TMZ Sports - Page 50

Jake Paul is getting his wish -- the Problem Child will enter the boxing ring with ex-UFC superstar Nate Diaz later this year ... TMZ Sports has learned.

We're told the massive event is slated to go down on Aug. 5 in Dallas, TX ... and will be put on by Jake's Most Valuable Promotions and Nate's Real Fight Inc. The bout will be a DAZN Pay-Per-View.

Jake just posted about the fight ... saying, "August 5th we commemorate the funeral for Nathaniel Diaz as we send him in casket back to Dana [White]."

"Refreshments will be provided at the service. Black Tie Attire."

As we previously reported, Jake has wanted to fight Nate for some time now ... even challenging him to a boxing match AND an MMA fight after announcing his partnership with the Professional Fighters League.

He even told us on two separate occasions in 2022 he wanted Diaz ... even calling him out after beating Anderson Silva in October.

This will be Jake's first fight since losing to Tommy Fury via split decision in February ... and Nate's pro boxing debut.

Nate -- who recently became a combat free agent after his UFC contract expired -- has a long list of impressive wins over the course of his MMA career ... including victories over Conor McGregor, Tony Ferguson, Cowboy Cerrone and Anthony Pettis.

As for Jake, he's beaten former UFC stars Ben Askren, Silva and Tyron Woodley, as well as Nate Robinson and AnEsonGib.

Angel Reese > Shaquille O'Neal
Angel Reese > Joe Burrow
Angel Reese > "Pistol" Pete Maravich
Angel Reese > Justin Jefferson
Angel Reese > Y.A. Tittle
Angel Reese > Odell Beckham Jr.

"[Angel Reese's] probably the greatest athlete ever to come out of LSU Sports," Shaquille O'Neal said on "The Big Podcast with Shaq," doubling down, saying, "Did you hear what I just said? Male and female."

It's not surprising that Shaq is super high on Angel. The Big Fella had her back in a major way when people got on the newly crowned NCAA champ for taunting Caitlin Clark with John Cena's "You Can't See Me" gesture.

LSU is known for its marquis athletes, past and present. Legends. Hall of Famers.

In addition to the guys up top, Patrick Peterson, Andrew Whitworth, Alan Faneca, Kevin Mawae, Ja'Marr Chase, Jamal Adams, Alex Bregman, Todd Walker, Tyrann Mathieu, Lolo Jones, Bob Pettit and so many more went to LSU.

Shaq -- who starred for the Tigers from 1989-1992 -- said he puts Reese ahead of other notable LSU athlete alums, including himself ... because she won a national championship for the university.

"She delivered that package," Shaq said. "It's a lot of names you can throw around, men and women, but she's probably the greatest athlete."

FYI, Reese averaged 23 points, 15.4 rebounds, and 2.3 assists this season.

"Some people are going to exclude it to women athletes," O'Neal said. "I'm not doing that. She's the greatest athlete to ever come out of LSU because she got it done. Joe Burrow got it done a couple of years ago, but she's way more athletic than he is."

Major League Baseball games have been a half-hour shorter under the sport's new rules, and it's awesome ... but there's one unintended consequence teams are dealing with -- lost money from missed beer sales!

And, because businesses don't like losing money, several teams around the league have extended the traditional 7th-inning beer sale cutoff time, allowing suds to be sold into the 8th inning.

Of course, MLB instituted a pitch clock this season, representing the largest rule change in decades (it's been a smash hit), producing games 31 minutes shorter than last season. Naturally, shorter games mean less time to sell concessions like beer, and sales are down.

The Milwaukee Brewers were the first organization to make a move (it makes sense) ... now allowing fans to purchase cold ones through the end of the 8th inning.

Brewers president of operations Rick Schlesinger recently vowed to go back to the old policy if the new rules caused any safety issues, saying ... “If it turns out that this is causing an issue or we feel that it might cause an issue, then we’ll revert to what we have done previously.”

Since the Brewers tweaked their policy, other teams have followed, including the Texas Rangers, Arizona Diamondbacks, and Minnesota Twins. All three squads are allowing beer sales through the 8th.

Now, other teams are also considering making a similar move.

