TMZ Sports - Page 46

The Stanley Cup is going to be smelling like booze for quite some time ... 'cause after the Golden Knights won it on Tuesday -- they absolutely doused it (and their captain, Mark Stone!) with bubbly!!!

The scene was electric ... following Las Vegas' emphatic 9-3 Game 5 victory over the Florida Panthers, Stone walked the famous trophy into the Knights' locker room -- and then the guys went crazy.

You can see in video from the celly, about a dozen of the new champs busted out champagne -- before unloading all of the bottles' contents on Stone and the Cup.

"THE ONLY PAIN WE WANT IS CHAMPAGNE," the team said of the party.

Later on, Stone kicked the celebration up one more notch ... putting on the team's Elvis wig and sunglasses -- plus a makeshift championship belt!

Eventually, the guys brought the Cup to a Vegas club -- hoisting it for all to see ... before confetti rained all over them.

There was at least one PG moment with the Cup before all the alcohol started flowing -- Knights star William Karlsson placed his newborn in it, and it was adorable.

A ton of celebs were in the building to help with the party too ... Owen Wilson, 50 Cent, Darius Rucker and Steve Aoki were all spotted going crazy for Sin City's hockey team.

And, get this, according to the Knights -- all of the postgame bubbly was provided by none other than Fitty himself!

Another woman has reportedly come forward and accused Trevor Bauer of sexual assault ... but the MLB star is denying the claims, alleging she's fabricated her story in an attempt to extort him.

USA Today reports the allegations against Bauer were all made as part of a woman's civil lawsuit against the former Dodgers pitcher that was filed in Arizona last year.

According to the outlet ... the woman claimed in court documents that Bauer held her at knifepoint during one incident in Dec. 2020 -- before he raped her during another encounter two days later.

In the initial incident, the woman -- according to USA Today -- said while she was on Bauer's lap having dinner with him, he "placed his jagged steak knife to my throat."

"I was stunned and did not dare to move," the woman said in court docs, according to the report. "The Defendant asked me, 'Have you ever been held at knife point?' to which I hesitantly respond, 'No.' The Defendant took a deep breath in and exhaled. The Defendant's steak knife scratched my throat as he released me and I got up from his lap."

Later that week, USA Today reports the woman says Bauer choked her unconscious with her hair during sex.

"When I was conscious yet delirious," she reportedly said in a court filing, "I recall being on my back while hearing the Defendant yell unusual sounds/moaning."

The woman allegedly got pregnant during the incident.

USA Today reports the two had one more disturbing encounter in March 2021 ... when the woman alleges Bauer got violent with her.

"Knowing I am pregnant," the woman reportedly said in court docs, "the defendant body slams me on my back on top of my computer breaking the screen before telling me he will no longer be in a relationship with me if I have this baby."

Bauer, however, is adamant he committed no wrongdoing. According to USA Today, he's filed a countersuit against the woman, accusing her of extortion, fraud and faking her pregnancy.

Bauer reportedly said in court filings of his own that he did have one consensual sexual encounter with her in Dec. 2020, but said the condom broke. He alleges the woman then later told him she was pregnant and wanted nearly $2 million from him for an abortion.

According to USA Today, Bauer paid her $8,761 for help with the termination of the pregnancy ... but said she provided no documentation of the abortion, leading the baseball player to believe the woman "fabricated her pregnancy to try to extort him for money."

The outlet reports the woman said in an amended complaint this week she did opt to not have an abortion -- but instead suffered a miscarriage in April 2021.

The woman is reportedly asking for $3.7 million in her suit.

Bauer has previously been publicly accused of sexually assaulting women three other times -- including once by a San Diego woman ... who alleged Bauer choked her unconscious and then had non-consensual anal sex with her during two encounters in 2021.

Bauer was never arrested nor charged over the claims ... but MLB did hit him with a record 324-game suspension for it all that was later reduced to a 194-game ban. The Dodgers eventually cut ties with him following his reinstatement ... leading the pitcher to sign a one-year deal to play for the Yokohama DeNA Baystars in Japan this season.

