TMZ Sports - Page 31

NFL star Maxx Crosby just got a permanent reminder to chase greatness daily ... getting pictures of Michael Jordan, Muhammad Ali, and Kobe Bryant tattooed all over his torso!!

The Las Vegas Raiders pass rusher got the work done last week ... hitting up Andres Ortega at Onder Ink for the massive piece, and check out the images of the artwork -- it came out awesome.

Just above his right hip, Crosby got a shot of Jordan in the middle of a free-throw stroke. To the left of that, the football player had an iconic snap of Ali put down. And, just above his left hip, Crosby also got a photo of Kobe mid-celebration inked too.

Ortega tells the reasoning for the trio of tats was simple ... Crosby wanted to make sure he always keeps his focus on his journey to being one of the best ever -- hence why he also got the words "Be Legendary" put near his rib cage as well.

The homages to the sports icons, though, were far from the only tats he got ... Ortega also put a sweet tribute to Crosby's baby daughter on his chest, before rounding out the nod to the newborn with diamonds and a rose.

In total, Ortega says it took about 11 hours to complete.

1,500 entrepreneurs in Florida got quite the stylin' and profilin' surprise from WWE legend Ric Flair ... who shocked the audience, crashing longtime friend Magic Johnson's keynote speech to the packed crowd!

63-year-old Johnson spoke about building a billion-dollar empire and the importance of charity at the RiseCon conference in Tampa Friday morning ... but his speech was interrupted by a familiar voice and famous phrase.

"There's only one man at the top," 74-year-old Flair yelled when he hit the stage, as many in the crowd gave their best "woooooo!"

The WWE Hall of Famer continued ... "The limousine ridin', kiss stealin', wheelin' dealin', son of a gun that's having a hard time holding these crocodiles down, woo!"

Ric continued, taking a shot at the 5x NBA champs rival, Larry Legend.

"By the way, I hated Larry Bird. You beat him in college. You kicked his ass in the pros. You're the man! You're the man!"

The surprise was arranged by RiseCon CEO Vick Tipnes through agent Darren Prince, who reps both men.

Of course, outside of his incredible accomplishments on the basketball court, Magic is one of the most successful retired athletes turned business tycoons.

Aside from Johnson, the 3-day event, designed to "maximize every area of your life," featured other stars like David Goggins, who may be the toughest man on the face of the Earth, 4x Mr. Olympia winner Jay Cutler, and author, trainer, and motivational speaker Tim Grover, who trained Michael Jordan and Kobe Bryant, also spoke.

Bellator star Cris Lencioni is currently "in his biggest fight yet" after suffering cardiac arrest earlier this month ... with a family member revealing he is currently receiving treatment in the ICU.

The featherweight's relative shared the tragic news on Monday ... saying the health-related incident happened while he was training on June 8.

"As you can imagine this was completely unexpected considering he is only 28 and in peak physical condition," Angela Hibbard said on a GoFundMe page set up for Lencioni.

"We believe in the goodness of God, and we don’t know anyone with more will, strength, and determination than Cris. Cris has already overcome so much in his life, and we have faith in his ability to overcome any obstacle."

Hubbard added Lencioni is known throughout the MMA community for his positive personality and willingness to help others ... and now she is asking for financial support for his family as he deals with his medical situation.

Lencioni's wife, Marca, also provided more information ... saying those present at the time of the incident acted quickly, called 911 and catered to his needs as they waited for paramedics to arrive.

Chael Sonnen, who trains with Lencioni, tweeted about his friend on Monday ... saying, "This is a young man who prepared his whole life for a fight and it appears he just found one."

Another record for Wilt Chamberlain ... the "Big Dipper's" uniform from his '59-'60 rookie season, worn in virtually every home game, sold at auction for an astounding $1.79 MILLION!!

The #13 "PHILA" jersey and shorts combo were on the block at SCP Auctions ... where after 16 massive bids, the threads sold Saturday night for 7 figures.

With a nearly $1.8 million sale price (the minimum bid was $200k), SCP says the jersey easily set the record for vintage hoops memorabilia.

As we previously reported, the 4x NBA MVP rocked the uni for virtually all, if not all, regular season and playoff home games, including a series with Bill Russell's Boston Celtics in the Eastern Division Finals (Philly lost in 6 games).

The uniform was photo matched by three of the leading authenticators in the sports memorabilia business, all confirming Wilt wore the shorts and jersey numerous times starting in '59.

