TMZ Sports - Page 50

Nyjah Huston isn't going to let his recent injury scare him into early retirement -- the skateboarding superstar tells TMZ Sports he plans to go all-out until he literally can't anymore ... just like Tony Hawk!!

The 28-year-old busted his ACL, partially tore his meniscus and fractured his tibia off a bad skating accident last year ... which kept him on the sidelines for months.

We spoke with Nyjah -- who's inching back to full recovery -- about how he handled the first major injury of his career ... and he said he couldn't wait to get back on his board again.

"Skateboarding is so much more to me than a job, or than making money, or making a living for myself. It really is my life and is something I plan on doing until I physically can't anymore."

"I wanna do everything I can to make sure I can make that happen and make sure I'm gonna be like, 50, 60 years old still grinding rails out there."

Of course, Hawk is known for crushing it even at 54 years old ... and Nyjah says that's exactly how he's trying to be in a couple decades.

Mike Perry and Luke Rockhold are taking off the gloves ... the MMA stars are fighting bare-knuckled, and Platinum believes the former UFC champion is underestimating him in a big way!

"I do think he is in for a rude awakening because I don't think he thinks I have what it takes [to beat him]. I think he thinks so highly of himself that he's just too big for me," 31-year-old Perry told TMZ Sports this week.

FYI, Luke has a few-inch height advantage, and likely a few pounds on Mike, too.

Perry continued ... "I'm looking to be ferocious and jump all over him quickly. Bareknuckle is not like normal boxing where the fight really starts around the 6th round. These are 5 to 6, 2-minute rounds."

In other words ... except violence as soon as the bell sounds.

"I'm gonna try to cut him up a lot and make him quit," adding ... "I'm gonna try to hurt him badly, quickly."

Platinum, 2-0 in Bare Knuckle Fighting Championship (one of those wins came against Michael "Venom" Page), also plans to give Luke a new nickname.

"Luke Out-Cold."

And, Perry and Rockhold aren't the only big names on the BKFC 41 card ... 'cause former UFC champions Eddie Alvarez and Chad Mendes are also fighting.

We also talked to Mendes ahead of what is his second bare-knuckle scrap (Chad won a fight last February), but Alvarez is certainly a step up in competition.

This time around, Chad tells us he has a secret weapon to reduce cuts ... a side effect when bare-knuckle boxing.

His secret ... pickle juice! 🥒

Former Kentucky star Will Levis didn't have his name called during the first night of the NFL draft ... but there's a bit of a silver lining for the quarterback -- 'cause he was in the presence of his smokin' hot girlfriend!!

The 23-year-old QB prospect -- who was expected to be picked early in Thursday's event -- spent his entire evening in the green room, patiently waiting for his phone to ring.

As the night went on, television cameras continued to cut to Levis and his group of loved ones ... which included his parents, sisters, and girlfriend, Gia Duddy.

Naturally, social media erupted over Levis' lady ... with many tweeting about her whenever she'd make an appearance on their screens.

FYI -- Will and Gia went Instagram official back in 2021 ... and based on her posts, she was his biggest cheerleader throughout his college career.

But, it wasn't just Gia who was getting a lot of love -- Levis' sister, Kelley, was also the center of a bunch of posts from football fans.

The good news for those watching the draft?? Night two is just a few hours away ... and we're sure the whole crew will be back to support Levis when his name finally gets called.

Bam Margera says he's sworn off drinking on the heels of several concerning incidents in his personal life ... stating he's also tested clean for meth, after his brother accused him of being hooked on the dangerous substance.

Bam put out a series of statements Friday, first saying, "Well my brother made false accusations of me being on meth. But when I wear to god and Phoenix the wolfs life I’m not, I went with my lawyers to urgent care. Guess what Jesse margera. The results are negative. Now you will be evicted from castlebam sooner than later. Get your f***in s*** out HOMOner. Oh wait… not no more"

Jess accused Bam of being on meth and hallucinating earlier in the week when he was still on the run from cops ... a claim that's clearly gotten under Bam's skin. Bam denied these allegations and threatened to sue him for defamation and evict Jess from his home.

Bam also says for the sake of his son, Phoenix, he's done drinking, saying, "I have been through official termoil with my family."

What's more ... he praises his current girlfriend, Jessica, for having his back through his recent drama, saying, "For once I am not dating a hot dog strutting floozy." Also praising Jessica for helping him retain attorney Michael van der Veen in helping him with his ongoing case with his brother.

Finally, Bam takes a shot at his ex-wife, Missy Margera, who he believes tried to help the cops in finding him when he was on the run this past week.

As we reported, Bam turned himself in Thursday after 4 days on the run from the cops after his brother claimed Bam not only assaulted him, but threatened to shoot him dead.

