TMZ Sports - Page 50

Chill out with all the Draymond Green and LeBron James talk ... 'cause new Warriors point guard Chris Paul tells TMZ Sports he "absolutely" wants the 4-time NBA champ back on the team!

We caught up with CP3 at Fanatics' "Merch Madness" giveaway event on Tuesday ... just a few days after the 38-year-old guard was traded to Golden State in exchange for Jordan Poole.

"I'm excited," Paul said. "I know I've been the sworn enemy for a long time but I cannot wait to be there, and I cannot wait to get in the locker room with all those guys."

Of course, there's a chance one of those guys might be missing. Draymond Green isn't a lock to return after declining a $27.5 million player option, making him a free agent.

Even though he's only been on the team for a few days, CP3 says he "absolutely" wants Green back.

It won't be easy, though ... a lot of teams are reportedly interested in Draymond, including the Portland Trailblazers, Detroit Pistons, Sacramento Kings and LA Lakers.

King James and DG were recently spotted on vacay together in Europe ... and chances are Bron was doing some recruiting!

Former NFL quarterback Ryan Mallett -- a third-round pick in 2011 NFL Draft -- has passed away. He was 35 years old.

TMZ Sports has confirmed ... Mallett tragically drowned in Florida. He was rushed to a nearby hospital, where he was pronounced dead.

Mallett was a star prospect out of Texas High in Texarkana ... where he was one of the top-ranked signal callers in his class. He went on to play at the collegiate level from 2007-10 for the Michigan Wolverines and Arkansas Razorbacks ... and finished seventh in the Heisman Trophy voting in 2010.

He was the offensive MVP of the Liberty Bowl in 2010 ... and was named All-SEC second team in 2009 and 2010.

Mallett was the 74th-overall pick to the New England Patriots in 2011, serving as a backup to Tom Brady for three seasons.

He was traded to the Houston Texans in 2014, where he would start two games before going down with a season-ending injury. He remained with Houston for six games the next season ... before being traded to the Baltimore Ravens.

Mallett played two more seasons with the Ravens ... taking his last NFL snap during the 2017 season.

The former standout took up coaching after his pro career ... joining White Hall High School's coaching staff in Arkansas.

OnlyFans business isn't what it used to be for Larsa Pippen ... 'cause the reality star says her subscribers aren't happy ever since she started dating Marcus Jordan.

The convo popped up during Pippen and Jordan's Q and A with fans on their new podcast, "Separation Anxiety" ... when one supporter asked Michael Jordan's son how he felt about his GF's OnlyFans page.

"I don't have a problem with it," the 32-year-old said Tuesday. "As long as it makes you happy, you enjoy it ... and look, I think it's a source of income for you."

"I would never want to block your success or well-being."

Pippen -- who previously told Andy Cohen she made $200k within a few weeks from just one subscriber on her OnlyFans -- admitted their love life hasn't really been "good for business" ... as her fans dislike her new relationship with Jordan.

"Literally, the people that write me on there are like not happy that I'm in a relationship with you, but it's fun," Larsa said.

Despite Jordan being okay with her making content on the subscription-based social media platform, Pippen said she wouldn't hesitate to pull the plug if he ever changed his mind.

Is that Sauce Gardner or Tom Brady?!

The G.O.A.T. decided to give defense a try when he hit up a Fanatics charity event in Miami on Tuesday ... and TB12 put the clamps on a young girl who dared test the 7x Super Bowl champion!!

Check out the clip -- the newly retired signal-caller might've missed his calling. The young wide receiver tried to shake Brady with a 5-yard hitch, but he wasn't fooled, reaching in his arm to break up the pass.

Then it was tip drill time ... the ball floated in the air, Tom intercepted it, and took it to the house, shaking a would-be tackler with a move that would make Barry Sanders blush (not really).

The whole Fanatics shindig, called "Merch Madness," was pretty amazing -- more than $20 million in sports apparel was handed out to underserved families throughout the country as part of the organization's Merch Madness: Fan Gear Giveaway.

Cities like L.A., Philly, Miami, and New York all hosted events ... with Brady, DJ Khaled, and Odell Beckham Jr. all making appearances at the Carver Ranches Boys & Girls Club for the Florida location's festivities.

The event will take place every year.

Jake Paul calls himself the Problem Child, but it certainly has nothing to do with his business ventures ... 'cause the social media superstar/boxer's Betr company is now worth $300 MILLION!!

