TMZ Sports - Page 29

LeBron James put down the basketballs this week and grabbed a handful of Rihanna's pregnant belly instead -- and the adorable moment was all captured on video!!!

The King has been in France the past few days enjoying a little vacation during the Lakers' offseason ... and while at the Louis Vuitton show in Paris -- he ran into his longtime friend, Rihanna.

The two shared a warm embrace ... and at one point during the hug, LBJ couldn't help but give a squeeze to the most famous stomach on the planet at the moment.

Check out the footage, Bron palmed it like a basketball for several seconds -- and the "Work" singer was loving it!!

RiRi grabbed James' hand and appeared to thank him for some kind words he was whispering ... and it was all a super sweet moment.

Of course, the meetup was just one of many memorable occasions LeBron's gotten to experience this week ... he was able to dine with Draymond Green just a few days prior -- and he even received some serious praise for the 'fit and grill he rocked to the LV show.

Cristiano Ronaldo and Georgina Rodriguez beat the heat in the best way possible -- the stunning couple showed off their incredible physiques while lounging on a yacht in Italy this week ... and the pics are a fuoco!!

The soccer superstar and his partner took their kids out for a luxurious getaway near Sardinia this week ... and it looked jam-packed with fun festivities like jet-skiing and diving into the water for some swimming.

The whole group posed for some pics during the trip ... with everyone giving two thumbs up.

Georgina went with a sexy green bikini for the outing ... and the Al Nassr striker chose some short Dolce and Gabbana trunks.

The 38-year-old icon -- who is in the middle of a MASSIVE deal worth up to $200 million a year -- will get to spend a lot of time with his loved ones during his time away from the pitch ... as his Saudi Arabian team has a few weeks off before returning to competition.

Calling Daniel Cormier PISSED at American Airlines may be an understatement ... the MMA legend ripped into the airline's staff on social media after they gave his seat away, calling the whole ordeal "insane" and "unprofessional!"

The 44-year-old former UFC double champ said the aggravating incident went down at San Francisco International Airport on Wednesday.

"I am literally in the worst experience," Cormier started ... "It’s unreal how horrific @AmericanAir staff at SFO is behaving right now."

"I show up to my flight to find out my seat has been given away."

Cormier continued, saying an AA employee walked away from him and shut a door in his face.

"If that isn’t enough this [American Airlines employee] won’t even speak to me," Cormier said. "This dude walks away from me as I am speak and he slams the door in my face."

"Wouldn’t even speak a word to me and then slams the f***ing door in my face!"

The UFC Hall of Famer and current UFC broadcaster was trying to get to Las Vegas for meetings with fighters ahead of Saturday's Fight Night card.

Aaron Rodgers made a huge push for the legalization of magical mushrooms and more on Wednesday night, insisting they have changed his life ... and could help alter many others too.

The New York Jets quarterback stumped for the hallucinogens for nearly an hour ... while giving a passionate speech on a stage at the Psychedelic Science 2023 conference in Denver.

He and his good pal Aubrey Marcus, who sat alongside the NFL star at the podium, glowed about their uses of psychedelics while addressing a big crowd ... and Rodgers repeated over and over again that everyone should have an open mind to the drugs.

"I know in Colorado that psilocybin has been decriminalized," Rodgers said. "Is it not ironic that the things that actually expand your mind are illegal and the things that keep you in the lower chakras and dumb you down have been legal for centuries?"

The 39-year-old -- who's been vocal in the past about his use of ayahuasca -- said, yet again, his trip on the psychedelic tea helped transform him from one of the league's best signal-callers back into an NFL MVP.

"It's going to be hard to cancel me," he said, "because, you know, the previous year, 26 touchdowns, four interceptions. We had a good season. Ayahuasca, 48 touchdowns five, interceptions, MVP. What are you going to say?"

Rodgers also ribbed his critics -- whom he referred to as "bums" -- saying they're the ones who need to try psychedelics the most.

As part of his speech, Rodgers also said he's heard from all kinds of athletes since he initially opened up about his ayahuasca use ... claiming everyone from basketball players to baseball players to surfers and entertainers have reached out to him to share their similar experiences.

Officials at the conference, meanwhile, praised Rodgers for showing up and speaking his mind ... with Rick Doblin, the Multidisciplinary Association for Psychedelic Studies' founder, telling the New York Post he expects it to all have a "massive impact" on relieving the stigma surrounding the drugs.