Beer sales, and when they occur, aren't something MLB regulates. Years ago, most teams adopted the 7th inning cutoff as a way to reduce the likelihood of drunk people driving home after the game.

However, with the extension, and the games already being shorter, it's possible fans could be served a beer, and be behind the wheel of a car just a short time later.

Mothers Against Drunk Driving (MADD) also weighed in, saying their concern is no one drive impaired.

“If it cuts off sales in the seventh inning, the eighth inning or the ninth inning, that really doesn’t affect our stance because regardless, we just don’t want people to drink alcohol and then drive home from the game,” a MADD executive said.

Tristan Thompson's back in the NBA and back in the L.A. club scene with his brother-in-Kardashian/Jenner-dom, Corey Gamble -- they soaked up some nightlife after the Lakers took home a big fat W.

Kris Jenner's bae and Khloe Kardashian's baby daddy headed to Bird Streets Club in WeHo to celebrate Tristan's new team, the Lakers, defeating the Timberwolves to earn a spot in the NBA playoffs. They left together around 1 AM Wednesday ... in a chauffeur-driven Maybach. Nice!

Neither guy had much to say as they exited, but gotta figure they were in good spirits after the W. Shout out to Corey's stylist, 'cause dude was rocking an eye-popping Lakers gold silk leisure suit as he sat courtside.

Tristan didn't see any playing time during his first game back from retirement.

Obviously, playing in L.A. means Tristan's closer to Khloe, too ... and as we reported, the duo's been spending time together recently -- even hitting up a McDonald's drive-thru together.

BTW .. today is Tristan and Khloe's daughter True's birthday -- so, we're guessing he and Corey were hashing out gift ideas last night.

It was cloudy with a chance of hotdogs at the Philadelphia Phillies game on Tuesday -- 'cause some fans in attendance decided to turn Dollar Dog Night into a huge food fight!!

The wild scene went down as the home team fell to the Miami Marlins at Citizens Bank Park ... a game where more than 58,000 tube steaks were purchased by a sold-out crowd as part of the promotion of the night.

The bargain was a massive hit with fans ... as the lines for the concession stands wrapped around the concourse as people waited an impressive amount of time to get their hands on some wieners.

But when the Phillies failed to give the spectators a win, a ton of people decided to chuck their extra franks into the air ... which resulted in a truly chaotic moment.

No word on whether anyone was kicked out or in trouble for the stunt ... but throwing anything at games is a big no-no.

49ers cornerback Charvarius Ward is thanking fans for their support after his 5-month-old daughter made it out of open-heart surgery on Tuesday ... saying his baby girl is "on the road to recovery."

The Super Bowl champ revealed the serious news via his Instagram this week ... saying his baby girl, Amani Joi, had to get the procedure done, and asked everyone to "pray for my lil one!!"

The 26-year-old provided an update hours later ... saying she was out of surgery and doing well.

"Thanks everybody for the prayers & support," Ward said via IG. "Thanks for the love 💜💜."

Ward's girlfriend, Monique, gave birth to Amani last November ... which was five weeks ahead of her due date.

The cornerback was in Colorado Springs with his team at the time ... as they were on their way to play the Cardinals in Mexico City when he got the call. He then rushed to Memphis to be by Monique's side.

Ward told The Athletic after Amani was born, he held her for only a few minutes before she was placed in ICU.

Ward eventually made it to the 49ers vs. Cardinals game ... and had 10 total tackles in the 38-10 win.

"I feel like already my baby has given me more heart -- more love in my heart, more love in my body," he said to The Athletic. "Not only for her but for other people as well."

Tons of celebrities made sure they were in attendance for the Lakers' play-in game Tuesday night ... and they no doubt were glad they came -- 'cause L.A. won in an instant classic!!

Tennis legend John McEnroe had courtside seats for the playoff-clinching game with the Timberwolves at Crypto.com Arena -- as did Michael B. Jordan, Jimmy Iovine and Corey Gamble.

All were treated to a helluva contest ... as L.A. and Minnesota went back and forth for about three hours -- before LeBron James' squad came out on top in overtime, 108-102.

