TMZ Sports - Page 19

A Michael Jordan fan just spent a staggering sum of money to own some of the NBA legend's most iconic memorabilia ... dropping over $1 MILLION to nab His Airness' "Flu-Game" sneakers!!

The shoes -- which Jordan wore during Game 5 of the 1997 NBA Finals against the Utah Jazz while he battled an illness -- were bought at auction Wednesday ... coming in with a final price tag of $1,380,000.

Somehow, it was not the highest price ever for Jordan sneakers -- a pair from the 1998 Finals and a pair from his rookie season previously netted more -- but, according to the man who facilitated the auction, Ken Goldin, they're an unreal purchase nonetheless.

In fact, the auction expert previously told TMZ Sports back in April that he believed they were simply "the most valuable sneakers of all time."

Jordan scored 38 points while wearing the Jordan 12s in the pivotal game in Salt Lake City. Despite battling an ailment that left him, at times, completely exhausted on the court, he still was the key reason the Bulls won the game. Chicago would later go on to lock up the NBA title on the heels of the victory.

Following the game, Jordan signed the kicks and then handed them over to Utah Jazz ball boy Preston Truman ... who had helped MJ with postgame snacks in years prior.

Truman then held onto them for over a decade, before he sold them at auction back in 2013. They hadn't been seen again ... until Goldin's auction this year.

No word on who Wednesday's buyer was ... but something tells us they're very rich -- and, now, very happy.

Forget Pacquiao vs. Mayweather, Fury vs. Wilder and Davis vs. Garcia ... Terence "Bud" Crawford tells TMZ Sports his fight with Errol Spence is a bigger one than all of them!!!

"It is the biggest fight of the year," the 35-year-old said out in New York City on Wednesday ... before adding that it could be "the biggest fight in the last 10-plus years!"

Crawford might actually not be wrong ... even though Floyd Mayweather, Tyson Fury and Gervonta Davis have had some huge, headlining bouts since 2013 -- both Crawford and Spence have been must-see fighters for boxing fans all over the globe for the last few years.

The two are undefeated, have rare knockout power -- and are still considered to be in their primes.

And, Crawford tells us there's no way the match will let anyone down ... promising fight fans there will be "fireworks" in the ring when they get after each other next month.

As for who's going to come out victorious ... Bud insisted he's got it in the bag.

"I'm going to win this fight," he told us. "And I'm already the best fighter in the world!"

50 Cent's booze brand is adding ice to the mix ... as in, a new partnership with the Stanley Cup champions ... The Las Vegas Golden Knights.

The NHL club, which hoisted professional hockey's trophy Tuesday night, announced a multi-year partnership Wednesday with the rapper's spirits company.

50 Cent's Sire Spirits, which makes Branson Cognac and Le Chemin du Roi Champagne, will now be the official cognac and champagne of the Vegas Golden Knights ... giving 50's brand a presence in the team's arena and on its digital platforms.

In fact, Fiddy was on hand to watch the Golden Knights beat the Florida Panthers in Las Vegas to secure the franchise's first Stanley Cup Tuesday night ... and the team partied with his booze in the locker room after the series-clinching win.

The collab isn't just about alcohol ... 50 Cent's G-Unity Foundation is also teaming up with the Vegas Golden Knights Foundation to serve the community in Sin City.

50 Cent's Sire Spirits is on a win streak just like the Golden Knights ... as we first reported, the brand just squashed a beef with Remy Martin over its cognac bottle design.

Conor McGregor and his fiancée, Dee Devlin, are adding to their family -- the UFC superstar just announced the couple is expecting their fourth child together!!

The former champ champ shared the big update on "LIVE With Kelly And Mark" Wednesday ... and he says they couldn't be more excited for the new baby.

34-year-old McGregor was talking about raising his three other kids -- Conor Jr. (6), Croia Mairead (4) and Rian (2) -- when he spilled the beans on the growing family.

"We've also got another on the way ... so there's a lot going on," Conor said with a big smile.