7'1" Wilt's rookie season is probably the most impressive in the history of American sports. He averaged almost 38 points and 27 rebounds per game, on the way to setting eight rookie records.

Aside from (obviously) winning Rookie of the Year, Chamberlain was also named league MVP.

Chamberlain went on to play for 14 seasons in the NBA, averaging over 30 points and nearly 23 rebounds a game. Wilt was a 13x All-Star, 11 rebounding champ, and 7x scoring champ. He famously scored 100 points in a game in 1962, a record. Many basketball fans believe Wilt was the most unstoppable force in basketball history.

The identity of the buyer is not known at this time.

Victor Wembanyama mania is in full effect -- the future No. 1 overall pick in the NBA Draft was mobbed by fans as he touched down in the U.S. on Monday ... and the scene was crazy!!

The 19-year-old French phenom is at the center of the basketball world ahead of Thursday's festivities ... and all signs point to the San Antonio Spurs taking him as soon as they're on the clock.

Wembanyama immediately got a taste of what it will be like to be a celebrity in America when he landed at JFK airport ... being met with a large group of supporters.

Fans brought basketballs, magazines, and custom jerseys in hopes of getting an autograph from the 7'5" hooper ... and based on the footage, he was patient enough to sign as much as he could before heading into a sprinter van.

"I don't know how they knew what flight I was on, but it's fun," Wembanyama said of the impromptu meet-and-greet. "It's different, seeing that you can have such impact on people."

Canelo Alvarez clearly wanted some R&R before returning to the ring in September, so the boxing superstar grabbed his beautiful wife and darted off for a romantic vacation in Portofino, where the smoke show couple were seen packing on the PDA! 🔥

32-year-old Canelo and 26-year-old wife Fernanda Gomez were photographed in Italy Sunday afternoon, Father's Day, enjoying the European holiday ... where they shopped in several luxury stores, including Dolce & Gabbana.

Alvarez and Gomez, who married in May 2021 (just a few days after Canelo broke Billy Joe Saunders' face in their fight), were seen kissing and holding hands in between the retail therapy.

Portofino, located in Genoa on the Italian Riviera, is a hot spot for some of the richest and most successful people from Europe and America.

The couple also posted a photo on social media of their view, seemingly before a meal ... and it's breathtaking!

Alvarez last fought on May 6, in his hometown, where he easily handled John Ryder, winning by unanimous decision.

Canelo now plans to fight again in September, but his opponent has not yet been announced. Alvarez has made it clear he wants to rematch Dmitry Bivol, the only man to beat him outside of Floyd Mayweather.

It turns out Max Verstappen's dominant win at the Canadian Grand Prix was even more impressive than it looked ... 'cause the Formula One superstar completed the race with a dead bird stuck to his car!!

The Red Bull driver ran over the poor thing during Lap 11 of Sunday's event in Montreal ... which he hilariously detailed to his team on the radio.

But the animal apparently wanted one last joyride before going to bird heaven ... 'cause it got trapped in the right brake duct of Verstappen's car, where it remained until the checkered flag was waved.

Red Bull team principal Christian Horner praised the champ's ability to handle the unique situation ... saying it was "a very, very controlled race by him."

It's not the first time the 25-year-old has had some run-ins with animals mid-race -- he also hit a squirrel at the Italian GP in 2021.

Sunday's win over Fernando Alonso (second) and Lewis Hamilton (third) marked Verstappen's sixth first-place finish in eight races so far in 2023 ... which has him sitting comfortably at the top of the Driver Standings over teammate Checo Perez.

Stefon Diggs clearly isn't trying to put any distance between himself and his brother, Darez ... the NFL star showed big love to the guy at his football camp over the weekend -- less than three weeks after Darez was seen on video orchestrating an elevator attack.

Diggs invited Darez -- a former XFL player -- to help coach up kids at his "Diggs Day" event at the Univ. of Maryland on Saturday ... and you can see, Stefon seemed thrilled to have him there, despite the criminal investigation surrounding him.

The two were spotted hanging out throughout the camp ... with Darez even running onto the field with Stefon before the festivities began.

The guys also shared some moments with their other brother, Dallas Cowboys star Trevon Diggs.

It's all not a shocking sight -- considering the three brothers have always been super tight ... though it is noteworthy, considering what Darez has been accused of.

You'll recall ... Darez and two other men were seen on video back on May 29 taking jewelry and other items from a man during a violent encounter inside of an elevator at an apartment complex in downtown L.A.

Cops say they are investigating the matter ... though no arrests have been made in the case yet.