Former NFL safety William Moore is admitting to shooting at a woman's car during an altercation at a Georgia park last weekend ... but he claims he was actually the victim in the case.

The ex-Atlanta Falcons defensive back was arrested on Sunday in Lawrenceville ... after a woman told cops he shot at her car following a playground dispute that her 9-year-old niece had with Moore's young daughter.

According to a police report, the woman alleged Moore got so angry over the situation, he opened fire on her ride while her niece and her son were in the back seat. Moore was ultimately taken into custody ... and booked on several charges, including aggravated assault and criminal damage to property.

But, on Friday, Moore's attorney said in a statement to TMZ Sports the former football player only fired his gun because he was concerned the woman was trying to ram her car into his, potentially causing injury to him and his family.

"William took his two young children and his dog to the park to play," Matthew D. Crosby said. "After watching an older and larger female child assault his daughter, he attempted to speak to the lady that was with the girl to address the child’s behavior."

"William parked his car, got out and approached her driver’s side window to talk. She responded by putting her car in reverse and slamming it into William’s car right where his young son was sitting."

Crosby continued, "It was not until she pulled forward and was preparing to crash into his car again that he produced his gun. William was terrified that his children would be seriously hurt or killed if he did not act immediately. So, he shot at her car’s tire and away from the occupants, attempting to disable her vehicle and prevent further deadly threats to his children."

Crosby went on to say that Moore "adamantly denies the charges and looks forward to his day in court to give his side of the story."

Brazilian soccer legend Pelé has received yet another honor four months after his passing -- his name was added to the Portuguese dictionary as an adjective with a definition only fitting for a G.O.A.T.

The three-time World Cup winner's name was added to the Michaelis, a brand of dictionaries published in Brazil, after a campaign by his foundation to include his name garnered more than 100,000 signatures.

"That or someone who is out of the ordinary, who or who by virtue of their quality, value or superiority cannot be equaled to anything or anyone, just like Pelé," the definition reads.

"Edson Arantes do Nascimento (1940-2022), considered to be the greatest athlete of all time; exceptional, incomparable, unique."

Pelé's definition drives home the point that he was beyond exceptional at his craft while paying homage to the remarkable career he had on the pitch for Brazil.

As we reported, Pelé -- born Edson Arantes do Nascimento -- died last December at a hospital in São Paulo ... surrounded by his loved ones after a lengthy battle with cancer.

Pelé was initially diagnosed with cancer in 2021 ... and spent his final two years in and out of medical facilities, valiantly fighting the disease.

In 1958, Pelé -- widely regarded as one of the greatest scorers ever -- won his first World Cup when he was 17 ... and captured another two titles for Brazil in 1962 and 1970.

A baseball signed by President John F. Kennedy during an historic trip to Venezuela in late-1961 is up for auction, one of the most coveted presidential John Hancocks, and the ball could sell for upwards of $200K!

The Spalding "Associacion Venezuela de Baseball Professional" ball that SCP Auctions is selling was signed on December 18, 1961, shy of two years before Kennedy's tragic death, when the first-term president traveled to meet Venezuelan president Rómulo Betancourt.

A newspaper reporter named Julio Messuti carried around the ball for days, hoping JFK would sign it ... and as the trip drew to a close, he got his chance, somehow getting by Secret Service and reaching Kennedy, who signed the ball.

The paper El Universal published a photo of POTUS signing the ball.

There's a massive market for baseballs signed by U.S. presidents -- the rarer, the better -- and there aren't that many JFK-signed balls that have been authenticated.

"As far as sports memorabilia goes, there is high interest in baseballs signed by our past Presidents, with the game being America's National pastime going back over 125+ years," David Kohler, SCP president, told us.

"JFK signed baseballs are some of the rarest in all the collecting community with only a handful ever authenticated by the foremost experts."

As we reported in 2020, Donald Trump signed baseballs were selling in the $2,000 to $3,000 price range -- a stark contrast from the $1,000 price point memorabilia shops were getting when he first assumed the White House in 2017 -- despite his polarizing persona.

There have already been 9 bids for the ball ... with the top number currently at $53,594.

Kevin Durant is gonna "do it" for the rest of his life -- the NBA superstar just signed a contract with Nike that will keep him with the shoe giant until he takes his last breath.

The two sides announced the massive news on Friday ... saying they're both thrilled to be attached at the hip for decades to come.

"When I first signed with Nike, I couldn’t have dreamed of how far we’d go in this partnership," KD said, via Boardroom.

"We’ve done amazing work creatively and philanthropically. We’ve traveled the world together and built a business that will now last forever. I’m excited for the future and honored to be in rare company with this deal."

The 34-year-old NBA champion first teamed up with the Swoosh as a rookie in 2007 ... and has released 15 signature shoes over the course of his career.

KD's contract is super rare, but not unheard of -- the only other athletes to get the honor are Michael Jordan and LeBron James.