Conor says the family still has a few more weeks before finding out about the baby's gender ... and it's clear he can't wait to get the news.

Conor and Dee have been together for about 15 years ... and were engaged in 2020.

If the baby ends up following in daddy's footsteps, they'll have a sparring partner nearby ... 'cause Conor says Junior is already starting to perfect his moves!!

LSU hoops star Angel Reese appeared in Latto's new music video for "Put It On Da Floor Again", but there was no sign of her teammate Flau'jae Johnson -- who literally did a remix of the same song last month -- and she clearly feels some type of way!!

Remember, Johnson -- who's signed with Roc Nation -- freestyled to Latto's hit single in May ... and despite having to re-do it due to lyrics that referenced the 9/11 attacks, the song went viral.

In fact, Latto reached out to Johnson about the remix, saying it was dope ... but a few weeks later, the Atlanta rapper dropped her music video with Cardi B and Reese and not Johnson ... and many were wondering why.

"Latto she hit me about it, the day before," Johnson explained to Baller Alert this week. "She was like 'I want you to be in the video.' I was like, 'I'm in LA right now. But yeah we can make it happen.' But we didn't make it happen."

"Her people never hit my people. I seen she had asked Angel like a week before. And I was like, 'okay, maybe she ain't really want me in the video for real. But she had to ask, 'cause we kind of had a relationship before and she put Angel in it.'"

Johnson continued, saying at the end of the day, she's happy Reese made the cut ... 'cause it's good for women's college basketball, but she just doesn't understand why she was left out.

"I didn't really care because Angel was in it and that was a big moment for women's basketball, and at the same time, why wouldn't you put me in it? It just makes sense."

"I did the remix, it went viral!" Johnson said.

The SEC Freshmen of the Year says hopes one day she and Latto can do a song together.

Johnson also told us earlier this month she wants to collab with J. Cole.

Big Lex called 911 after getting beat up by Joseline Hernandez -- but she wasn't seeking medical attention ... she was seeking justice, demanding for cops to arrest the perpetrator.

TMZ has obtained the dispatch audio capturing BL's emergency call Sunday night -- this after she'd taken a brutal beating at the hands of Joseline backstage during Floyd Mayweather's exhibition fight -- and it sounds like she had one thing in mind ... pressing charges.

Take a listen for yourself ... you hear Lex talking to the operator, who's asking her all the standard questions -- and she sounds relatively calm, cool and collected about it all.

She gives all the proper info, but when the dispatcher asks if she needs medical personnel for any injuries -- Lex actually says no. Instead, she says she just needs cops on hand ... 'cause she says she only wants to file a police report -- obviously in hopes of an arrest.

Lex says she's waiting at a nearby gas station and is standing by to give officers all the pertinent details. Clearly, she gave them what they needed to ultimately throw on handcuffs.

As we reported ... Joseline was hauled off to jail and booked on battery and trespassing charges. Her mug shot certainly makes it seem like she'd been through one wild night.

Of course, this whole incident was caught on camera ... and you can clearly see Joseline raining blows on Big Lex, while also having her in a headlock. The violent altercation ended up leaving Lex partially unclothed ... and it took a little while before they were separated.

LeBron James' second-oldest son is celebrating his Sweet Sixteen on Wednesday ... and the Los Angeles Lakers superstar made sure to wish Bryce a happy birthday with a special shout-out to the teen hooper.

"SCREAMING HAPPY 16th BIRTHDAY 🗣️🗣️🗣️🗣️🗣️🗣️🗣️🗣️ to my Twin MAXIMUS @_justbryce!!!!!!" Bron said on Instagram. "I LOVE YOU YOUNG 🤴🏾!!!"

"Keep going up and up and up! Love the young man you are and becoming every single day!! 🙏🏾🤎🤎🤎🤎🤎🤎👑."

LeBron's tribute also came with several recent pics of Bryce ... showing him balling out on the court and enjoying some downtime as well.

LBJ's oldest kid, Bronny, just graduated from Sierra Canyon High School and will attend USC in the fall ... and Bryce is slated to suit up for Campbell Hall for his remaining two years before college -- so yeah, we're all officially old.