It took a herculean effort from the Lakers superstar to get his team the victory -- the 38-year-old led all scorers with 30 points ... and was a huge reason L.A. came back from down 15 to secure its spot in the playoffs.

The win was massive for Bron's team ... if they had lost -- they would have had to play the winner of Wednesday's Oklahoma City vs. New Orleans matchup in what would have been a do-or-die game for the last spot in the playoffs.

Now, however, they're safely in ... and will play a series against the Memphis Grizzlies to try to continue their advance in the postseason.

Other celebs in attendance for the big L.A. win included Al Michaels -- who looked super chipper outside the arena before the game began.

Film producer Jeffrey Katzenberg, singer Rosalia and comedian Sebastian Maniscalco were all there as well.

The March altercation between Jake Paul and Floyd Mayweather might have been a little more stressful than it initially appeared ... because new police video, obtained by TMZ Sports, shows a cop actually had to rush Paul to safety amid the chaotic confrontation.

The dustup went down outside of the Kaseya Center in Miami following the Heat vs. Cavaliers game on March 8 ... and in the new footage, you can see police seemed to be very concerned a real fight could break out between Paul, Mayweather and their entourages.

The video shows Floyd approached Paul first in the street near the arena ... before getting into a verbal spat with the social media star and his friends.

As the guys were arguing, an officer on the scene called for backup -- saying there could be "a fight" with "a couple celebrities." Seconds later, Jake can be seen in the footage taking off.

That's when the video shows a Miami Police Dept. officer racing toward Paul to make sure he was safe.

The cop can be seen in the footage ushering the 26-year-old back inside the NBA arena -- making sure no one followed. As he was taking Paul for cover, the YouTuber-turned-boxer told the cop, "They're trying to jump me."

For several minutes, the cop guarded the door as Paul and his team waited inside the building for a car to take them away from the area.

You can hear in the footage they believed Floyd had around 50 people with him.

Eventually, Paul made it out of the area without further issue.

Jake later took to social media to blast Floyd for running up on him with a bunch of his guards and his friends. Floyd's jeweler, meanwhile, told TMZ Sports later in March that Paul was "exaggerating" about the whole situation.

The Air Jordan 13s worn by Michael Jordan during the 1998 NBA Finals sold for $2,238,000 ... the highest price ever paid at auction for a pair of sneakers!!

Sotheby's announced the historic sale of the iconic kicks on Tuesday ... rocked by MJ during the pivotal Game 2 matchup against the Utah Jazz. With the Bulls down 1-0 in the series, Jordan lived up to his clutch reputation, scoring 37 points with five rebounds and three assists in the pivotal game, evening the series at 1 game a piece.

Jordan sported the Bred -- shorthand for black and red -- AJs routinely throughout his career, but make no mistake, this pair is rare. They're the only complete set (left and right shoe) worn by Michael during a Finals game.

Sotheby's says MeiGray, the official authenticator of the NBA, used photo matching to verify the sneakers, originally gifted to a ball boy after the game, were the real deal.

The ball boy previously unloaded the shoes and was not the consignor.

The whopping sale price, despite it being shocking, wasn't necessarily a surprise. Experts predicted the kicks would bring in between $2 and $4 MILLION.

The record-setting sale comes just days after the movie "Air," starring Ben Affleck as Nike founder Phil Knight, and Matt Damon, portraying talent scout Sonny Vaccaro, hit theatres. The film tells the story of MJ's signing with the Swoosh.

Michael's original deal with Nike was worth around $2.5 million ... and 39 years later, a single pair of Jordan's sold for nearly the entire value of his OG deal.

NFL draft prospect Michael Jefferson -- widely considered one of the 30 best receivers in the 2023 class -- was involved in a fatal car crash on Sunday night ... one that reportedly left him with significant injuries.

Alabama Law Enforcement Agency officials tell TMZ Sports ... the accident occurred on U.S. 43 in Mobile County, Ala. at around 7:55 PM -- when a 55-year-old man who was driving a 2014 Dodge Charger collided head-on with Jefferson's 2019 Chevrolet Impala.

Authorities say following the initial collision, a 2008 Nissan Maxima also struck the Dodge. The driver of the Dodge, officials tell us, was not wearing a seat belt and was pronounced dead at the scene.

