TMZ Sports - Page 50

LeBron James' high school superstar son, Bronny, just revealed where he will suit up next season -- he has committed to play for the USC Trojans.

The 18-year-old dropped an Instagram post to share the news minutes ago ... simply saying, "Fight On #committed."

The announcement finally brings all speculation to an end -- the 5-star recruit received offers from popular programs like Ohio State, Oregon, Kentucky and more ... but was tight-lipped on his next move until Saturday afternoon.

Bronny is a promising young talent -- the 6'3" guard put together quite the highlight reel during his time at Sierra Canyon ... and balled out at the McDonald's All-American Game with five three-pointers, scoring 15 points on the night.

LeBron -- a massive Buckeyes fan -- was probably hoping Bronny would play for the Scarlet and Gray ... but we take it he'll be happy to have his oldest kid nearby as he continues to play for the Los Angeles Lakers.

Naturally, the news has social media freaking out ... with a ton of Bronny's friends congratulating him on the decision.

One thing's for sure -- the Galen Center will be packed next season ... and don't be surprised if A-listers flock to the courtside seats.

The San Francisco Giants have a new cleanup hitter ... 'cause after Logan Webb admitted most players were dealing with "the s***s" following their Mexico City trip, the whole team got hooked up with a ton of Dude Wipes!!

Remember, the pitcher was brutally honest about how the team was doing after their two-game series against the Padres in Mexico City last week ... saying three-quarters of the squad was dealing with the runs.

TMZ Sports has learned ... the folks at the popular poo companion company got wind of the ball club's issues ... and decided to help out by sending over enough product to keep their asses clean for the rest of the season!!

We're told the team has 100 packs of Dude Wipes coming their way ... as well as four Dude Bomb "toilet stank eliminators" and 12 toilet sprays -- just in case the guys continue to "turn two" in the clubhouse.

It's not the first time the company had to step up to the plate for baseball stars -- as we previously reported, Dude Wipes helped Red Sox player Kiké Hernandez get back on track after he revealed he crapped his pants in the middle of a game.

Elon Musk and Jeff Bezos were on the same Formula One turf this weekend -- and seeing how they didn't cross paths ... it would seem Miami's big enough for the two of them.

The mega-billionaires paid a visit Saturday to the 2023 Formula One Miami Grand Prix at the Miami International Autodrome ... where they visited different garages and took in the sights -- separate from one another -- for the final practice laps ahead of the main event Sunday.

Jeff and Lauren Sanchez hit up the McLaren pit wall... and looked very much like the power couple they often seem to be. The pair was hand in hand and rocking orange lanyards.

Elon, meanwhile, also brought along some company for his trip to Red Bull squad's station ... looks like his young son, X, was the special guest of honor -- and could be seen hanging on tight to his pops while getting an up-close view of the race cars and drivers. Lucky kid.

Now, as far as 'fits go ... you might argue Jeff was looking a little more stylish than his Tesla counterpart -- who was wearing a straight-up dad hat, sans any other accessories.

An Oakland A's announcer copped to a mistake he says he made during a pregame segment ahead of Friday's game against the Kansas City Royals -- in which he used the n-word.

Glen Kuiper, a veteran, was on camera before the match kicked off, and he was describing what he and the A's broadcasting team had gotten into earlier in the day ... including visiting the Negro Leagues Baseball Museum and hitting up a barbecue hot spot there in town.

The problem ... instead of saying "Negro" he said "n*****" -- which came across very clearly over the airwaves, without any bleeping or censoring whatsoever. It came and went, while Glen and his in-booth partner didn't seem to acknowledge it or even really notice it.

This wasn't addressed until much later on in the game, right around the 6th inning ... when Glen came back on the air and issued an apology as soon as they came back from a break. He said he said something earlier in the day that didn't come out the way he intended.

At first, nobody knew what exactly he was talking about ... 'cause he wasn't specific.

Eventually, though, somebody tracked down the video ... and now, the A's say they're looking into this and considering next steps. A rep for the team announced his use of the slur was "unacceptable," adding ... "The Oakland Athletics do not condone such language. We are working to address the situation." Kuiper's in his 20th season of calling A's games.

Henry Ruggs was back at the Clark County Detention Center in Nevada this week ... where TMZ Sports has learned authorities made him pose for a new mug shot.

Because the former Raiders star took a plea deal from prosecutors in his DUI crash case on Tuesday, cops tell us he was required to head back to the Las Vegas jail on Thursday to be reprocessed.

As part of the procedure, Ruggs took a new photo ... and you can see, he didn't appear to be pleased to be back in front of a jail camera again.

Of course, the last time the 24-year-old had to pose for a mug shot was in 2021 ... after authorities accused him of drunkenly slamming his sports car into the back of Tina Tintor's Toyota, killing her and her dog.