Get ready, MLB fans ... another Freeman appears to be well on his way to The Show -- 'cause Freddie Freeman's wife tells TMZ Sports their 6-year-old son is tearing it up in youth baseball games!!!

Charlie Freeman has been working to follow in his dad's footsteps ever since he was old enough to hold a mitt ... and when we got Chelsea Freeman out in L.A. earlier this month, she told us the kid is already ballin' just like Pops in real games.

In fact, Chelsea says little Charlie is actually playing with 7-year-olds ... and is more than holding his own with the older kids.

"We put him up a year," Chelsea said, "so he's playing really well."

Chelsea tells us ... Charlie is both a pitcher and a first baseman -- and the little tyke said he'd love to play for the Dodgers just like his dad someday!

Of course, none of this news should be surprising ... you'll recall, we've been seeing Charlie get busy with a bat since he was just 2 years old.

The Miami Heat may have lost the NBA Finals, but there's at least some good news for the organization -- Conor McGregor says Burnie the mascot is A-OK after getting his bell rung at the hands of the UFC superstar!

"The mascot is good. It was a skit, and all is well," the 34-year-old former champ said Tuesday in NYC.

"I spent a lot of time with him afterward, we talked it out, everything is great. It was all part of the show!"

Remember, McGregor participated in what was supposed to be a fun, friendly routine with Burnie during game 4 of the Finals in Miami on Friday, when things took a turn for the worse for the furry creature.

Conor was promoting his Tidl Sport recovery spray ... when Burnie -- wearing oversized boxing gloves -- squared up with McGregor.

That was all The Notorious needed to see ... and he smashed Burnie with one of his vicious patented left hooks. The mascot went down to the ground before McGregor hit him with a brutal ground-and-pound strike to the head.

Unfortunately, Conor hits hard, as the guy in the Burnie costume found out, resulting in a reported trip to the hospital.

But, by Conor's account, he escaped serious injury and is okay.

Kim Zolciak is firing back at her estranged husband, Kroy Biermann, defending her abilities as a mother and accusing Kroy of years of emotional and mental abuse.

Kim's attorney, David Beaudry, issued a blistering statement to TMZ Tuesday, telling us Kroy's attempt to paint Kim as a bad mother is not only misleading and harmful to the reality star, but to the couple's young kids, too.

Beaudry continues, "The emotional and mental abuse Kim has suffered from this man for so many years has taken a toll on her and, most heartbreakingly, their children. Kim has always been an extremely devoted mother to her children; they are her entire world and she is always there to love and support them every step of the way."

Finally saying, "She refuses to allow Kroy to paint her as something she is not for his own gain. Kim looks forward to the day we can appear in court and solve these issues once and for all."

As we reported, Kroy filed docs earlier this week stating he was concerned Kim may go on "The Real Housewives of Atlanta" and talk about their divorce.

He's asked the court to set up some sort of protection for their 4 kids while the divorce proceedings move forward.

Kroy claims he's tried his best to protect the kids, but says Kim's constantly talking in an "abusive" and "derogatory tone" about the divorce when they're all around.

To say the split has been nasty would be an understatement -- for starters, each filed their own petitions for divorce -- and there's a massive struggle over custody. What's more -- Kim's accused Kroy of having an issue with smoking too much pot ... and he says she's a gambling addict.

A rematch between Floyd Mayweather and John Gotti III in Florida won't be happening anytime soon ... TMZ Sports has confirmed the boxer has been suspended six months in the Sunshine State for his role in the brawl with TBE over the weekend.

A spokesperson for the Florida State Athletic Commission said Tuesday the decision to hit Gotti III with the ban actually came down on Sunday night ... right after Gotti III kicked off a melee when he went after Mayweather following a disqualification during their exhibition match.

The scene at FLA Live Arena in Sunrise was wild ... Gotti III attempted to throw multiple punches at Mayweather -- which caused a flurry of people to jump into the ring.

Chaos then ensued -- as multiple men were seen pushing and shoving each other ... before it all mercifully was broken up.

According to a rep for the FSAC, Mayweather was NOT penalized for his role in it all.

Our sources say Mayweather and the grandson of iconic mob boss John Gotti ultimately ended up hashing things out once cooler heads prevailed ... and are engaging in talks about potentially running it back down the line.