A billionaire brawl between Mark Zuckerberg and Elon Musk?!?

The wild cage match might actually happen ... 'cause the Meta CEO just clapped back at the Twitter honcho's callout by saying he's totally down to fight!!

Musk recently pitched the fight idea in response to a report claiming Zuck's company is planning to rival Twitter with a new platform of its own ... to which he replied, "I'm up for a cage match if he is lol."

Whether or not he was kidding, the Facebook co-founder got wind of Musk's tweet ... and channeled his inner Khabib Nurmagomedov by saying, "Send me location."

The response, according to The Verge, was NOT a joke ... and he's 100% serious about duking it out.

Musk, 51, already seems to have a spot in mind for the potential fight ... tweeting "Vegas Octagon" late Wednesday night.

He also teased some of his skills ... adding, "I have this great move that I call 'The Walrus,' where I just lie on top of my opponent & do nothing."

Musk better pray the move works, 'cause Zuck, 39, started honing his craft back during the pandemic ... and he recently competed in a jiu-jitsu tournament, where he earned a gold and silver medal.

He also claims to have finished the famous "Murph Challenge" -- a one-mile run, 100 pull-ups, 200 push-ups, 300 squats, and an additional one-mile run (all while wearing a weighted vest) -- in under 40 minutes, which is quite an accomplishment.

Controversial former kickboxer/media personality Andrew Tate is down to have Elon's back, though ... 'cause he said he wants revenge for being blocked on all Meta platforms.

Somebody get Dana White on the phone ASAP.

Listen up, future NBA rookies ... Dwyane Wade is offering some advice heading into Thursday night's draft -- telling TMZ Sports every guy who's about to head to the Association NEEDS to make their finances a priority.

Wade doled out the guidance in front of Dash Radio in Hollywood this week ... saying it's absolutely critical for rookies to be able to manage their money effectively.

In fact, the future Hall of Famer said it's the No. 1 thing he knows now that he wishes he had known way back when he was getting drafted into the NBA in 2003.

"Try to get you somebody in your life that really knows finances," the 41-year-old said. "Somebody who, hopefully, you can build a relationship with. Hopefully, you can build a trust with eventually."

Wade took his counsel a step further ... saying the guys should do everything they can to learn about their upcoming NBA checks on their own as well.

Of course, Wade is one of the best people rookies can hear the tips from ... he played in the league for 16 seasons -- and piled up nearly $200 MILLION in contracts alone.

Police are finally revealing more about their criminal investigation into Tyreek Hill ... saying in an incident report, obtained by TMZ Sports, that they launched their probe into the NFL star after he was accused of slapping a man during an altercation on a boat.

According to the Miami-Dade Police Department docs, the incident happened at around 6:45 PM on June 18 in a Miami marina ... after Hill and some of his apparent acquaintances had boarded a fishing charter vessel without the owner's permission.

Cops say when employees of the ship found Hill's group -- they tried to kick them off ... but a verbal argument broke out instead.

During the tiff, it's alleged Hill reached out and slapped one of the employees "on the back of the neck with an open hand" as members of the 29-year-old's group tried to usher him away from the area.

Cops say Hill then "charged towards" the employee -- but he was "restrained by several people within his group."

The Dolphins receiver then left the area, cops say.

According to the docs, Hill and his group had inquired about renting the boat earlier in the day prior to the confrontation with employees -- but did not go through with the purchase "due to the high" cost.

So far, no arrests have been made ... and no charges have been filed.

Neither Hill nor his agent, Drew Rosenhaus, have yet to publicly comment on the allegations.

Inter Miami goalkeeper Nick Marsman -- who's slated to be teammates with Lionel Messi later this summer -- was attacked by a spider at a zoo recently ... and the bite was apparently so bad, the soccer player had to spend several days in the hospital.

Marsman's wife, Nathalie den Dekker, explained the scary situation in a series of Instagram posts this week ... saying the 32-year-old was in a medical facility for three days after a poisonous arachnid sunk its teeth into him.

Thankfully, though, she said he's been released ... and is now home recovering.

"Happy to have you back home," den Dekker said in one of her posts. "Now get well soon."