At the time, Ruggs -- who was wearing a neck brace -- had visible cuts and bruises on his face in his mug shot.

Ruggs has since recovered from the injuries he suffered in the crash -- and his attorneys told a courtroom this week he reached an agreement with prosecutors to close out the criminal case against him.

Ruggs said he'll plead guilty to one felony count of DUI resulting in death and one misdemeanor count of vehicular manslaughter. In exchange, prosecutors said they'll drop the rest of the charges against the former NFL player.

Dana White says as long as Jon Jones is around, Henry Cejudo can't be the greatest UFC fighter of all time.

"There's no doubt the guy has broken a lot of records. He's accomplished a lot here. But, to go out there and start saying, 'Hey, I should be on the Mount Rushmore' when you've been retired for 3 years, and when you retired, in my opinion, sort of early," White told Babcock on the TMZ Sports TV show (airs weekdays on FS1).

Dana continued ... "Listen, you beat Aljo, there are still a few fights out there for him to really cement himself as one of the greatest of all time."

Of course, Cejudo -- who is making his return to the Octagon after three years away -- recently told us he'd be on the Mount Rushmore of fighters if he defeated the current 135 lb. champ, Aljamain Sterling ... saying he'd join Anderson Silva, Demetrious Johnson, and Jones.

But, that's not the ceiling for Henry ... who went on to tell us he believed he could become the greatest of all time with several key wins, starting with Aljo, then rival "Suga" Sean O'Malley, before going up to fight 145 lb. king, Alex Volkanovski.

With that, Triple C would be Quadruple C ... a feat never before accomplished.

Dana told us he agreed Henry would have a place on Rushmore if he were to beat Sterling at UFC 288, and then O'Malley and Volk ... but he still wouldn't see him as the best ever as long as Bones Jones is still walking around.

"While I agree he would be on the Mt. Rushmore, still tough to call himself the G.O.A.T. while Jon Jones still exists."

First things first, Cejudo has to beat Sterling.

Also fighting at UFC 288 in the co-main event are top ranked welterweights Gilbert Burns and Belal Muhammad ... two guys Dana tells us he has a "ton of respect for," especially considering both guys stepped up on short notice.

There's much more talk with the UFC honcho ... including whether Gilbert or Belal can do enough to jump Colby Covington, and earn a title fight vs. Leon Edwards.

Speaking of, we also talked to Burns and Muhammad about the title eliminator ... arguably the biggest fight in both guys lives.

Great news, Chargers fans ... J.C. Jackson tells TMZ Sports his rehab is going super well -- and he now expects to return to the field at "110 percent" in 2023.

Jackson spoke with us all about his recovery from a ruptured patellar tendon this week out in Los Angeles, and he said while he's not quite at full strength yet, all signs are pointing toward him coming back to SoFi Stadium better than before.

"It's gonna be big," Jackson said.

The L.A. cornerback, who inked a five-year, $82.5 million contract before last season, initially tore up his knee in Week 7 last year against the Seahawks ... and he said for the ensuing six or seventh months, he really wasn't allowed to run.

But, Jackson told us he's now on his feet during workouts -- and he seemed very pleased with all of his progress so far.

"I'm expecting a big year for us," Jackson said. "Especially from me."

J.C. added he was hopeful to "get back to the basics" this season "and do what I do best and that's leading the league in interceptions."

"Unfinished business."

That's what boxing star Rolly Romero says he has with Gervonta "Tank" Davis ... after losing to the undefeated superstar in May 2022 by 6th round knockout.

TMZ Sports talked to 28-year-old Romero, 14-1 (the only loss being Tank), ahead of his mandatory fight with Ismael Barroso (24-3-2, 22 KOs) on May 13 on Showtime ... a fight Rolly knows he needs to win in order to earn the chance to run things back with Davis.

Of course, Davis is coming off an impressive win over Ryan Garcia ... and many fans, fellow fighters, and experts believe Gervonta is now the face of the sport.

Rolly believes the fight would be very different in a rematch.

"Oh, of course [it'd be a different outcome]. I get to be in my actual weight class this time," Romero told us.

The 2022 scrap was fought at 135 lbs. ... but Romero's weight class is 140 lbs. A big difference, especially for smaller fighters like Tank and Rolly.

"If you're a casual, you wouldn't understand. But, 5 pounds make a world... 1 pound makes a world of difference."

Romero hasn't fought since Davis ... and was originally supposed to fight WBA champ Alberto Puello -- before he was popped for performance-enhancing drugs (Rolly calls him a "piece of s**t" for the PEDs) in the lead-up to the fight. Barroso stepped up on short notice.

We also talked to Rolly about preparing for a new opponent with limited time.