Not only will the brand continue to release KD shoes and merch, but it will also continue to help with his foundation and initiatives to expand the game of basketball to communities throughout the world.

Two California high school baseball teams got into a massive brawl during a game earlier this week -- and it grew into such a large melee on the diamond, cops tell TMZ Sports they're now investigating it all.

The fight erupted after Norwalk H.S. beat Mayfair H.S., 3-2, on Wednesday in Lakewood, which is about 25 miles south of downtown Los Angeles.

The victory meant the Norwalk Lancers swept Mayfair and would advance in the playoffs ... and in order to celebrate the occasion, one of the Lancers' players brought a broom to the postgame handshake line.

Fans in the crowd, though, didn't appreciate the sweep taunt ... and you can hear in footage from the scene, one person yelled, "Put your broom in the dugout! Respect the game!"

Mayfair players clearly didn't like it either ... and seconds later, an all-out brawl between both teams erupted.

At one point, parents even got in the middle of it ... with some calling players on the field derogatory names.

A different angle of the fight shows several players threw punches in the skirmish ... and on Friday, the Lakewood Sheriff’s Department told us officers did ultimately respond to the scene and an investigation is now underway.

The California Interscholastic Federation and officials from the two schools said they're still gathering information on the unfortunate incident ... and a punishment could come down at a later date.

Terrifying moment during an independent wrestling match last weekend ... a wrestler accidentally set himself on fire while trying to perform a stunt -- and suffered significant burns to his face and body in the process.

It all happened at XPW Wrestling's deathmatch event in Pomona, Calif. on April 22 ... when MASADA was attempting to blow a fireball at his opponent.

Video of the match -- a no-holds-barred contest where weapons are allowed -- shows MASADA grabbed a flaming torch, poured a substance in his mouth ... and then tried to blow the liquid and the ensuing flames at his counterpart.

The problem? The stunt somehow went awry ... and the fire went everywhere, swarming MASADA's entire upper body.

In footage of the match, you can see the flames engulfed the wrestler's face, chest and shoulders for several moments before they were mercifully extinguished.

Somehow, MASADA ended up finishing the contest ... but he raced to the hospital immediately afterward, and was diagnosed with first- and second-degree burns all over his body.

The 41-year-old told TMZ Sports on Friday he's still in the burn unit at a nearby medical facility recovering ... adding, "My face is healing up fast, just the rest is going to take a while."

As for what happened during the fire mishap, MASADA told us, "I've done that spot a lot when I wrestled in Japan, but it was rushed and I think being outside had something to do with it."

MASADA expects to be out of the squared circle for a bit ... but he said there are no plans to hang up his wrestling boots anytime soon despite it all.

Coach Monica Aldama, known from the hit Netflix series "Cheer," is pushing back on the claims and lawsuit against her ... saying in no way did she try to silence one of her cheerleader's claims of sexual assault.

Aldama tells TMZ ... she's "heartbroken by the false allegations" made against her by former Navarro College and cheer squad member Madi Lane -- adding the safety of her students is a top priority.

Aldama says she worked "year after year" to keep Navarro Cheer a safe space, adding she'd never remain silent about sexual assault claims "if I were aware that any sexual misconduct occurred in the Cheer program."

Navarro College, which is also getting sued by Lane, echoed Aldama's denial -- with a rep telling us it's prepared to "vigorously defend itself in court."

As we reported, Lane claims she was sexually assaulted by a fellow teammate in 2021 during her freshman year ... saying she brought it to Aldama's attention, but was allegedly told, "If you keep quiet, I’ll make sure you can cheer anywhere you want."

It's safe to say Jason Kelce loved the Eagles' first pick in the 2023 NFL Draft ... 'cause when his team selected Jalen Carter, he chugged a beer with Birds fans in the building!!

The awesome moment was caught on the live TV broadcast ... which took place Thursday night in Kansas City.

You can see the great Eagles' center was extra hyped after Philly traded up to the No. 9 pick to get the Georgia Bulldogs defensive tackle ... and to celebrate, Kelce took down a cold one right in front of the cameras.

But, it wasn't the only time the Super Bowl champ chugged a beer on camera ... he did it again, disappearing an entire bottle of beer in seconds while fans cheered him on.

Kelce -- who was drafted by the Eagles in the 6th round of the 2011 NFL Draft -- seemingly loved the pick, as Carter was considered one of, if not the best player in this year's draft.

During his last season at Georgia, Carter had 32 tackles, 3 sacks, and 2 forced fumbles. He was also named First-team All-SEC and Unanimous All-American in 2022.

He also won two CFP championships with the Bulldogs.

"He has all the talent in the world, and I’m happy for him and our team," Kelce said on Instagram. "Welcome to Philadelphia big man!!"

