TMZ Sports - Page 50

The NBA Finals are underway ... and while most of the sports world is focused on Nikola Jokic and Jimmy Butler, it's time to put the spotlight on the REAL stars of the series -- the wives and girlfriends of the Miami Heat and Denver Nuggets!!

Jokic's wife, Natalija, has been supporting the 2-time MVP ever since he was in high school ... and continues to do so in the stands throughout her man's pro career (alongside his famous brothers).

Kentavious Caldwell-Pope's pregnant wife, McKenzie, might pull up to a few games with her growing baby bump ... and DeAndre Jordan's "boo bear", Bethany, will certainly be pulling for her man as well.

When it comes to the Heat, expect to see Udonis Haslem's wife, Faith ... considering this may very well be her last chance to watch his games before he retires.

Kevin Love's model wife, Kate, knows her way around the Finals dating back to his days in Cleveland ... and there's hope Katya Elise Henry will get to catch Tyler Herro come back from injury and get some minutes.

It's not just the players with beautiful partners -- Erik Spoelstra's wife, Nikki, has been there every step of the way ... and we're sure she helped keep him calm throughout the Eastern Conference Finals.

Beneil Dariush has won 8 fights in a row, but if the UFC star extends that streak to 9, he'll earn himself a title shot against the lightweight champion ... all he's got to do is beat Charles Oliveira, one of the baddest men in the world.

TMZ Sports caught up with 34-year-old, #4 ranked Dariush a week before his UFC 289 co-main event scrap against current #1 contender "do Bronx" ... and asked him what a win would do as he continues his quest for the belt.

"The UFC said if I win this fight, I'm the number 1 contender, so yes [they told me I'll get the next title fight]," Dariush told us.

Dariush, who first fought for Dana White's organization in early 2014, has been fighting in every sense of the word for a title fight, and now he's finally on the doorstep.

Though, BD's supporters would argue he's long deserved the opportunity ... and it's hard to argue with his resume.

Beneil hasn't lost since March 2018. During his 8-fight win streak, he's beaten Tony Ferguson, Drew Dober and Mateusz Gamrot.

We asked Dariush if being so close to a title shot provided extra motivation ... and his answer may surprise you.

"To be honest with you, when it comes to motivation, I don't lack any. It's hard to add on to the motivation that I have right now," Beneil told us, adding, "My biggest motivation is knowing that God has given me a gift, and I'm not gonna waste it. I'm not gonna squander it."

There's much more with Dariush ... we talked to him about the stylistic matchup, pitting two Brazilian jiu-jitsu black belts against each other, and whether BD believes the fight will stay on the feet, or go to the ground.

We also talked to Oliveira ... who is looking to earn another title shot himself.

Of course, Charles was previously the champion at 155 lbs. ... but lost to current belt holder Islam Makhachev in October 2022.

Now, Oliveira is ready to make another run at the title ... "I feel good, I feel happy, I'm ready, and focused on getting the win," Charles told us.

As for a title shot ... CO says he hasn't explicitly been told he'd be next with a win, but he believes it's pretty clearly what should happen.

"Nobody told me, I don't know about Ben, but I think that will happen. I think we both deserve it, whoever wins this Saturday should get a title shot."

Jemele Hill denies that an alleged demand for Joe Rogan-level money from Spotify is the reason for her exit from the audio giant ... although, it seems clear she is, in fact, leaving.

The longtime sports reporter/media personality is said to be negotiating a split from Spotify, where she's exclusively hosted her all-issues podcast -- "Jemele Hill is Unbothered" -- since 2019. Several outlets are reporting that she's now seeking a new home for her show.

Jemele's 'Unbothered' podcast network -- which features other Black podcasters -- is also shuttering. Reports say Spotify might let her out of her deal early, or simply let it lapse.

Now, for the controversy ... a conservative outlet, Outkick, framed this parting of ways as Jemele getting the boot after "daring the company to pay her or another black host $100 million" ... the same way they'd paid Joe for an exclusive deal (it turned out to be $200M).