Kenny "The Jet" Smith might be in the middle of covering the NBA playoffs, but he's still finding time for R&R -- the "Inside the NBA" analyst hit Miami Beach with a stunning woman on Thursday ... and TMZ Sports has the pics!!

Smith -- who's been a regular on TNT for decades -- ditched his shirt and threw on some red trunks to catch some rays in Florida ... and had model Aline Bernardes right by his side for the occasion.

It's unclear if the two are dating -- they didn't show any PDA throughout their beach visit, but Bernades DID put him on Instagram for her 207,000 followers to see ... posting a video rocking out to music.

"Teaching gringo friends to enjoy Péricles," Bernardes captioned the clip ... which showed the ex-NBAer dancing along to the Brazilian singer.

Of course, Smith has flown under the radar romantically ever since his divorce from Gwendolyn Osborne, which was finalized in 2021.

As for Bernardes, her social media feed is free of any significant others.

Smith doesn't have to rejoin Ernie Johnson, Shaquille O'Neal and Charles Barkley again until Sunday ... so it makes sense to get out of Atlanta for a while and rest up.

Speaking of Shaq -- Bernardes also shared a snap with the Big Aristotle at Prime 112 in Miami later Thursday night ... saying, "with my BFF."

Antonio Brown can't help but put that s*** on, even if he's up to his eyeballs in controversy ... 'cause the ex-NFL star hit up an Albany bar and performed his hit song for a bunch of college kids Thursday night -- and TMZ Sports has the video!!

Witnesses tell us AB arrived at Wolff's Biergarten unannounced shortly after midnight Friday ... and the whole crowd was shocked over the surprise appearance, but loved every bit of it.

Once AB was in the bar, we're told he walked right up to the DJ booth and told him to -- well, this is confusing to say -- put "Put That S*** On" on.

Our video shows the Super Bowl champ standing on a platform above the patrons ...  getting the students hyped before starting his viral song.

We're told AB stayed for close to an hour before dipping ... but he didn't leave folks empty-handed -- witnesses say he was passing out free Empire tickets to anyone in attendance.

After the bar, AB seemingly hit up a frat house ... where he crowd-surfed as more students freaked out over his presence.

AB's impromptu concert comes right on the heels of accusations he's an owner from hell for the National Arena League's Albany Empire ... with former coaches and players claiming they weren't paid and lost access to their team hotel rooms, among many other issues.

Brown denies the accusations.

On top of that, Brown has been sued by his jeweler for $1.1 million ... and a judge ordered cops to arrest him over unpaid child support payments, which he claims he made.

Gervonta Davis just scored a big win in court -- he avoided a jail sentence in his hit-and-run case ... getting hit with three months of house arrest instead.

The star boxer learned his fate inside of a Baltimore courtroom minutes ago ... less than three months after he cut a plea deal with prosecutors in the case.

As part of the agreement he made with officials back on Feb. 16, Davis pleaded guilty to four lesser offenses ... and at his sentencing hearing on Friday, a judge did not throw him behind bars, instead ordering him to serve 90 days of home detention. The 28-year-old fighter was also ordered to complete 200 hours of community service.

Davis was initially hit with 14 charges in the case back in March 2021 ... after authorities alleged he ran a red light in his 2020 Lamborghini Urus and slammed it into a Toyota on Nov. 5, 2020 -- just days after his big win over Leo Santa Cruz.

Prosecutors claimed a woman in the car that Davis hit was pregnant at the time of the wreck. They accused Davis of never offering her assistance before fleeing the scene.

If convicted on all of the charges, Davis had faced a potential maximum of 7 YEARS and 55 days in prison.

Davis, who just scored the biggest win of his boxing career in a fight with Ryan Garcia last month, ain't out of the woods criminally just yet ... even though he closed out the case in Baltimore on Friday -- he still has a case lingering over his head in Broward County, Fla.

Damar Hamlin's near-death experience apparently brought him even closer to his Cincinnati buddies ... 'cause the Buffalo Bills safety spent part of his offseason hanging with the Bengals' trio of star receivers -- including Tee Higgins -- less than five months after his on-field collapse.

Of course, Hamlin was already tight with receiver Tyler Boyd ... as the two grew up playing against each other on the youth football field in Pennsylvania.

But, the longtime pals were joined by fellow Bengals route runners Higgins and Ja'Marr Chase when they decided to take a trip to the desert sometime recently ... with the four NFL stars posting up next to some ATVs.

"Hot Boyz," Boyd captioned the shot.

Remember, Damar was attempting to tackle Tee during the Jan. 2 Monday Night Football game before suffering commotio cordis and being rushed to a local hospital.

Higgins and his mother remained at the facility throughout the night ... and were there every step of the way to support Hamlin's family.