The social media and betting platform -- which the 26-year-old co-founded alongside Joey Levy in 2022 -- just raised $35 million in new funding, which was led by Fuel Venture Capital and Roger Ehrenberg of IA Sports Ventures and Eberg Capital.

Of course, Betr is all about sports betting content as well as micro-betting ... and is now moving into becoming a full-fledged sportsbook as well.

Jake is all in on Betr -- he even got the company's logo tatted on his leg to show how serious he is about his faith in the brand.

It's a huge deal for Paul ... as Betr is well on its way to becoming a billion-dollar company in a short amount of time.

Jake has made a killing in the ring as well ... he claimed to have made over $30 million on the Tommy Fury fight alone.

Leonard Fournette experienced a terrifying incident on Tuesday -- the NFL running back's car burst into flames on the highway ... but luckily, he seemingly escaped without injury.

The 28-year-old Super Bowl champ was driving on I-275 in Tampa Bay  ... when suddenly, his whip set ablaze.

The Florida Highway Patrol tells TMZ Sports the fire started due to a mechanical issue, not a crash ... and the flames were extinguished by the local fire department.

The former Tampa Bay Buccaneers star shared footage of his Dodge Durango SRT Hellcat burnt to a crisp ... with the front part of the car absolutely destroyed.

"Man it was one of those days today, but I would like thank God, my car caught on fire while I was driving, But I’am still blessed 🙏," Fournette said on Instagram.

The NFL community commented under Fournette's post ... with several players sharing how grateful they are it wasn't more serious.

"Awww hell naw bro I’m thankful!" Denver Broncos star Frank Clark said. "God talkin."

Stevan Ridley, Jalen Ramsey and Jonathan Stewart also left positive messages.

NASCAR star Jimmie Johnson's wife's parents and 11-year-old nephew died following a fatal shooting at their Oklahoma home on Monday ... and according to law enforcement, the tragedy is being investigated as a murder-suicide.

Muskogee Police tell TMZ Sports -- Chandra Janway's parents, Jack and Terry Janway, and nephew, Dalton Janway, were found dead shortly after 9 PM ... after receiving a 911 call from a woman who reported someone with a gun before hanging up the phone.

Cops say Terry is considered the suspect ... but the motive is unknown and currently under investigation. It's not clear if she's the one who made the 911 call.

Cops tell us they found a body laying in the hallway after arriving at the scene ... and heard another gunshot come from inside the home.

Cops searched the house and found two more dead bodies. All three died from gunshot wounds, police say.

Johnson -- a 7-time NASCAR Cup champion -- married Chandra in 2004 ... and they have two daughters together, Genevieve and Lydia.

Jimmie is currently slated to compete in NASCAR's Chicago street race this weekend.

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Vanessa Bryant was victorious in a lawsuit over one of the biggest investments Kobe Bryant ever made ... and in the process of winning, she exposed some pretty awful, racially-charged smack talk.

The background -- Kobe plunked down $6 million back in 2013 for a 10% interest in the sports drink company, BodyArmor. Several years later, the company sold to Coca-Cola for a whopping $5.6 BILLION. Kobe's investment reportedly netted him $400 million.

In 2019, six months before Kobe was killed in a tragic helicopter accident, the President of Kobe Inc., Molly Carter, claimed Kobe promised her 2% of his cut. Kobe called BS on her, saying he never made such a promise.

Molly sued, and Vanessa picked up the mantle and not only defended the case, she filed her own counterclaim, alleging Molly violated the duty of loyalty and the non-disparagement clause in her employment contract by trash-talking Kobe and his family.

As for the alleged trash-talking ... Vanessa claimed she referred to Kobe as an "asshole," a "douche nugget," and a "dick wad." She says Molly called her the "f***ing devil," "bitch" and PSYCHO," even mocking Vanessa's newborn as having "botox lips."

Vanessa says while Molly was working for the company, she was permitted to travel to an NBA All-Star game and on the jet she groused, there were "a lot of fancy-ass Black people" on the plane.

The case went to arbitration and Vanessa prevailed on both the lawsuit and her counterclaim and was awarded more than $1.5 mil in attorney's fees.

This is the most adorable commitment ever ... 4-star wide receiver Ryan Pellum broke the news he'll play for USC with the help of his adorable newborn son, who was wearing Trojans gear!

Pellum sat in front of reporters and fans on Monday at Millikan H.S. in Long Beach California to announce his decision ... which came down to the Oregon Ducks and USC Trojans.

Instead of going along with the hat-throwing trend, Pellum went in a different direction, and it was pretty sweet.