If you read the article, you come to find out that the writer is referencing an old quote she gave the NYT last year about Joe's big contract, in which she said ... "What I would like to see is for them to hand $100 million to somebody who is Black." The way Outkick and other right-wing sites are reporting this is ... Jemele asked for that $100 mil, and was told no.

Well, she's pushing back on that ... taking to Twitter to bat down any notion that she gave Spotify an ultimatum, especially one that pit her against Joe. Of course, her quote from 2022 has clearly been taken out of context ... and she's setting the record straight on what's what.

Jemele says, "People: A lot of what’s been reported just isn’t true. My podcast hasn’t been cancelled. I never asked Spotify for $100M. This s*** is truly comical."

She goes on to say her podcast, for now, will continue -- adding ... "Next week’s guest is: Sabrina Elba. In the coming weeks: Blair Underwood, Kasi Lemmons, JR Smith, Kenny Latimore and more." Finally, she says ... "When I have something to say, I’ll say it."

Jemele also clarified further in a back-and-forth on Twitter with someone who was pointing out the quote to her, to which she responded ... "You should probably comprehend better, or maybe read the original piece -- which was about me wanting to see Spotify make that investment in prominent Black podcasters. I never told Spotify or the NYT, that I deserved  $100M. My deal at Spotify is pretty fair. This was about investment and growth."

Here's Bam Margera without a care in the world the day after threatening to smoke crack until he dies ... laughing and arm wrestling while out at lunch.

TMZ obtained this video of Bam having an absolute blast Friday at Teca Restaurant in West Chester, PA. He's also sporting a bunch of new tattoos on his neck, face and legs.

Bam's pretty energetic in the footage ... laughing, smiling, joking and trying like hell to win an arm wrestling match -- using two hands against his opponent's one.

Folks who were there say the former "Jackass" star was super chatty, and told people he was getting lunch before hopping on a private jet to fly back to California and start rehab.

Bam was accompanied by a friend and a giant stuffed lion, for some reason.

His behavior here stands in stark contrast to the day before ... when he posted an emotional rant on social media threatening to smoke crack until he's dead unless he could see his son, Phoenix.

Remember ... Bam is desperate for a relationship with his kid, but his camp says Bam's estranged wife Nikki won't let him see their boy.

While he was at the restaurant, we're told Bam also talked about his son, Nikki, his current girlfriend and mixed in stories about going out the night before to a strip club. In other words, Bam was all over the place.

College hoopers looking for a place to showcase their skills this summer just got some great news ... The Game, Dom Kennedy and a host of other hip hop stars are helping to start a new basketball league in L.A.!!

The program is called the Real Run College Basketball Summer League -- and it's all slated to begin on June 17 ... and run until August 13.

It'll feature both women's and men's basketball players ... and ex-NBA player Pooh Jeter, who's partnering up with Real Run founder Deanthony Langston, tells TMZ Sports he's hoping it'll change countless lives.

Jeter explained ... the league will not only offer high-level games for college players, but rappers like Game, Dom Kennedy, BlueBucks Clan and G PERICO will all be in charge of teams -- and will help provide athletes a bridge from sports to musical culture in addition to on-court competition.

"A lot of the rappers was like, 'This is something amazing,'" said Jeter, an L.A. native who played for the Sacramento Kings in 2010. "'This is something we can change the game with.'"

Jeter says college basketball stars like Boogie Ellis and JuJu Watkins have already planned to play ... and he's hoping it will all eventually inspire other musicians to join in too.

"I would love for Diddy and Snoop or whoever!" Jeter said. "If you from L.A., show up, and let's do something amazing for our community."

Manti Te'o is adamant his football career is over ... telling TMZ Sports his purpose in life is now to help other people -- not crack running backs on a gridiron anymore.

The former linebacker made the revelation to us out at LAX ... saying he's officially hung up his spikes at 32 years old.

"I'm playing a different game now," the Notre Dame legend said. "I'm trying to empower people. Trying to inspire people. That's the game that I'm playing now, and I'm trying to be the best at that."