It's unclear how much time the MLS goalie -- who's Inter Miami's primary backup behind Drake Callender -- will need to miss while he regains his strength.

NFL wide receiver Mecole Hardman might have just taken the title for "best chain in the league" ... 'cause he's the proud new owner of an INSANE diamond chain complete with THREE jets!!

TMZ Sports is told -- the 25-year-old wideout wanted to commemorate his "Jet" nickname and recent signing with the New York Jets ... so he hit up Al The Jeweler of Labelle Jewelry in Totowa, NJ for a truly one-of-a-kind piece.

Al tells us the two brainstormed on the design ... which features detailed jets, and even a working cockpit that has a mini Mecole sitting inside it!!

The whole thing is made up of more than 100 carats of VVS diamonds and half a kilo of gold ... and it took two whole months to complete.

Al -- who's made unique pieces for the biggest names in football like Sauce Gardner and Stefon Diggs (just to name a few) -- tells us he's proud of all his work over the years, but admits Hardman's new piece might be one of his favorites.

The greatest basketball player of all time is NOT Michael Jordan OR LeBron James, according to future top lottery pick Brandon Miller, who says his NBA G.O.A.T. is none other than ... Paul George!

The former Alabama hoops star revealed his all-time favorite when asked about the MJ-LBJ G.O.A.T. debate during his pre-NBA Draft press conference on Wednesday, shocking mostly everyone.

"I actually don’t think LeBron is the G.O.A.T. of basketball," the 22-year-old said. "My G.O.A.T. of basketball is Paul George. I grew up watching him."

This comes after Miller met with Jordan several times ... as he's projected to be a top-three selection, and the Charlotte Hornets have the 2nd overall pick.

"My first time seeing him in person," Miller said. "It's definitely exciting."

Obviously, not exciting enough to earn a spot as the greatest hooper ever.

Of course, PG13 has a nice resume, and over his 13-season career, has been one of the best two-way players in the league. Still, the statement caused a lot of basketball fans to scratch their heads.

Some actually roasted Miller for his statement on social media ... with one fan saying, "He automatically drops to like 10th overall pick now".

But, it's more a subjective question, as opposed to objective (though, stats/career achievements do play a part), and there's nothing wrong with having your own opinion. In fact, Miller's such a huge fan of George that he even mimics the 8-time All-Star on the court.

"I think I compare myself to Paul George a lot due to the fact he takes pride in the defensive side," Miller told HoopsHype. "I steal some of his moves and put my own twist to it."

Shaun White and Nina Dobrev are basically morphing into the same person at this point -- the couple threw on some matching outfits and shared an electric scooter as they zoomed through NYC this week!!

The retired snowboarder and his actress girlfriend decided to squeeze together on one vehicle as they coasted to their destination ... but they didn't seem to mind, 'cause they were both smiling from ear to ear!!

To make things even more adorable, White and Dobrev matched for the occasion ... rocking all black tops and bottoms, white shoes and sunglasses.

36-year-old Shaun took control of the steering during the joyride ... while Nina, 34, appeared to multitask and check out her phone. Gotta give the "Vampire Diaries" star some props 'cause she was wearing a bit of a heel!!

White and Dobrev first met in 2019 ... and have been inseparable ever since.

Riley Gaines is taking her fight to keep transgender women out of women's sports to our nation's capital ... testifying for a Senatorial hearing about her encounters with lightning rod athlete Lia Thomas.

The former collegiate swimmer -- who competed for the University of Kentucky, and who also raced against Lia on the NCAA level -- described to U.S. senators what it was like having to change in the same locker room as Thomas ... who's a transgender woman.

She describes seeing Thomas' male genitalia and how jarring it was for her and others, saying nobody ever asked for their consent or input -- they, the NCAA, just let it happen.

In Gaines' eyes, this was a clear violation of their right to privacy, and she went on to pose the question -- what does this trend mean for women's sport? And, more importantly, does anyone care how it impacts cisgender women? By letting Thomas compete with them, she argues the powers that be have proven they don't.

Interestingly, Gaines says she's not advocating for trans athletes to be banned from sports altogether. On the contrary, she says they can and should be athletes -- but it sounds like she's suggesting they have their own classification and not be lumped in with cisgender competitors.

Now, as far as how the lawmakers reacted ... it pretty much fell along party lines. Dems pushed back on her characterization -- and Republicans, by and large, embraced her.

