TMZ Sports - Page 50

Yianni Diakomihalis, 4x NCAA Freestyle Wrestling National Champion, tells TMZ Sports there's a distinct possibility he gets into MMA ... BUT, not before he makes a run at the United States Olympic team, where he's gunning for gold!

23-year-old Diakomihalis is without exaggeration one of the most decorated collegiate wrestlers of all time, becoming just the fifth competitor to win the title four times. The question now has become ... what's next?

"It's a super time, right, coming off a really big milestone in my life and now I have a lot of opportunities presented to me. Obviously, for me, that ultimate goal of being Olympic champ is right in front of me. That's the big thing on my mind right now," Yianni told us.

Diakomihalis continued, explaining the personal importance of the Olympics.

"It's been my dream since I was a little kid like that, and it's something that I don't think I could turn away from and go compete in something else."

FYI, Yianni won the NCAA title at 141 lbs. in 2018 and 2019. After a redshirt season, he won the title at 149 lbs. in 2022 and 2023.

The next Summer Games are in 2024 in France ... where Yianni hopes he'll represent the USA.

We asked him if he was considering transitioning to MMA after the 2024 Games.

"I got a ton of respect for a guy who makes a living getting in there and getting punched in the face. That's an incredibly difficult and tough thing to do. It's one of those things that sounds super cool, sounds like it would be fun to try. I can't imagine not pursuing [the Olympics]. Who knows what's gonna happen in the future, what might change, but right now that's what's really at the forefront of my mind."

Of course, we've seen uber-successful wrestlers like Henry Cejudo (Olympic gold medal winner), Bo Nickal (3x NCAA champ), and others who have successfully transitioned from wrestling to MMA. On the other hand, a wrestling star like Jordan Burroughs opted to never take a punch or kick to the face in a cage.

We also talked to the 4x champ, politics aside, about President Donald Trump attending the NCAA Finals ... and YD believes it's a big plus for the sport, as it's bringing new eyeballs to freestyle wrestling.

It's been a month swarmed with buzzer-beating shots from the stars -- making social media a packed venue. With hella traveling and lots of knockout IG posts, these celebs did not hold back from bringing their A-game!

Nearly breaking the scoreboard ... gymnast Olivia Dunne threw up a perfect 10 after snapping a poolside bikini pic, while Megan Thee Stallion hit a slam dunk from the sheets. And, it was a shirtless showdown between Dwayne Johnson and Jersey Shore's Vinny Guadagnino ... may the best man win!

NYC Mayor Eric Adams will always revere Knicks legend Willis Reed for the two championships he brought to the city of New York ... but he tells TMZ Sports that Reed's perseverance in the face of adversity is what makes him an icon in NY.

We spoke to Mayor Adams just days after Reed passed away at 80 years old ... and asked what Reed's legacy means to him now that the NBA legend is no longer with us.

"Willis Reed was my guy," Mayor Adams said. "He showed the resiliency of New York. Everyone remembers that championship game. Walking on one knee. His scoring the points. He's New York."

"We may have lost him physically, but he will always be here spiritually," he added.

Reed -- a seven-time All-Star and two-time NBA champion -- passed away on Tuesday ... and had been reportedly battling congestive heart failure.

Willis -- affectionately known as "The Captain" -- won two titles with the Knicks ... but he's most remembered for playing in Game 7 of the 1970 NBA Finals against the Lakers.

Reed's status for Game 7 was in question ... but the 6-foot-10 center emerged from the tunnel just moments before the deciding game started, walking gingerly onto the court -- and sent the crowd at Madison Square Garden into a frenzy.

The rest was history -- Reed delivered the Knicks their first championship in 1970 and won another chip in 1973. In 1982, Willis was inducted into the Naismith Memorial Basketball Hall of Fame.

How ironic is this -- Luka Doncic just got hit with a $35k fine on Friday ... after the NBA superstar made a money gesture toward a referee during the controversial ending of the Warriors vs. Mavericks game.

ICYMI ... the Mavericks hooper made the gesture after he missed a contested layup with 1.7 seconds left in the game at the American Airlines Center on Wednesday -- when he felt he was fouled, but didn't get a call.

Of course, Doncic's signal was clearly an expression of frustration -- after all, the Warriors got two free points in the third quarter after a questionable officiating decision ... and the Mavs ended up losing, 127-125.

Regardless of how the Mavs feel about the officiating that night, the league penalized the four-time All-Star minutes ago, saying the hand signal was an "inappropriate and unprofessional gesture."

Doncic wasn't the only Maverick pissed off at the refs  ... team owner Mark Cuban is protesting the loss, saying the officiating potentially cost them that game.

