juggling balls.

The former college soccer star had the camera rolling when she got in a workout ... juggling the soccer ball for a minute straight without letting it hit the ground.

Brittany's skills are truly impressive -- she juggles at her feet and thighs ... and tops it off with a header.

Of course, Brittany -- who has a child with Charlotte Hornets hooper P.J. Washington -- previously showed off her skills while playing with rapper 6ix9ine.

Renner played college ball at Jackson State ... and has remained close to her old stomping grounds, hitting up JSU to talk to Deion Sanders' football team about groupies.