Dillon Brooks continues to catch strays after his trash talk blew up in his face this season ... 'cause the NBA hooper is now a punchline in Polo G's new freestyle -- and it's harsh!!

The Chicago artist dropped the vicious bar while appearing on "Justin Credible's Freestyles" with Power 106 in L.A. ... where he flowed over Ja Rule's classic "New York" beat.

It only took a few seconds for Polo to name-drop the former(?) Memphis Grizzlies player ... saying, "If he a lame like Dillon Brooks, I take him straight off the roster."

Justin immediately started cracking up ... but Polo was just getting started, freestyling for another two minutes before it was all said and done.

Of course, Brooks has been the butt of many jokes after calling LeBron James "old" and washed up in the middle of Memphis' first-round matchup against the Lakers ... which L.A. ended up winning in six games.

After the Grizzlies were sent packing, there were reports Memphis had no interest in bringing Brooks back "under any circumstances" ... which was later refuted by his agent.

Ja Morant gave Lil Wayne the cold shoulder when the rapper tried to lend a helping hand following his recent gun controversy ... so says Skip Bayless, who claims he was given the information from the Young Money honcho himself.

The FS1 host shared Wayne's apparent side of the story on the "Skip Bayless Show" podcast this week ... saying the "Kant Nobody" M.C.'s personal experiences influenced his decision to reach out to the All-Star guard.

According to Skip, Wayne reminisced on his own time spent on Rikers Island for gun possession ... and made it known he didn't want Ja to end up in the same cell.

Skip says the message was delivered ... but claims Ja and his team never got back to Wayne.

Wayne isn't the only rapper concerned about Ja's well-being.

Cam'ron, who says he dashed his own basketball dreams to pursue moves in the streets, has also been publicly telling Ja to revert course ... especially since the Dipset rapper doesn't think a career in hip-hop is in the cards for the Grizzlies star.

Skip's gonna need to map out a game plan to discuss more of Ja's plight -- he's currently without a debate partner at "Undisputed" after Shannon Sharpe announced his departure on Tuesday.

The mass shooting after the Nuggets' championship win in Denver on Tuesday morning appeared to be sparked by a drug deal gone wrong ... this according to cops.

Denver chief of police Ron Thomas made the revelation on Tuesday afternoon ... explaining that they discovered cash, firearms and what appeared to be fentanyl at the scene -- all signs that point toward a botched drug deal.

Two people, Thomas said, are in police custody -- though their exact involvement remains unclear.

Of the 10 people that sustained gunshot wounds, authorities said they believe five or six were innocent bystanders. All 10, thankfully, are now in "fair condition," according to officials ... though five still remain in the hospital.

The gunshots initially broke out about a mile from Ball Arena at around 12:30 AM ... roughly three and a half hours after Denver beat Miami to win the NBA title in Game 5.

Officials praised the actions of responding officers -- releasing video from the scene that showed cops running toward the gunshots in an effort to keep people safe.

An investigation into it all, officials added, remains ongoing.

Larsa Pippen says she was in super stealth mode in the early days of her relationship with Marcus Jordan ... admitting she gave her boyfriend an alias in her phone to keep people from finding out about their budding romance.

The 48-year-old reality TV star revealed the sneaky tactic in the couple's new podcast, "Separation Anxiety" ... saying she initially couldn't risk having people find out what was going on behind the scenes.

"I could never really put you under your name in my phone," Pippen said. "So I had you under Marc Jacob."

"I didn't want anyone to know when you called me."

Marcus seemed to completely understand the reasoning behind it -- after all, Scottie Pippen is Larsa's ex-husband, who has major beef with Marcus' pops, Michael Jordan ... and the two knew there was going to be a lot of "interest" if word got out that they were dating.

But, the couple decided to say to hell with the hate after a few months ... which was made clear after they started packing on the PDA wherever they went.

Marcus also spoke about how things got started ... and apparently Yo Gotti was right, 'cause it really does go down in the DMs.

"I do remember going on a trip to the Bahamas, taking a big group of friends, hit you in the DMs just saying, 'Hey, look we going to the Bahamas, you're more than welcome to come,'" Jordan said.