"Worst officiating non-call mistake possibly in the history of the NBA."

So yeah ... Cuban can expect a fine to come his way, too.

Mac McClung is a full-blown superstar following his incredible performance during All-Star Weekend last month -- the guy has gone from the G League to the big screen ... starring in a commercial with Vince Carter!!

The 24-year-old high-flying baller became a household name after stealing the show at the NBA Slam Dunk Contest and taking home the hardware over Kenyon Martin Jr., Trey Murphy and Jericho Sims ... which breathed life back into the event that, as of recently, lacked excitement.

Mac has been landing a ton of endorsements following his big win ... but the coolest might be his 30-second ad for the upcoming 'Dungeons and Dragons' movie that dropped on Friday -- 'cause Vinsanity himself got involved!!

Of course, Carter was also known for his rim-rattling abilities over the course of his career ... and put together one of the most iconic dunk contest performances when he won in 2000.

Naturally, Mac was nabbed to show off his dunking skills as he jumped over CGI flames in the ad ... and at the end, Vince gives the kid props on his hops -- almost like he was passing the torch to the young hooper.

BTW -- Mac is currently balling out in the G League for the Philadelphia 76ers' Delaware Blue Coats ... averaging 20 points a game this season.

Something tells us we ain't heard the last of Mac!!

The Memphis women's basketball player who socked an opponent in the face during a handshake line following a game Thursday night has been charged with assault, TMZ Sports has learned.

According to Bowling Green State Univ. officials ... Tigers senior guard Jamirah Shutes was hit with the criminal charge on Friday morning -- roughly 12 hours after she punched BGSU player Elissa Brett during an incident following their game in the women's NIT.

The two had gotten into a verbal argument after BGSU's 73-60 win ... which led to Shutes sucker-punching the woman in the face.

Brett crumpled to the court in pain, and was later seen in tears. According to police documents, cops noticed swelling in her right eye. The school said Friday, though, she is "recovering and doing well."

It's still unclear what sparked the altercation. A police investigation is ongoing, the university said.

BGSU added in a statement that it's also "conducting its own review" into the matter ... saying, "Violence is never acceptable and our priority remains the health, safety and support of our student-athlete."

Neither Shutes nor Brett has publicly commented on it all.

Memphis Univ. did release a statement on the matter on Friday morning, calling the incident "extremely unfortunate and certainly not consistent with, or representative of, our expectations for our programs and student-athletes."

Aaron Rodgers left one small detail out when discussing his ayahuasca adventures -- at least, that's what Jake Paul is saying ... 'cause The Problem Child claims he downed the psychedelic brew with the NFL superstar!!

The YouTuber-turned-boxer spoke about the four-time MVP's approach to mental cleansing and spirituality in an interview with Fox News Digital this week ... and not only is Paul down with it, he says he's experienced it firsthand!!

"Aaron and I were actually together when we did the ayahuasca," Paul said to Fox News Digital. "He’s more publicly known for speaking about it, but I was actually there with him when we did it."

"We spent the week there doing it," he added. "Definitely share that similarity in terms of spirituality and reflecting and going into the deepest parts of the mind. Definitely have been doing some of that."

Of course, Rodgers previously praised ayahuasca ... saying it helped him "be way more free at work, as a leader, as a teammate, as a friend, as a lover. I really feel like that experience paved the way for me to have the best season of my career."

Ayahuasca isn't the only practice Paul and Rodgers agree on -- Jake also said he was planning to do a darkness retreat at some point this year, which Aaron did last month to help figure out his NFL future.

Rodgers has yet to back Paul's recount of the trip, but the boxer's got a ton of big name friends ... so it wouldn't be too surprising.

A boxer simply couldn't wait for his fight on Saturday to start going after his opponent ... 'cause he straight-up shoved the hell outta the guy during a face-off -- forcing him to fall to the ground!!

The wild moment happened between super featherweights Michael Gomez Jr. (18-1) and Levi Giles (13-0) on Friday ... as part of the weigh-ins for the Lawrence Okolie vs David Light card.

Video shows Gomez Jr. lead with his head as he goes full steam ahead toward Giles ... and when he gets within arm's reach, he pushes him to the ground.

It's safe to say Giles was not expecting the shocking move ... as he flew back a couple feet.

The two guys had to be separated by security ... but that didn't stop them from jawing back and forth as they remained on opposite ends of the stage.

Gomez Jr.'s stunt is getting mixed reviews online ... with some saying it's a great way to sell a fight -- but others think it's a bad sign if he can't keep his cool.