The bday also means there could be another member of the James Gang on the road ... and if Bryce is getting his license, we're sure he'll be riding around in style.

Top high school football recruit Dion Stutts -- a defensive lineman who was committed to playing for the Univ. of Arkansas in 2024 -- tragically died on Tuesday following a utility vehicle accident ... TMZ Sports has confirmed.

A spokesperson for the Panola County Sheriff's Office tells us ... the incident occurred on Stutts' family farm in Batesville, Miss.

The rep said Stutts had been driving in a side-by-side with another person ... when it somehow crashed. Stutts' passenger was uninjured and was able to try to get help for the football player -- but he was sadly later pronounced deceased.

He was just 18 years old.

An investigation into the wreck remains ongoing, the police spokesperson said.

The Razorbacks -- who accepted a commitment from Stutts back in March -- said in a statement Wednesday they're devastated over the news.

"We are heartbroken over the passing of Dion Stutts," the team wrote on its Twitter page. "He was a tremendous young man with a bright future ahead of him. We were as excited to add him to our program as he was to be a Razorback."

"Our thoughts and prayers are with his mother Shante and father Dino along with his entire family as they deal with this loss."

Stutts attended Memphis University School in Tennessee ... and in addition to being a force on the football field, he also starred for the school's wrestling team.

The 6-foot-3, 250-pound athlete had racked up multiple scholarship offers, including ones from Texas A&M, South Carolina and Mississippi State -- before he committed to Arkansas.

"Our hearts go out to the family and friends of rising senior Dion Stutts," MUS athletics said in a statement.

Added Univ. of Memphis head football coach Ryan Silverfield, "Our thoughts and prayers are with the family of Dion Stutts and the entire MUS community."

Conor McGregor tuned in to Floyd Mayweather's exhibition fight vs. John Gotti III, but the UFC superstar "wasn't that impressed" with the boxing legend, saying he "enjoyed the brawl afterward more" than the actual bout!

TMZ Sports caught up with 34-year-old McGregor Wednesday morning in NYC ... when we asked Conor for his thoughts on Mayweather vs. Gotti III.

"I wasn’t that impressed, to be honest with you, wasn't impressed," Conor said.

The former double champ added ... "I don’t know where [Floyd's] at. There’s no meaning behind it. He’s just here and there. There’s no meaning behind the bouts. There’s nothing to it. I enjoyed the brawl afterward more than I did the actual bout."

Of course, Floyd retired from fighting professionally in 2017, leaving with a perfect 50-0 record. Since, he's taken several exhibition bouts, fighting everyone from Logan Paul to the Gotti, grandson of one of the most infamous mobsters ever.

The Gotti fight lasted 6 rounds before referee Kenny Bayless disqualified John for repeatedly grabbing Floyd ... and that's when the real action started, with a melee ensuing in the ring and in several other places at the FLA Live Arena in Sunrise, FL.

Conor expressed support for John after the fight, tweeting ... "I back the Gotti's. The war is on."

Mayweather clearly intends to return to the ring, and Conor has an opponent in mind. Himself, in a rematch of their 2017 super fight.

"We'll have a go if he wants!"

Drake was so floored by the instrumental for his future Toronto Raptors championship anthem "Money In The Grave," he shelled out $20k for the track on the spot, claims producer Lil CC.

The big bag payday rang especially monumental for CC, as the 2019 track was actually her first-ever placement as an artist!!!

Rick Ross wound up hopping on the track and the rest became history -- yet another Top 10 Billboard hit for Drake and a summer anthem to celebrate the Raptors' first chip as a franchise.

CC recalled hearing "Money In The Grave" for the first time during an appearance on "Shirley's Temple." She says she was out in London for a modeling gig and removed from English-speaking friends who would share her excitement.

Oakland Athletics fans flocked to the Coliseum on Tuesday to hold a "reverse boycott" against the franchise's plans to move to Las Vegas  ... and the movement got support from one major supporter -- Green Day frontman Billie Joe Armstrong!!