Willie McGinest has been sued yet again ... this time, a man is alleging the ex-NFL star and three other people beat the hell out of him during a dispute over weights at a gym two years ago.

According to the lawsuit, obtained by TMZ Sports, the altercation happened back on June 21, 2021 ... inside of a 24 Hour Fitness in Long Beach, Calif.

The plaintiff, Andrew Cortez, claims he was using the bench press ... when someone walked up and took one of his plates.

Cortez says he told the person he was not done with the weight ... but he claims McGinest, the former New England Patriots pass rusher, overheard the exchange and said "the f*** you mean?"

According to the lawsuit, McGinest then socked Cortez in the face with a closed fist.

Cortez alleges three other men then jumped in ... and, along with McGinest, proceeded to strike him in the head and back "30 to 40 times."

According to the suit, 24 Hour Fitness personnel eventually separated the parties -- though Cortez claims he was left bloodied and injured.

Cortez says he's been suffering from emotional distress since the attack ... and is still reeling from the wounds he sustained.

He's asking for unspecified damages in his suit.

Penny Hardaway has been suspended for the first three games of the Memphis Tigers' upcoming basketball season after the NCAA says the head coach violated recruiting rules.

The NCAA says the violations happened when Hardaway and a Tigers assistant coach each made an in-home visit with a recruit -- a junior in high school -- during the 2021-2022 academic year.

"NCAA rules, as adopted by members, require any in-person contacts with recruits during the fall months of their junior year of high school to be made at the prospects' schools, not in their homes. As a result, these visits violated recruiting rules," the NCAA said on Wednesday.

"Due to his personal involvement in the violations, failure to monitor his staff's violations, and his failure to consult with the Memphis compliance department before making an in-home visit, the head coach also violated head coach responsibility rules."

The first visit was made by an assistant coach, and then two weeks later by Penny, who was hired as Memphis HC in 2018.

The Division I Committee on Infractions panel announced the three-game suspension, bluntly saying, "Ignorance of the rules is not an excuse."

Of course, this isn't Hardaway's first recruiting scandal ... the 51-year-old former NBA star was accused of giving then-prospect James Wiseman over $11k in 2017.

Offset made the most of his time at Paris Fashion Week ... which he capped off by burning down the runway with a surprise performance!!!

TMZ Hip Hop obtained video of Offset blazing through the perfect song for modeling ... his Metro Boomin-produced classic hit "Ric Flair Drip," which he performed Tuesday during the Li-Ning Menswear Spring/Summer 2024 show.

The collection is designed by Oscar Wang and titled "My-Verse" ... which Offset ripped through his on the track.

Offset virtually managed to be in 2 places at once for the evening ... Pharrell also had his debut fashion show as Louis Vuitton's Men's Creative Director, and Offset was also among the many celebrity guests to support. He even dapped up Jay-Z at the event.

SlamBall is returning to your television screens this summer -- the resurrected sports league has agreed to a 2-year broadcasting partnership with ESPN, TMZ Sports has learned.

The exclusive deal will provide coverage for SlamBall's 2023 and 2024 seasons ... which will consist of 30 hours of action from opening night on July 21 through the playoffs and championship game on August 19.

The basketball/hockey/football hybrid games -- played at the Cox Pavilion in Vegas -- will air on ESPN, ESPN2 and ESPN+.

SlamBall creator and CEO Mason Gordon tells us the deal is proof the sport is only getting more popular with time ... saying, "ESPN's multi-year commitment to SlamBall is further validation of the enormous appeal and growth potential of our sport."

"The level of interest in our hybrid team sport not just in the U.S., but across the world, has been beyond our expectations for the 2023 season. It’s clear that this is the best talent we have had in the sport’s history."

SlamBall's revival has a ton of fans excited -- after all, there was a massive campaign for years to bring it back.

SlamBall co-founder Mike Tollin says the fan feedback was impossible to ignore ... and he's happy to bring the sport back.

"Mason and I couldn’t help but respond to the #BringBackSlamBall clamor. Live sports dominate the airwaves these days and audiences are looking for the next big thing. It’s a thrill to collaborate with ESPN in bringing this ground-breaking sport back to the world."

TMZ Sports broke the story of SlamBall's return back in August ... and as expected, the response was overwhelmingly positive.