The Celtics' closeout win over the Hawks on Thursday was apparently bittersweet for Jayson Tatum ... who admitted after the game he was kinda pissed it ultimately forced Janet Jackson to postpone one of her concerts.

Just after Boston took down Trae Young's squad in Game 6 of the Celts' playoff series with Atlanta, Tatum got on the courtside microphone ... and said he was sorry to Jackson.

If you're unfamiliar, because Boston didn't beat the Hawks in Game 5 ... the two teams had to return to State Farm Arena on the same night Jackson was supposed to perform as part of her "Together Again" tour. The decision was made to move her show to Friday night so the NBA playoff game could be played.

Tatum was clearly bothered by it all ... because after he helped the C's to a 128-120 win -- he told NBA on TNT, "I want to say an apology to the legend Janet Jackson."

"We were supposed to close out in Boston and she had to postpone her show. I hope she sees this. I apologize for that."

No word yet from Jackson on the matter ... but we're sure she appreciates the shoutout nonetheless.

As for where Tatum goes from here ... Boston's next series against the Sixers will begin on Monday -- leaving him plenty of time to potentially catch one of Jackson's three shows this weekend.

James Harden didn't exactly use at least one of his days off between NBA playoff series for relaxation ... TMZ Sports has learned the 76ers star was involved in a dispute with a man outside of a Las Vegas hotel and casino earlier this week.

According to video we obtained, Harden was at an entrance to the Flamingo on the Strip at around 1:25 AM on Monday -- just two days after Philadelphia won its opening-round playoff series over the Nets in Brooklyn -- when he got into an argument.

The footage shows the Sixers point guard yelled at the man ... before he tapped the guy's chest and smacked his face.

Our sources tell us the man in the video is a member of Harden's crew ... and after the exchange, the two went about their night as if nothing happened.

It's unclear what all kick-started the confrontation -- but witnesses told us once Harden noticed people were watching nearby ... the basketball player and the man he was quarreling with headed inside of the building together.

A Las Vegas Metropolitan Police Dept. spokesperson tells us officers were not called to the scene ... saying on Wednesday, "We have had no incidents involving James Harden reported to the LVMPD."

Lamar Odom is reaching out his hand to Bam Margera in the midst of all his substance abuse and legal problems, saying he's more than happy to help, free of charge, if the reality star allows it.

We caught up with the former NBA star in Manhattan Beach, CA and he offered some advice for the former "Jackass" star ... hours after Bam turned himself in to PA cops for allegedly assaulting his brother.

Lamar says, his first piece of advice is for Bam to lean into religion -- if it's something in his life -- to help him during his troubles. LO also personally invited BM to one of the 3 wellness centers he co-owns and operates, called Odom Wellness Treatment Centers, to address substance and drug abuse problems ... reminding us, he's been through it too.

As we reported, Bam surrendered Thursday to face charges in Pennsylvania for allegedly attacking his brother, Jess, last weekend. Cops say he threatened to put a bullet in Jess' head before going on the run. Bam denies that's how the story unfolded.

Regardless, he's been dealing with a ton of issues lately -- most of them seemingly tied to his addiction and mental health issues.

As we reported, the 2-time NBA champ acquired 3 rehab centers in Southern California and is now on a mission to help others in need. You'll recall, LO overdosed at a Nevada brothel in 2015 and suffered kidney failure, heart attacks, and several strokes ... but he's been able to turn his life around.

Lamar says he's welcoming Bam with open arms if, and only if, he wants the help. He left off with a simple message to BM ... "I love him and just stay strong."

Turns out, Jalen Carter's legal woes didn't impact his NFL draft status that much at all ... the former Univ. of Georgia star was just selected by the Eagles with the No. 9 overall pick.

Commissioner Roger Goodell announced Philadelphia's selection minutes ago in Kansas City ... sharing a big hug with the 22-year-old on stage -- a somewhat surprising scene, considering Carter's tumultuous March.

You'll recall, while the defensive lineman was in Indianapolis for the NFL's annual scouting combine back on March 1 ... authorities in Georgia issued a warrant for his arrest.

Officials alleged he had been racing a UGA football assistant moments before her fatal car crash in January ... and charged him with one count of misdemeanor reckless driving and one count of misdemeanor racing.

With the case still lingering over his head two weeks later, Carter showed up to UGA pro day on March 15 ... and struggled.

While the football player eventually reached a plea deal with prosecutors to close out his reckless driving case on March 16 ... many had expected it all to impact where the blue-chip prospect could fall during Thursday night's first round.

In fact, ex-NFL general manager Michael Lombardi told TMZ Sports he'd have "a lot of concern" picking the guy.

But, Carter ultimately went right around where he was expected to be picked before the charges were levied ... and he's now slated to sign a 4-year deal in Philly worth more than $23 million.