"I'll probably say that's the first move."

Pippen also had a few words for the trolls who still don't believe she just met Marcus a few years ago ... since Scottie and MJ played together for over a decade

"Like, I threw your 5th birthday or something," Pippen said. "Like, no, by the way, I never met you before."

Larsa admitted she feared she would never find true love again ... claiming there was no one out there who really got her attention the way Marcus does.

"I think I might be single forever because there's no one that's cute, funny, smart," Pippen said.

"Then when you and I first got together, I was like, 'Oh, my God, this is the guy.' This is the guy I prayed for, 'cause I really prayed for a best friend and I feel like I got my best friend."

Things got emotional for Shannon Sharpe on his final day at 'Undisputed' ... as the former NFL star was saying goodbye to his longtime cohost, Skip Bayless, he began to cry.

The scene just unfolded on live television minutes ago ... with Sharpe needing to wipe away tears with a tissue several times as he thanked Bayless for giving him an opportunity to be on the ultra-popular FS1 show back in 2016.

"I'm here because of you," Sharpe said to Bayless, fighting back tears. "You've allowed me to share the stage with you. You allowed me to share the platform."

"The opportunity that you gave me," the Pro Football Hall of Famer continued, "to become what I became, I'm forever indebted to you. I'll never forget what you did for me. You helped me grow more than you'll ever know."

Bayless himself got a little choked up while listening to Sharpe's farewell ... before he eventually called the former Denver Broncos tight end "a worthy adversary."

Skip then added that he loved Sharpe.

"This is a happy-sad moment for me," Bayless said. "Because I look forward to your next great achievement -- and it is coming."

It was revealed last month that Sharpe was leaving the show -- following almost seven successful years as Bayless' partner. Reasons for the breakup have still not become clear.

The Drake curse may officially be over. The hip-hop superstar hit on two massive bets when the Denver Nuggets secured the 'chip in 5 games, profiting over 800 grand!

The 36-year-old superstar placed two bets on the Denver Nuggets back on June 1, before game 1 was played. The first wager ... risking $1 million on the Nuggets to win the series outright (pays 1.23 mil total). The second ... Drizzy put up $250K on the Nuggets winning the series in 5 games (pays $850K).

All told (assuming Drake isn't holding back any losing tickets), the rapper, minus what he risked, won $830K!

It's a good sign for many of the most popular teams across the sports landscape. Of course, Drake's notorious for rooting for, and betting on teams or athletes ... who have then had a reputation for losing.

Thus, the Drake curse.

The Kentucky Wildcats basketball team fell victim to it, and so did the Alabama Crimson Tide football team. Conor McGregor, too (though Khabib probably deserves the credit here).

Not all have fell victim. Drake's beloved Toronto Raptors won the title in 2019, Tyson Fury, who the rapper supported against Deontay Wilder in 2021, also won.

Now, you can add the Nuggets to that list.

Ex-NFL star Peyton Hillis is opening up on the day he heroically saved his son and niece from a fierce rip current in Florida earlier this year ... saying it's a "miracle" everyone survived.

The former Cleveland Browns running back detailed the Jan. 4 rescue mission in an interview with "Good Morning America" ... where he explained there were no warning flags near their spot at Pensacola Beach prior to the incident.

Hillis said he immediately sprang into action and ran into the water as soon as he found out the kids were in danger -- and he had an impossible decision to make.

"I think the scariest point ... was when I'm swimming to my son and I have to pass by him because my niece is in more danger," Hillis told Michael Strahan. "I knew that I had to pass him up to get to Camille first. Because, you know, if I didn't then there's no way she would've made it."

After getting his niece to safety, Hillis said by the time he was back in the water, his son, Orry, was out of energy and couldn't swim anymore ... and he was struggling to stay afloat himself.

In fact, Hillis said he saw his son's eyes roll in the back of his head ... and he began to pray as he fought his way back to shore.

"Lord, please," Hillis said. "Like, I really don't care about my life. I don't. But if we can get him out of here that’s the only thing I’m going to care about."

Thankfully, Hillis was able to get Orry to safety ... but that's when the former Madden cover athlete started to lose consciousness -- and his kidneys and lungs began to fail.