21 Savage spent his Father's Day being a wholesome father figure to dozens of kids at a youth basketball clinic hosted by his own org ... and with plenty of celeb assistance!!!

The "Her Loss" rapper recruited NBA ballers like Nassir Little of the Portland Trail Blazers, Jay Scrubb and Kevon Harris of the Orlando Magic, London Johnson from the NBA G League Team Ignite and NCAA champ Flau'jae Johnson.

They were all there to coach the kids on the basketball skills needed to get to the next level.

21's Leading By Example Foundation camp partnered with the nonprofit Freedom Is a Choice Inc to launch the camp, held in his hometown neighborhood of Dekalb County, GA.

The event was designed to help kids who grew up just like him -- the player's ages ranged between 10 to 13 years old ... and all have fathers who are currently incarerated.

21's got a lil' game himself ... he's been in the lab with Lethal Shooter perfecting his jumper.

Sean McVay had an extra special Father's Day ... 'cause the L.A. Rams head coach and his wife, Veronika Khomyn, just announced he's going to be a daddy later this year -- and it's a boy!!

The couple shared the big news on Sunday ... showing off Veronika's growing baby bump and pictures of her sonogram.

The Super Bowl-winning coach will have his hands full this season ... as the new arrival is slated to come during the start of the 2023-24 campaign.

"Guess who’s becoming a dad this football season! 🥰,"  Veronika said on Instagram. "Baby boy McVay is coming this fall and we’re so excited to meet him and love on him."

"I can’t believe he’s been growing in my belly for 5 months already."

Sean and Veronika's adorable pup even got in on the photo shoot... wearing a bandana that read, "I thought I was the baby!"

The longtime couple first met in Washington, D.C. when McVay was working with the now-Commanders ... and they went public with their relationship in 2016.

They got hitched at a star-studded wedding in 2022.

It's a dog-eat-dog world, but in one pro fishing team's case ... a shark-eat-marlin one too, which ended up costing 'em a ton of dough -- to the tune of millions of dollars!

Officials for the Big Rock Blue Marlin Tournament in North Carolina disqualified a crew this weekend after they hooked a massive marlin that they'd spent upwards of 6 hours reeling in ... and weighing in at over 619 pounds.

It should've won 'em the grand prize. Should have ...

That award would've been a whopping $3.5 million ... but the team, cruising on their boat Sensation, got screwed out of it -- all because their catch had been mauled.

Indeed ... tourney honchos came down with their controversial decision to disqualify the marlin after Sensation landed the massive fish and had taken tons of pics with it hanging over their boat and deck too. Apparently, the thing had significant shark bites in it.

Those bites aren't all that visible to the untrained eye ... the marlin appears to be mostly intact and in good shape -- but, as it turns out, there was enough damage to it for the Big Rock people to cross it out.

Instead, another fishing crew -- riding on a boat called Sushi -- ended up winning with a much smaller marlin ... which weighed only 484 pounds or so. The Sensation team, of course, was bummed about losing out ... saying it was a tough pill to swallow.

Dee Devlin is making it clear she's standing by Conor McGregor despite recent rape allegations ... jetting out to NYC this past weekend to spend a loving Father's Day with the UFC star.

McGregor shared photos of the couple's holiday celebration on his Instagram page Sunday evening ... and in the pics, you can see Devlin looked as in love with the 34-year-old as ever -- even though he was just accused of sexually assaulting a woman a week prior.

Wearing her engagement ring, Devlin was seen in the pics embracing McGregor ... and at one point, rubbing one of his feet. The two were also seen smiling ear-to-ear as they were surrounded by their three children.

"The Best Fathers Day yet!" McGregor wrote in a caption on the pics. "Happy Fathers Day, gents. God bless."

Devlin, who's yet to publicly comment on the accusations, has been dating McGregor for over a decade ... getting engaged to the fighting star back in 2020. McGregor just revealed last week they're expecting to have their fourth child later this year.

TMZ Sports broke the story ... McGregor was accused of kissing a woman without her consent, forcing her to perform oral sex, and then attempting to sodomize her during a violent attack inside of a restroom following Game 4 of the NBA Finals back on June 9 at the Kaseya Center in Miami.

But, Conor, through his attorney, has vehemently denied all of the allegations ... calling the woman's claims "a shakedown" attempt.

Ronda Rousey was brought back to earth for an emotional moment during her time on "Mars" ... with the UFC legend breaking down in tears during a video conversation with her daughter.