"It's been a long journey," Pellum said with his baby boy in his arms. "I'm glad it's coming to an end."

That's when Pellum -- the 14th ranked WR in Cali according to 247 Sports -- turned his son towards the media and cameras, revealing the baby in a Trojan's onesie.

The crowd seemed to dig the pick ... as they began cheering once they saw the cardinal and gold gear. Pellum became USC's 13th verbal commitment of the 2024 class, enough to give USC the 11th-ranked class nationally.

Pellum has an ESPN scout grade of 84 and is 85th in ESPN's top 300 of the 2024 class.

He received offers from basically every top FBS in the country, including Alabama, Auburn, Florida State, Georgia, Colorado, LSU, Michigan, and Notre Dame.

FYI, this isn't the first time a recruit used a baby to announce their decision ...3-time Pro Bowler Jamal Adams made the same move in 2014 when he had his niece in an LSU 'fit.

It was cloudy with a chance of Prime in Copenhagen on Monday ... 'cause Logan Paul and KSI's meet-up with fans came to an abrupt halt when they started getting rocked with bottles of their own drink line!!

The wild scene went down as the YouTube boxing enemies-turned-business partners were promoting their hydration beverages in Denmark ... when, for some reason, some members of the crowd decided they'd much rather chuck their handouts than consume them.

Now, the whole thing could easily be a publicity stunt to give Prime some free airtime ... and if that's the case, it worked -- 'cause here we are writing about it.

If you watch the video, it's clear the guys never felt they were in harm's way ... especially considering the security guards in attendance appeared to be smiling through the bottle attack as they moved the two social media stars out of the line of fire.

Elon Musk is pulling out all the stops in preparation for a fight with Mark Zuckerberg -- the Twitter honcho just accepted a training offer from UFC legend Georges St-Pierre!!

The shocking development in the potential billionaire brawl went down on Monday ... when Elon replied to GSP's public pitch to lend a hand in beating Zuck to a pulp in the Octagon.

"I'm a huge fan of yours and it would be an absolute honor to help you and be your training partner for the challenge against Zuckerberg 👊😁," GSP said on Twitter ... to which Elon responded, "Ok, let’s do it 🔥🔥."

It's a massive deal for Elon ... considering GSP -- the former welterweight and middleweight champion -- is arguably the greatest mixed martial artist of all time. In other words, Musk will be learning from the best of the best.

GSP -- whose background is karate -- trains at Tristar Gym in Montreal under head trainer Firas Zahabi ... one of the greatest minds in MMA.

GSP's record is 26-2 ... with his only losses coming against Matt Serra and Matt Hughes. He racked up wins over Nick Diaz, Michael Bisping, Dan Hardy, BJ Penn and Johny Hendricks.

Zuck also has some star power in his corner -- Jon Jones recently offered his services to the Facebook co-founder, but it's unclear if he's going to take him up on it.

Elon teaming up with GSP provides more evidence the fight may actually happen -- and as TMZ Sports previously reported, Dana White told us both sides are for real about getting in the Octagon together.

Victor Wembanyama's incredibly slight build won't stop the number one pick from kicking ass starting game one, according to former NBA star Gilbert Arenas, who flat-out says today's big men suck (with a couple of exceptions).

"If you can get buckets, you can get buckets. It doesn't matter how strong you are," Arenas told Babcock on the TMZ Sports TV show (airs weeknights on FS1).

"He only has two people in the position that he's going to be guarding, you got [Joel Embiid] and [Nikola Jokic]. That's six games a year. That's gonna be real tough for you. Other than that there's no one in your position. Everyone sucks. Everyone's trash."

"You have [Brook Lopez], undersized Al Horford, you got [Pascal Siakam,] they're playing him at center now. You don't have no one that's really gonna challenge you and your size. For the most part you should be fine. You should be perfectly fine."

Of course, the nearly 7'5" French phenom, who is listed at 230 lbs., was drafted with the first overall pick during last week's NBA Draft. Some people have questioned whether Wemby can be effective given his current frame.

Frankly, Gilbert thinks that's crap ... given the way the game is now played.

"From who, Siakam is gonna break him? Who's gonna break him at the center?" Arenas asked.

Ray Lewis gave a powerful speech at his son's funeral on Saturday ... fondly remembering his child less than two weeks after the 28-year-old's tragic death.

The Pro Football Hall of Famer, wearing all white, spoke for several minutes at the service inside of the Calvary Orlando Church in Florida ... as dozens of mourners listened on intently.