Warning, this isn't for the faint of heart! Olympian Lolo Jones showed off a nasty injury after an incident on the track ... which left her shin bone peaking out of her skin!

The 40-year-old hurdler and bobsledder shared videos and a photo with her IG followers on Thursday ... with the caption, "my bone sticking thru my shin."

"Trainers taking me to get X-ray see if I need surgery."

Jones didn't provide much more detail on what caused the gruesome injury except to say she was on the track when it happened, and it's GROSS!

"This hurt more than a bobsled crash," Jones said. "I would take a Bobsled crash at 90 mph over seeing my shin bone again."

There's good news, though, Jones later said she doesn't need surgery. Doctors wrapped the area and gave her a little scooter to ride around during recovery.

Of course, bone-through-skin incidents are not new to sports ... and are some of the most traumatic injuries.

Remember Louisville basketball player Kevin Ware's open fracture during the NCAA Tourney's Elite Eight in 2013?! Then there were Paul George and Gordon Hayward.

In those cases, the players were able to come back. Add to it that Lolo's seems to be far less serious, and it wouldn't be a surprise to see her kickin' ass on the track sometime very soon.

Speedy recovery, Lolo!

Ugly scene following an NCAA women's basketball game on Thursday night ... a Bowling Green State Univ. player was socked in the face in a handshake line.

The sucker punch went down just seconds after BGSU beat Memphis, 73-60, in a round of 16 game in the women's NIT.

Broadcast cameras showed Bowling Green's Elissa Brett got into some sort of argument with Memphis' Jamirah Shutes ... before Shutes reared back and threw a straight right at Brett's face.

The punch connected flush -- sending Brett crashing to the court. Shutes was immediately restrained by her coach.

Brett stayed down for several moments -- eventually bursting out into tears. She was, thankfully, ultimately able to walk off the court under her own power.

It's unclear what sparked the incident, after the game, BGSU head coach Robyn Fralick told reporters, "We’re still trying to figure out all those things out and what happened."

BGSU, meanwhile, released a statement late Thursday night saying cops are now involved in the situation.

"The incident that took place following tonight's home WNIT game has been turned over to the BGSU Police Department," the school said.

"Bowling Green State University Athletics does not make comments about active police investigations. Our priority is with the health, safety and support of our student-athletes."

U.S. Senator and former NBA star Bill Bradley is remembering his beloved teammate, Willis Reed, following the Knicks legend's tragic passing this week ... saying he'll always remember "The Captain" as "a man with great dignity and strength."

Bradley -- who served as a United States Senator of New Jersey (1979 to 1997) after retiring from the NBA -- joined Babcock on the "TMZ Sports" TV show (airs weeknights on FS1) where he talked about his teammate who remained his friend long after their playing days were over.

Of course, Reed and Bradley won two titles together ('70 & '73) during their stellar careers in The Big Apple ... but Bill believes a big reason why the Knicks took home their first title in 1970 was because Reed shocked everyone and suited up for Game 7, despite being injured.

"He was a tremendous leader," Bradley said. "And, you don't always have players who so overtly put their whole career on the line for their teammates, which is what he did in 1970."

"We won the championship and it was partly inspired by Willis' courage and dedication to his team," Bradley said. "You really just felt everything elevate in The Garden."

Bradley didn't only star on the pro level ... he was one of the greatest college basketball players ever.

His alma mater, Princeton, a #15-seed, will face #6-seed Creighton in the Sweet 16 on Friday ... after the team pulled off two upset wins over Arizona and Missouri last week.

Bradley -- an AP College Player of the Year who also won Most Outstanding Player in the NCAA tourney in 1965 -- doesn't believe the Cinderella run has to end here ... he wholeheartedly believes the Tigers can win.

"They stand a great chance," the 79-year-old said.

"They're playing seemingly well. I like the team and, of course, I respect Mitch a lot and it's great for the university."

Now, the Senator isn't guaranteeing Princeton's going to the Final Four, but like he says ... "anything is possible in sports."

Pat Sajak was simply being funny when he showed off his wrestling skills on a contestant ... so says the guy who took it on the chin, and now he's urging folks to cut the "Wheel of Fortune" host some slack.

We spoke to Fred Jackson who tells us ... as a pro wrestler and a showbiz guy, he absolutely loved the moment, and it was actually one of the highlights of the whole show! He says he's the only one who has any business being upset about it, but he's perfectly OK with it.

ICYMI, the 'Wheel' host came under fire after Tuesday's episode, where Fred revealed he's a pro wrestler ... and after he won the bonus round, PS ran over and applied a wrestling move called the "chicken wing."

Fred found it super funny and all done in jest, adding he understands if it isn't everyone's sense of humor -- but he says all the backlash against Pat is taking it too far.