Jefferson's agent, Jon Perzley of Sportstars, told ESPN's Adam Schefter on Tuesday his client was injured in the wreck ... and "required multiple surgeries."

It's not clear yet how it will impact the 23-year-old's football career.

ALEA officials, meanwhile, tell us troopers are still investigating the accident.

Jefferson, who began his college career at Alabama State, was a star Louisiana last season -- logging 51 catches for 810 yards and seven TDs. He showed up to the NFL's combine in Indianapolis last month and performed well, running a 4.56 40-yard dash.

Some experts had the 6-foot-3 wideout projected to be a mid-round pick in this month's draft.

It seems like everything is good between Kyle Anderson and Rudy Gobert ... 'cause the two Minnesota Timberwolves teammates "hashed it out" after their on-court altercation on Sunday.

Anderson -- who signed with the Wolves last July -- told reporters on Tuesday that he spoke with Gobert right after the 3-time Defensive Player of the Year punched him during a timeout in their matchup against the Pelicans.

"We definitely hashed it out," the 29-year-old said. "That happens all the time in sports."

"I feel like people are acting like they've never seen it before. We're grown men. We're able to put it behind us."

Anderson continued ... saying he doesn't want the incident to be blown out of proportion.

"We're teammates at the end of the day. I don't want it to be a Kyle vs. Rudy thing. That's never the case. I always got my teammates' back, and we moved on."

Despite them making peace, the 7'1" center received a crucial one-game suspension from the Wolves and will miss the play-in tournament game against the Lakers on Tuesday.

This is a big blow for Minnesota as Gobert is their star player ... and averages 13.4 points and 11.6 rebounds per game. Wolves forward Jaden McDaniels is also out after fracturing his hand from punching the wall in Sunday's game.

Gilbert Burns is sorry.

The UFC star, talking to TMZ Sports just days after his impressive win over Jorge Masvidal at UFC 287, says he wants to apologize to the newly retired fighter ... after Durinho accused Gamebred of an ol' veteran trick, greasing his body with lotion, making him hard to take down.

"I would like to take this moment to apologize, I kind of make a couple of accusations to him after the fight. There were a lot of emotions. He was super slippery," Gilbert tells us, continuing, "But I don't want to throw nothing bad on the guy. The guy had an amazing career. Made a lot of money. BMF champ."

"Fought for the title many times. So I don't want to throw anything bad on the guy. I would love to send apology to him, to his team. I think I make a mistake making an accusation and I hope he accepts my apology."

Of course, 36-year-old Burns beat 38-year-old Masvidal by unanimous decision in the co-main event on Saturday ... but believed he could've gotten the finish, if Jorge hadn't cheated by greasing up his body, making it near impossible to take him down.

"That guy was freaking slippery. That’s an old dog, Miami trick with the lotion, because he was so slippery," Burns said after the fight.

Asked directly if he believed Jorge lathered himself up with something slippery, Gilbert didn't mince his words.

"100 percent, I do believe [he lotioned his body]. I know those old tricks. They wake up on [Saturday] and take the first shower, and they put a lot of lotion on their body," Gilbert explained, adding, "The skin absorbs the lotion, and then after three hours, you do it again, and then after you do it again, then after you do it again."

Masvifdal didn't take too kindly to the allegation ... saying instead of lotion, it was GB's "f***ing sh***y" technique.

Bottom line -- Jorge and Gilbert have respect for one another, and with the apology, it's likely whatever little beef existed has now been squashed.

We talked to Burns about much more (after 15 minutes fighting him, is Masvidal washed?) ... and how he's gearing up to prepare to be the backup for Leon Edwards vs. Colby Covington's title fight.

Burns says he'll be ready to jump in if one of the men can't fight ... and if they do make it to the Octagon, Gilbert says he wants Colby to win.

But, not because he likes him ... Burns wants to beat Covington for the title!

Golf superstar Paige Spiranac went balls-out for a new advertising campaign -- completely ditching her clothes and jumping into a bathtub full of product to promote new golf balls!!