More than 27,000 supporters -- the biggest crowd of the season -- filled the stadium to prove to A's owner John Fisher they still support the ball club ... and many wore shirts calling on him to sell the team.

Of course, A's fans have been fed up for years ... with the A's front office seemingly giving up on any hopes of being legit contenders by shipping away young stars and having the lowest payroll in the league -- resulting in poor attendance records at home games.

Now that Fisher has kickstarted the relocation process, the larger-than-normal crowd of A's fans showed their disproval as their beloved team played the Tampa Bay Rays ... chanting "sell the team!" and, at other times, giving the silent treatment altogether.

Armstrong -- an Oakland native and longtime A's backer -- was among the fans in attendance ... and he was all-in on the cause, posting his support on Instagram.

"Oakland forever, Vegas never," the rocker said. "#selltheteam."

BJA was super friendly with his fellow A's fans ... posing for selfies and chatting amongst the crowd throughout the contest.

The A's continued their current winning streak by winning the game, 2-1, but things got ugly shortly after the final out ... with some spectators throwing trash onto the field.

Things just went from bad to worse for Kroy Biermann … not only is he embroiled in an acrimonious divorce with Kim Zolciak, but he’s now being sued for allegedly missing lease payments on a Rolls-Royce.

According to new court docs, obtained by TMZ, the ex-NFL linebacker hasn’t paid a dime in months to BMW Financial Services to lease the company's 2020 Rolls-Royce Cullinan.

The docs say BMW execs demanded Kroy return their $400,100 luxury SUV, but he thumbed his nose at them and kept it.

The suit also includes the purported lease agreement signed by both parties and goes into detail about Kroy's failures to make his monthly payments.

From July 2020 to July 2023 ... BMW claims Kroy was supposed to turn over $5,297.64 each month for 36 months, totaling $190,715.04.

But Kroy often came up short, the docs say ... and, more recently, he just didn't pay at all. BMW also points out Kroy's last payment was made all the way back in September 2022.

As a result, BMW is asking for a "writ of possession" in the suit ... translation: give us back our damn vehicle, Kroy!! They also want the money they've lost out on.

Meanwhile, Kroy has been battling his estranged wife, Kim Zolciak, in divorce court over their finances and custody of their 4 young kids. In legal docs, the 'Real Housewives of Atlanta' alum has accused Kroy of smoking too much weed ... and Kroy has called out Kim for her alleged gambling addiction.

We've reached out to Kroy's attorneys for comment about the lawsuit ... so far, no word back yet.

Floyd Mayweather, despite being attacked in the ring by John Gotti III after their fight, was still able to share a cool moment with his longtime business partner, with both men receiving a custom Juneteenth belt in a back hallway of the venue.

The ceremony was originally supposed to go down inside the ring, but the subsequential brawl made that impossible. Still, the 50-0 legend, along with WBC President Mauricio Sulaiman, presented CEO Jas Mathur with the World Boxing Council Championship Freedom Belt.

Mayweather also received the commemorative strap.

The belt, the WBC says, celebrates "the remarkable achievements and visionary leadership demonstrated by Mr. Mathur and Limitless X for their contributions to the sporting and business community."

“Thank you to Mauricio and the WBC for creating and presenting me and my partners with this unique freedom belt to commemorate Juneteenth,” Floyd told us.

"The WBC has always led by example. I am honored to receive the belt along with Robert Smith, who is the largest civil rights activist in our history, and Jas Mathur my dear friend and partner."

Mayweather's friend, billionaire philanthropist Robert Smith, also received the Freedom Belt at a dinner Saturday night in South Florida.

Mathur, who has worked alongside Floyd for years, was touched by the gift, writing, "It is truly an honor to receive this championship belt from the World Boxing Council."

Of course, Mayweather and Gotti III fought in an 8-round exhibition fight on Sunday ... which erupted into chaos after the grandson of the legendary mobster attacked Floyd after the ref stopped the fight.

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.