Ronda and other big names were completely separated from the real world for weeks as they competed on the Fox show, "Stars on Mars" ... and in the latest episode of the series, all the remaining contestants appear to be struggling with their living conditions.

In an emotional clip, Ronda is shown FaceTiming with her 1-year-old, La'akea, and her husband, Travis Browne ... and she can't help but cry as she looks at her daughter's smiling face.

"Hi, my beautiful angel!!" Ronda said ... with Travis replying, "We love ya."

Ex-NFL star Richard Sherman also shared his issues with being away from his loved ones ... admitting he felt like he was experiencing "space madness."

Lance Armstrong said the competition is no joke ... adding, "The long game here is brutal. The mental side of this is torture."

Tom Brady left football, in part, so he could focus on being a more-present dad -- and on Father's Day ... that's exactly what he was reflecting on, in touching terms no less.

The now-retired QB great threw up a sweet tribute to both his own father as well as his kids on Instagram Sunday -- and it's all about what being a good Papa Bear means to him personally ... and how he was raised by an awesome one in his pops, Tom Brady Sr.

Here's what TB12 had to say about the special holiday ... "On this Father’s Day, all I can think of is how grateful I am to have been raised by the world’s best Dad, and to now have three beautiful angels of my own who I have the joy of watching grow up."

Tom adds, "Being a Dad is the best thing in my life. I have learned so much about what it takes from my Dad and to be able to pass that on to Jack, Benny and Vivi means the world to me. They have taught me how to be present (still working on this daily 🤣)and cherish every moment (mostly😂) that we have as a family, because that’s what matters most."

And finally, he finishes with this ... "Their love for others and constant selflessness makes me so proud to be their dad, and I know those traits come directly from everyone who is part of their life. Thank you Dad, for being you, and thank you to my three amazing kids, for giving me the pleasure of being your Dad." Super thoughtful ... and clearly from the heart.

It's pretty obvious that Tom's loving retirement at this point -- as we've seen up close, it has most definitely allowed him to spend quality time with his children ... which he's said had been somewhat lacking throughout his football career.

There's been speculation he might just un-retire (again) and get back on the gridiron ... but seeing how much he's enjoying his family, something tells us that probably ain't happening.

Lately, the dude's been sailing the high seas/living the yacht life -- with his kiddos coming along, of course. Of course, he's also proven that he could certainly hop back into the game if he really wanted to ... 'cause the dude can still toss the pigskin like nobody's business.

Conor McGregor isn't hiding under a rock after a woman accused him of sexual assault -- he's out and about in NYC, and still drawing a crowd wherever he goes.

The UFC fighter pulled up to his hotel in NYC Saturday night and was immediately swarmed by autograph seekers ... just as he was earlier in the day. McGregor happily stopped and signed for seemingly all of them, before bounding into the hotel.

He didn't have anything to say, though, when one of them asked how he was holding up.

TMZ Sports broke the story ... a woman claims McGregor took her into a restroom -- during Game 4 of the NBA Finals in Miami last week -- and forced her to perform oral sex, before attempting to sodomize her.

We also obtained 2 very relevant videos -- one shows McGregor holding the accuser's hand and leading her into a men's room at Kaseya Center arena.

Another video shows them hanging out together, still at the arena, about 30 minutes after the alleged assault would have happened. McGregor has flatly denied the sexual assault happened.

Meanwhile, the accuser's attorney, Ariel Mitchell, says her client acknowledges she was still around McGregor after the alleged assault, but says they were "visibly awkward" with each other at that point.

The accuser did file a report with the police, who are now investigating -- and McGregor's team believes he will be fully exonerated.

Anyone holding out hope that Kim Zolciak and Kroy Biermann might find some common ground during their nasty divorce should just give up ... cuz it just ain't happening.

Sources with direct knowledge tell us the estranged couple has stopped all direct communication ... only having a back and forth using their lawyers.

What's more -- the two still live under the same roof, but in separate wings of the house, while still sharing their 4 young kids between the two of them. Our sources says there's absolutely zero chance the pair will ever get along again, things are just that bad.

When speaking of their relationship, our source says, "They hate each other. It's very contentious." We're told the whole thing has been messy for their family, and will continue at least until the divorce is finalized and Kim and Kroy can legally go their separate ways.

TMZ broke the story, Kim filed docs earlier this week defending herself as a mother and accusing Kroy of being mentally and emotionally abusive over the years.

Kroy's taken his own jabs at Kim, too, accusing her of having a serious gambling addiction and asking the judge for sole physical and legal custody of the couple's children.