The viral sensation -- who boasts a whopping 3.7 million followers on Instagram -- showed off the steamy ad on her page on Tuesday ... simply captioning the post, "Got balls?"

As it turns out, the photo shoot was in collaboration with L.A. Golf, which just dropped its newest batch of balls.

The pics pay homage to former LPGA star Jan Stephenson, who famously posed nude in a tub of balls back in the '80s, which was pretty controversial at the time.

"Took inspiration from the legend herself!" Paige said. "We are working on something special to honor her. I love to recreate images from women who have inspired me and also give credit where it is due. Jan is the OG."

Spiranac shot to fame over the past few years for her golf/modeling content ... and was even named Maxim's World's Sexiest Woman in January 2022.

Before that, she posed for the Sports Illustrated Swimsuit issue!!

Brittney Griner is ready to open up about her harrowing time spent in captivity inside a Russian penal colony.

The 32-year-old, 8x WNBA All-Star has inked a deal with publisher Alfred A. Knopf to write a still-untitled memoir which they say will take a deep dive into Griner's nearly one-year stay in a Moscow-area penal colony.

"For the first time Griner recounts the tumultuous events of 2022 that both reshaped her life and captured the world’s attention: Griner’s arrest at the Sheremetyevo Airport in Moscow on February 17, followed by her detention, trial, and imprisonment in Russia," Knopf says about the book, slated to be released mid-next year.

Of course, Griner, arrested and charged for bringing vape cartridges into the country, was ultimately found guilty on the drug charge, and sentenced to 9 years behind bars. But, after months of negotiation, the U.S. agreed to a prisoner exchange, sending back notorious arms dealer Viktor Bout for BG's release.

Knopf, publisher behind Andre Agassi's bio, Open, says Griner will discuss everything from being arrested to going on trial "in vivid detail." She will also write about her "surreal time living in a foreign prison and the terrifying aspects of day-to-day life in a women’s penal colony."

“I arrived in Moscow to rejoin the UMMC Ekaterinburg basketball team and was immediately detained at the airport. That day was the beginning of an unfathomable period in my life which only now am I ready to share,” Griner says of the project.

Brittney continued ... “After an incredibly challenging 10 months in detainment, I am grateful to have been rescued and to be home. Readers will hear my story and understand why I’m so thankful for the outpouring of support from people across the world."

In addition to the memoir, which will mark the first time Griner has talked about her harrowing experience in-depth, there will be a companion children's book released in the future.

Things appear to be smooth sailing for Larsa Pippen and Marcus Jordan -- the couple couldn't get enough of each other while aboard a boat in Miami this week ... and we got the pics!!

Larsa and MJ were spotted cruising on a massive yacht and socializing with a handful of friends ... but made sure to get some private time during the outing -- which, naturally, involved a lot of PDA.

The couple cozied up on a sofa as they shared a few smooches and had a passionate chat ... proving their love for each other is still going strong after several months.

Pippen and Jordan have ramped up their relationship after deciding to go public late last year ... and seem to be damn near inseparable at this point.

In fact, the two can't stop raving about each other on social media ... with Larsa posting a tribute to Marcus on Monday, saying "To the moon and back."

The Cavinder twins' days on a college hardwood are over ... Haley and Hanna revealed Monday they're forgoing their fifth years of NCAA eligibility -- and will pursue "a new chapter" in their lives.

The two -- who have amassed millions of followers on their social media accounts since transferring to the Univ. of Miami this past offseason -- made the announcement in an emotional statement on Instagram.

They thanked their Canes teammates and the university -- particularly for the way they were accepted after they came in from Fresno State in 2022 -- but said simply they're looking forward to life after basketball.

The move is surprising -- considering the two had helped The U make it to the Elite 8 of the women's NCAA tournament this year ... and appeared to have a great shot of repeating the feat in 2024 if they came back for their last year of eligibility.

But, of course, the twins have all kinds of options now at their feet with basketball over.

The women are social media darlings -- making fun videos of them dancing and lip-synching that fans have loved. They're also budding fitness gurus.

And, they've been considered potential candidates to join the WWE, too.

Neither girl expounded on what is exactly next for them in their announcement Monday -- choosing only to say goodbye to the sport they've loved for nearly two decades.