BTW, Fred says the moment was absolutely not staged -- Pat had a really firm grip on him, and he claims he couldn't get loose if he tried.

No injuries, though, so ... no blood, no foul. Standard 'Wheel' rules.

Haley and Hanna Cavinder and the Univ. of Miami women's basketball team won't play in the Sweet 16 for another couple hours ... but to keep ya occupied in the meantime -- check out 16 sweet photos of the twin hoopers!!

The two Canes superstars have crushed it on the court this year, helping The U make it to the third round of the women's NCAA tournament for the second time in school history.

Haley's leading the team in scoring, averaging 12.6 points per game, while Hanna has chipped in 3.9 points, 1.4 rebounds and 1.7 assists per contest this year.

But, of course, the sisters have gained national fame for what they've done OFF the court -- as they're two of the most followed people on TikTok.

The ladies make fun vids, dancing and lip-synching -- and have amassed 4.5 MILLION followers!!

Haley and Hanna, though, won't be worrying much about social media Friday ... they've got a tall task ahead of them in Villanova coming up at 11:30 AM PT.

The No. 4-seed Wildcats are the favorite, but the No. 9-seed Hurricanes are no stranger to winning as the underdog -- they just knocked off No. 1-seed Indiana on Monday night.

Tom Brady never played for the Raiders, but he still made his way to Sin City in retirement -- the 7-time Super Bowl champion just became a part owner of the WNBA's Las Vegas Aces!!

Raiders and Aces owner Mark Davis made the announcement minutes ago ... saying, "Since I purchased the Aces, our goal has been to win on and off the court. Tom Brady is a win not only for the Aces, and the WNBA, but for women’s professional sports as a whole."

The team says TB12 first got hooked on the Aces when he had a courtside seat as LV beat the Connecticut Sun during a home game on May 31, 2022.

Brady -- who also owns a Major League Pickleball team -- released a statement on the business venture ... saying, "I am very excited to be part of the Las Vegas Aces organization."

"My love for women’s sports began at a young age when I would tag along to all my older sisters' games -- They were by far the best athletes in our house! We celebrated their accomplishments together as a family, and they remain a great inspiration to me."

Brady added he loves what the players and coaches on the Aces, as well as the league as a whole, have been able to do to improve the sport and inspire young athletes.

"To be able to contribute in any way to that mission as a member of the Aces organization is an incredible honor."

Naturally, Brady joins a winning team -- the Aces secured the WNBA championship last season.

No word on how much Brady's piece of the Aces is worth -- reports have estimated the average WNBA team to be valued at $13.7 million -- but considering the guy made a ton of money on and off the field over the course of his 23-year career, he can spot the dough.

Chevy Chase met LeBron James for the first time Wednesday night at the Suns-Lakers game -- and the two icons seemed to really hit it off, sharing a warm embrace with one another on the court at Crypto.com Arena.

Chase -- a longtime Lakers fan who frequented games during the "Showtime Era" -- was invited by Jeanie Buss and Linda Rambis, wife of Kurt Rambis, to attend the Western Conference showdown between Phoenix and L.A.

Chevy didn't get to see LeBron play -- King James is still sidelined with a foot injury -- but the 79-year-old comedian got some face time with the Lakers superstar nonetheless ... and the guys really seemed to enjoy their interaction.

Chase hit up the game with his agent, Darren Prince -- and when he wasn't chatting with LeBron, he was taking pics courtside with Jeanie, and her fiancé, actor/comedian Jay Mohr.

Chevy wasn't the only legend at the game ... rapper Lil Wayne and NFL free agent wide receiver Odell Beckham Jr. were also courtside watching Devin Booker and Chris Paul go at it with Anthony Davis.

There will be no summer renaissance for Beyoncé and Adidas this year ... the two powerhouses have mutually agreed to part ways.

The Wall Street Journal reports Beyoncé's custom clothing line Ivy Park fell WAY below its 2022 sales projections of $250 mil ... only bringing in roughly $40 mil to close out the year.

Those numbers were also considerably lower than 2021's tally of $93 million ... and fresh marketing campaigns with celebs such as Irina Shayk, Yara Shahidi, Megan Thee Stallion and current hip hop it-girl Ice Spice weren't able to rouse the public's interest at the cash register.

Before cutting ties, 2023's projections were shifted from $335 mill to $65 mill. Beyoncé's contract is finished at the end of the year but is still on track to earn her $20 mil annual salary.

What's also interesting about the split is Beyoncé is set to embark on her Renaissance World Tour ... which could've brought in huge merch sales for Ivy Park.