Te'o -- a second-round pick in the 2013 NFL Draft -- last played in the league in the 2020 season ... when he suited up for the Chicago Bears.

He spent most of that year on the team's practice squad, though he did play in the team's postseason game against the Saints, logging six tackles.

Some believed he still had football left in his body -- if not for the NFL, perhaps for the XFL or the USFL -- but he said that's simply just not the case.

Instead, he told us he now wants to help people learn from the hard times he's endured, most notably his 2013 catfishing incident.

"If my life can be that for people -- to show people that, 'Hey, it may not be sunshine and roses all the time, but if you just keep your head down and keep working and believing in yourself and putting God first, everything will be all right.'"

Te'o -- who played eight seasons in the NFL -- also spoke briefly about his documentary, "Untold: The Girlfriend Who Didn't Exist" ... and said he's glad people finally get to see and hear his story.

Kroy Biermann aced a good parenting test in the midst of his nasty divorce with Kim Zolciak ... and turns out he completed the course before she finished a similar one.

The former NFL star completed a mandatory course in Georgia -- "Parent Education For Separating/Divorcing Families" -- last month and he scored 99% on the quizzes and final exam.

Kroy filed a certificate of completion with the court, obtained by TMZ, and he got his work done before his estranged wife did.

As we reported ... Kim completed a seminar on "Navigating Family Change" on May 25 ... but Kroy's certificate shows he finished his online course May 17, a full week before Kim. BTW ... the course is mandatory for couples with kids seeking a divorce.

Remember, Kroy is asking for sole custody of the estranged couple's four kids ... Kim's asking for primary physical custody, so this is a full-on dogfight.

The course focuses on helping parents make divorce easier on children ... and it sounds like they need to apply the skills they learned.

The divorce has been exceedingly nasty ... with Kroy ripping Kim for what he says is a gambling addiction, while she claimed he's a pothead who needs to take a drug test.

Devin Haney's shining in both the boxing ring AND the dentist chair these days ... TMZ Sports has learned that after beating Vasiliy Lomachenko last month, the star-fighter copped some crazy diamonds for his teeth!!

We're told the undisputed lightweight champ reached out to famous jeweler JimmyBoi ahead of the May 20 Loma fight to have a grill made for him ... win, lose or draw.

Turns out, Haney was able to beat the Ukrainian fighter -- and then he was happily rewarded with the bling!!

The mouthpiece is fully iced-out ... we're told the set is filled with 17 carats of princess cut flawless clarity D color diamonds -- and also features 18k rose gold.

The 24-year-old was clearly pumped for it all -- showing it off in a recent selfie.

Major League Eating star James Webb will never forget this year's iteration of National Donut Day ... 'cause he just scarfed down 59.5 of the sweet treats in eight minutes -- setting a new world record!!!

Webb performed the gross unreal feat out at the National Donut Day World Donut Eating Championship on the USS Midway in San Diego minutes ago ... besting the previous world record of 55.

Webb was a machine throughout the competition ... check out some of the video from the event, he splashed donuts into a cup of water and then forked them into his mouth over and over again with ease.

Webb ultimately won the contest by five ... and afterward, he scored a championship belt to commemorate the occasion.

The event ended up doing a lot of good for those in need too ... it was all sponsored by The Salvation Army, which helped raise funds throughout the day.

A Premier League soccer referee and his family were mercilessly heckled, and even had a chair thrown at them, by out-of-control AS Roma fans ... and now local police have launched a criminal investigation.

The incident occurred in Budapest ... where 44-year-old ref Anthony Taylor, who is English, was in a cafe with his family, waiting for their flight. Unfortunately, several Roma fans recognized Taylor, and that's when things turned ugly.

Several videos show Taylor, who appears to be with his wife and several other people, getting shouted at by a large group of "fans" as airport authorities attempted to whisk them to safety.

At one point, a fan even threw a chair towards Taylor.

"The Italian citizen involved in the incident was apprehended by the police and criminal proceedings have been initiated on charges of affray," the airport later announced in a statement.