Hillis was airlifted to a nearby hospital, where he spent more than a week in the ICU ... and he said the road to recovery is long.

"I don't think my lungs will ever get back to where they needed to be," Hillis continued. "Physically, it's coming along okay. Mentally things [are] coming along a lot slower. I'm just trying to take it one day at a time."

Put away the celebratory joints ... Snoop Dogg will not be the next owner of the Ottawa Senators after all -- the NHL franchise announced Tuesday it's opted to sell its team to another bidder.

Snoop had been a part of the group that L.A.-based entrepreneur Neko Sparks had put together in an effort to buy the hockey team ... but the Sens revealed they ultimately chose to go with the offer that Toronto billionaire Michael Andlauer had made instead.

Reportedly, Andlauer and his backers will fork over right around $1 BILLION for the team as part of the sale.

Snoop has yet to comment on the matter ... but it's no doubt got to be disappointing for the rapper -- you'll recall, back when he initially became a part of Sparks' group, he said in an Instagram post that he desperately wanted the squad.

Andlauer, meanwhile, said Tuesday he was fired up to have beaten out the rest to become the team's next owner.

"I believe that the Senators' fanbase is one of the most passionate in the league," he said, "and I'm excited to take the franchise's success both on and off the ice to the next level."

An NBA championship celebration in Denver quickly turned from jubilation to terror ... as 10 people were injured in a mass shooting in the city following the Nuggets' win.

According to the Denver Police Dept. ... the shooting took place about a mile from Ball Arena at around 12:30 AM on Tuesday morning.

Full details surrounding the incident are not yet clear -- cops described the scene as "a complex" situation -- though they did say 10 total people had sustained gunshot wounds.

Cops revealed one of the injured has been identified as a suspect. Three others, police said, are in critical condition. The rest "are believed to have non-life-threatening injuries."

"As far as what led up to this altercation that resulted in the shots being fired, that’s still under investigation at this time," a police spokesperson said. "It did occur in the area where we had largest gathering of folks celebrating during the night."

Photos from the scene show authorities have marked off the area with caution tape as an investigation continues.

Just prior to the shooting, it had been nothing but a good time for those in the city who were celebrating the Nuggets' 94-89 Game 5 victory over the Heat.

Fans had climbed street poles to cheer on their NBA team with others -- before they hurled themselves into happy crowds below.

Others were seen shooting off fireworks to commemorate the team's first-ever title.

Inside the arena, meanwhile, Nuggets players couldn't have been happier to finish off their championship run ... the guys doused each other in booze in the locker room -- and at one point, series MVP Nikola Jokic tossed Jamal Murray into a pool.

Kroy Biermann knows his estranged wife, Kim Zolciak, has zero filter when it comes to talking drama on camera, and he's worried about how it might impact their children.

According to new legal docs, obtained by TMZ, the former NFL star filed a motion to appoint a guardians ad litem -- meaning someone who would essentially make sure the best interests of the kids are represented during the divorce proceedings.

Kroy claims he's tried his best to keep the estranged couple's minor kids -- Kroy Jr., Kash, and twins Kaia and Kane -- away from all the noise Kim's been making about their split, but adds she's constantly dragging him and talking in an "abusive" and "derogatory tone" about the divorce.

He's also concerned Kim will use her 'Real Housewives of Atlanta' outlet to garner more attention ... noting she's already alleged he smokes too much pot to take care of the kids, something he insists she has no proof to support.

Kroy doesn't hold back -- saying she's the one who's not paying enough attention to their kids lately and has been spending too much time on virtual slot machines ... adding one of the few times she does pay attention is when she lets them gamble on her account.

What's more, he says he's concerned she's taking videos of herself while driving with the kids in the car, and says he's picked up most of the slack since they let go of their nannies and chefs ... although he does say Kim has made a few meals for the kids like chicken fingers and frozen pizza.

TMZ broke the story, Kim recently posted a pic of herself with some 'RHOA' cast members -- leading many to speculate she was back to filming on the show. However, our sources say the photo was taken a few months back -- before the split -- and Kim only filmed a cameo.