Now, five months later, Hamlin is thankfully cleared to return to normal life AND his football career ... and has since used his story to spread awareness for AEDs and CPR training.

Add 50 Cent, Shaq and Kenya Barris to the growing list of high-powered celebs interested in buying BET, we've learned the group is making a massive push to strike a deal.

Sources with direct knowledge tell us 50 and Kenya were spotted at the Paramount offices in NYC earlier this week to talk business, and the possibility of buying the network.

As for the cash ... we're told 50, Shaq and Kenya are fully loaded and ready to make an offer with some help from CVC -- an investment company.

Of course, there's still a lot to be worked out before anything is finalized, as one source told us, "It's not a done deal, but they're deep in it."

The trio makes a lot of sense, 50 had a ton of success on Starz, and recently signed a multi-year deal with FOX that's sure to net him a boatload of cash. Not to mention, he also just announced his global "The Final Lap" tour to celebrate 20 years of "Get Rich or Die Trying" ... so he's clearly still super connected in the music biz.

Then there's Shaq and Kenya who have massive TV deals -- and Kenya with an impressive resume of producing, directing and writing credits.

As we reported ... Diddy is also among the names that have thrown their hat in the ring as an interested party. TV moguls Tyler Perry and Byron Allen are also reportedly in serious talks to buy the network.

Tom Brady still has plans of being in a broadcast booth in 2024 ... at least, that's according to the ex-NFL star himself, who refuted a report on Thursday morning that said he was considering otherwise.

The former Patriots and Buccaneers quarterback took to the comment section of a Sports Illustrated Instagram post to make it clear ... he still has every intention of being a FOX Sports color commentator for NFL games next year.

In the SI post, the outlet cited a New York Post report that said the 45-year-old was now leaning toward walking away from the $375 million contract that he signed with FOX -- in order to pursue other ventures in retirement.

But, Brady denied the report with just two words ... "FakeNews."

TMZ Sports has learned Brady ain't just blowing smoke -- our sources tell us he's already dived headfirst into preparations for the role, despite being roughly 16 months away from starting the gig.

The future Hall of Famer initially inked the 10-year deal with FOX in May 2022 ... but said back in February he'll begin the job in the fall of 2024 in order to catch up on "other parts of my life that need some time and energy" in 2023.

Florida Panthers defenseman Josh Mahura took a puck square to the face, turning his mug into a bloody mess, and forcing him out of a critical playoff game ... for 10 minutes.

Hockey. Players. Are. Crazy.

25-year-old Mahura suffered the scary injury with about 5:47 remaining in the 2nd period of the game between Josh's Panthers and the Maple Leafs ... when Toronto wing William Nylander sent a long-range shot just wide of the net, hitting Mahura in the area around his left temple.

He immediately dropped to the ground for an instant before getting up, blood streaming down his face, and skating to the locker room, as a trainer held a towel to JM's face.

Fans thought Mahura was done for the night ... but, not even close. Josh ended up returning with about 15 minutes left in the third period, ultimately missing about 10 to 11 minutes of gameplay.

The Panthers ended up winning the game, 3-2 ... and now lead the series 2 games to none.

Formula 1 superstar Lewis Hamilton went off on Florida's LGBTQ+ legislation ahead of the Miami Grand Prix this weekend, calling the host state's laws "not good at all" ... and vowing to wear a rainbow on his helmet in solidarity with those impacted by the measures.

The 38-year-old Mercedes driver -- who has been a strong advocate for equality throughout his career -- was asked about the controversial law referred to as the "Don't Say Gay" bill and other recent actions taken by Gov. Ron DeSantis when speaking with reporters on Thursday ... and he's pissed.

"It's not good at all," Hamilton said. "I stand by those within the community here. I hope they continue to stand firm and push back."

And if his words weren't enough, the 7-time champion said anyone who sees him compete this weekend will know exactly where he stands on the topic -- even seemingly comparing it to the human rights issues in Saudi Arabia.

"I’ll have the rainbow on my helmet. It’s no different to when we were in Saudi."

Of course, DeSantis recently expanded on the bill that would prohibit teachers from discussing sexual orientation or gender identity during lessons among other issues ... which has also garnered backlash from former NBA superstar Dwyane Wade.

Hamilton stopped short of saying F1 should avoid events in Florida, saying it's not up for him to decide ... but added he has been keeping tabs on all things politics within the state -- and he's against what's going on.

"I did hear and have read about some of the decisions that have been made in government here and I do not agree with it and I do not support it. I really do continue to stand with the LGBTQ community and I’m wearing a rainbow flag on my helmet this weekend and I just really want to continue to support the community here and let them know I stand with them and I hope they continue to fight against it."

Hamilton's comments come months after the FIA initially said it would prohibit drivers from making political statements ... before the governing body loosened its stance.