The Roma fans were upset their squad lost to Sevilla by penalty kick after ending regulation tied 1-1 in the Europa League final. Taylor handed out 13 yellow cards during the game.

After the game, but before the airport incident, Roma manager Jose Mourinho was seen confronting the referee in a parking lot, hurling expletives at him.

Mourinho could face a fine and/or suspension for his behavior.

As for the ugly behavior at the airport ... it's drawn widespread rebuke from everyone from the referees union to the Premier League itself who blasted the fans for the way they acted.

"[We're] aware of videos circulating on social media showing Anthony Taylor and his family being harassed and abused at Budapest Airport," the Professional Game Match Officials Limited (PGMOL) said.

"We are appalled at the unjustified and abhorrent abuse directed at Anthony and his family as he tries to make his way home from refereeing the UEFA Europa League final."

The Premier League also issued a statement, saying they were "shocked and appalled by the unacceptable abuse" Taylor and his family endured.

The PL added Anthony is one of their most accomplished and experienced officials, saying  "No one should have to suffer the inexcusable behavior they had to endure."

Naomi Osaka and Cordae just revealed ... they're having a GIRL!!!

The "Gifted" rapper and the tennis superstar announced the major news on Friday ... sharing a pic of Cordae kissing Naomi's baby bump at their pink-themed baby shower.

The couple had an awesome celebration with their friends and family ... with Osaka and her growing belly standing in front of pink flowers, balloons, and a sign that read, "A little princess is on the way."

Osaka's fans were incredibly happy for the new parents ... flooding the comments with well wishes.

"Congratulations!" one user said. "Can’t wait for your matching tennis outfits."

Cordae, 25, was super excited ... channeling his inner Kobe Bryant by posting the hashtag "#GirlDad."

The 4-time Grand Slam champ and Cordae announced they were expecting their first child by posting a sonogram of the baby back in January.

Of course, this upcoming blessing has Osaka sidelined from tennis for a bit ... but she's previously vowed to be back for the 2024 Australia Open.

She's serious about her comeback, too ... and shared videos of her training on the court and beach while pregnant earlier this year.

Paddy "The Baddy" Pimblett's wedding was anything but bad -- the UFC star just shared snaps from his extravagant marriage ceremony from over the weekend ... and it looked incredible.

The 28-year-old lightweight fighter tied the knot with his longtime girlfriend, Laura Gregory, at the Peckforton Castle in Chesire, England over the weekend ... and Pimblett's bestie and fellow fighter Molly McCann was present for the big event.

Paddy posted about his big day on Instagram ... saying, "What a day from start to finish."

"We couldn’t of asked for better weather, atmosphere or people we had around us! Would like to thank everyone who came Laura is finally Mrs. Pimblett now even tho we’ve been a married couple for years 🤣🤗."

Paddy and Laura got engaged years ago ... and have been together for more than a decade.

No word on when Paddy will get back in the Octagon -- he's been dealing with an ankle injury following his controversial win over Jared Gordon at UFC 282 in December -- but it sure looks like he's doing fine now!!

The Denver Nuggets had a ton of horsepower rooting for them in the stands during Game 1 of the NBA Finals ... 'cause current and former Broncos like Peyton Manning, Russell Wilson and coach Sean Payton were present for the big win!!

The trio of NFL greats were in great spirits as the home team wrecked the Miami Heat 104-93 ... and they all had the best seats in Ball Arena.

Manning was smiling from ear to ear throughout the night ... even spending some time chopping it up with Shaquille O'Neal.

Wilson hit up the game with his stepson, Future Zahir ... and the youngster came dressed to support the hometown team, wearing a No. 27 Jamal Murray jersey.

Payton -- who joined the Broncos this offseason -- is clearly fitting in with his new home ... as the Super Bowl-winning coach appeared zoned in on all the action.

Not all the celebs stood by and watched, though ... 'cause comedian Ken Jeong hilariously bombed multiple half-court shots after watching Nuggets mascot "Rocky" nail a backward, over-the-head heave from the same spot.

"The Hangover" star was a good sport about it all ... and the raucous crowd got a kick out of his failures.

Danny Bonaduce is going under the knife ... set for brain surgery in the wake of a serious health scare that's left him unable to walk or balance.

The actor and radio host tells TMZ ... after seeing hundreds of doctors for a mystery illness, in March he was finally diagnosed with hydrocephalus ... a neurological disorder caused by a buildup of liquid in the brain.

Surgery is set for Monday, and the hope is it can alleviate the symptoms.

Last April, "The Partridge Family" star began battling the mystery illness after his wife noticed his speech was off and he lost the ability to walk or balance. He was hospitalized for 5 days and underwent a battery of tests. Doctors ruled out a stroke, but couldn't come up with a diagnosis.

While Danny says no one knows for sure how he got in such bad shape, he wonders if it's related to all the wear and tear he's put his head through over the years ... like taking guitars to the face and boxing Jose Canseco.

Danny says the surgery will drain the liquid from his brain through a shunt.

In the meantime, Danny's been doing his radio show from home.

Of course, Danny acknowledges there's always a chance the surgery won't fix everything ... but it sounds like he's going into the operating room with the right frame of mind.

Before Aaron Judge attempts to swipe bags at Dodger Stadium ... he loaded up shopping bags in Beverly Hills -- spending some of his fat, new contract on Rodeo Drive!!!

The Yankees superstar was spotted out with his wife on the famous strip in L.A. the day before New York kicks off its much-anticipated series with the Dodgers ... and it's clear, he wasn't having any issues breaking out his wallet.

The 31-year-old was seen holding multiple bags from Prada -- and while it's not yet known what exactly was inside of them -- it's safe to say the items didn't come cheap!

Of course, Judge ain't sweating price tags much these days ... the outfielder just inked a 9-year, $360 million agreement with the Yanks this offseason -- so, yeah, throw down that credit card!!

Judge seemed to be relaxed and happy while on his day off ... a great sign for the Yankees -- as the weekend series promises to be an eventful one.

Both L.A. and NY are well over .500 this season ... and many expect the two to be legit World Series contenders by the end of the year.

The shocking death of Ms Jacky Oh! is not only affecting "Wild 'N Out" fans, but it's also impacting NFL players like Odell Beckham and Keenan Allen ... who are mourning her passing.

As we reported, Ms Jacky Oh! (real name Jacklyn Smith) died on Wednesday in Miami, but the details surrounding her death are not yet clear. A since-deleted social media post claimed she was having "mommy makeover" surgery.

Beckham -- who recently signed with the Ravens -- paid tribute to the former "Wild 'N Out" star on his Instagram story by sharing her family's statement and a photo of her and her kids.

"Rest Easy Angel," OBJ wrote in the post on Thursday.

He also said on Twitter, "Don’t take this life for granted, we’re here for the blink of an eye. Y’all plz love on your loved ones while they’re still here."

OBJ knows Smith through Lauren Wood, mother of his 1-year-old son Zydn, who was a former "Wild 'N Out" star.

In fact, Smith and Wood recently took a girl's trip to Belize to celebrate Lauren's birthday.

"We are in Belize!!! It's my best friend's birthday -- Lauren," Smith said on a YouTube vlog while on vacay.

Smith also attended Beckham and Wood's baby shower.

"This hurts so bad," Wood said in an IG post on Friday. "When I lost you I also lost the version of me when we were together. Our banter. Our humor. Our dynamic. So unique to us."

"I can't imagine this life without you. It just got a lot more darker and lonelier. I'm having a really hard time saying goodbye and accepting this grave reality."

Wood added, "I look forward to the moment we get to experience each other again. You will forever be in my heart. Connect to my soul, sister."

Los Angeles Chargers receiver Keenan Allen was also heartbroken over her sudden death ...  revealing Smith is the reason he met his wife.

"Damn man! Truly an angel," Allen said on his IG.

"Jacky introduced me to the wife I have today. Praying for your babies and DC! It’s all perfect timing even though we don’t understand. God is in."

Smith is survived by her three children.