"We will see you again," the ex-Baltimore Ravens star said to his child, Ray Lewis III, during his speech.

Lewis also spoke about how he'd watched his son over the last 28 years ... adding, "The referees thought I was crazy running up and down the sideline."

Lewis' good friend, Dallas Cowboys legend Michael Irvin, was also in attendance ... and he said after the ceremony his "heart bleeds" for Ray and the Lewis family.

"NO FATHER should ever have to bury his son!" Irvin said on his social media page. "There is NOT anything, anyone can say to ease this depth of pain. Just know this MY BROTHER, we love you and God has you."

In his post, Irvin also shared a video from the funeral ... showing that a montage featuring clips and pictures of Ray and his son was displayed.

Following the ceremony, some of Lewis' family members and closest friends gathered at the repast at Lake Mary Preparatory School, where they posed for a smiling photo.

As we previously reported, Lewis III died on June 14 ... after cops say he accidentally overdosed.

Ray hadn't spoken publicly about the death until Saturday's service.

Kim Zolciak called the cops on her estranged husband, Kroy Biermann, earlier this month -- and it was all because he allegedly accused Kim's friend of kidnapping their young son.

TMZ obtained audio from the 911 call Kim placed on June 16 in Alpharetta, GA. In her chat with the dispatcher, Kim says she's stressed out about her husband flipping out ... claiming he accused her friend of trying to kidnap their son.

The backstory is a little murky ... but essentially, KZ explains that she'd signed off on her girlfriend to take her son on a playdate. However, based on Kim's description, it sounds like when Kroy caught wind of this, he lost it and threatened to file a kidnapping report against the woman who was picking up their son.

Kim says this caused not only her friend to freak out, but also left Kim's son in tears ... and Kim tells the dispatcher she's going to pick up her son. It's a strange call -- obviously, it doesn't seem to be an emergency -- something Kim acknowledges herself.

BTW ... Kim also accuses Kroy of stealing her bag, which she says is full of divorce docs.

Based on police records, it appears nothing came of this at the time. Kim ends the call by telling the operator she'd call them back if she needs further assistance -- but, on its face, she seems to have just wanted to put this on the cops' radar ... which is exactly how the police noted it in their write-up. They didn't follow up on this address in the aftermath.

Now, when it comes to Kroy's side of things ... sources tell us this was just a case of bad communication. We're told Kroy had no idea their son, KJ, had gotten the green light to go to a rodeo with his friend/their mom. Our sources tell us Kroy's deeply distrustful of the woman who took KJ -- for reasons unexplained -- which is why he was on edge.

We're told when Kroy learned KJ was under the supervision of this woman -- he called her up, but apparently felt like he wasn't getting his point across. At one point, our sources say Kroy demanded she brings KJ back ... she allegedly hung up on him -- which is what led to him threatening to file kidnapping charges over it. He never did, though.

Chael Sonnen was talking out the side of his neck when he claimed Mark Zuckerberg personally called him to reveal the Elon Musk fight would go down at UFC 300 ... so says a rep for the Meta CEO, who tells TMZ Sports no such phone conversation ever took place.

The former UFC star made the wild declaration on "The MMA Hour" earlier Monday ... saying Zuck dialed him up to share a major update on his proposed fight with the Twitter honcho during his appearance on the show.

"Zuckerberg contacts me because he saw your tweet that I'm coming on," Sonnen said. "Zuckerberg has told me that he has agreed to fight Elon Musk at UFC 300 and it was a very big deal."

Sonnen swore up and down that he was 100% serious ... adding, "That just happened. [My producer] Ethan is my witness, my son, Thero, my dog, Duke. This is a shoot."

While a Zuck vs. Musk fight could very well happen at UFC 300 next year for all we know, a spokesperson for the Facebook co-founder was quick to shut down any talks of a phone chat with the former contender -- saying, "I have confirmed with Mark that he did not call Chael Sonnen."

Things have been picking up steam after the two billionaires traded public jabs all last week ... and UFC honcho Dana White told us both sides are dead serious about fighting.

In fact, Dana thinks it could be the most successful fight in history ... and has the potential to rake in three times the amount of Pay-Per-View buys than Floyd Mayweather and Conor McGregor.

Dennis Rodman pulled up to Houston's Pride parade on Sunday rockin' a skirt ... a move that apparently didn't sit right with some "fans," prompting the NBA legend to clap back online!

62-year-old Rodman shared several photos from the event along with the caption ... "Love will Always Win🌈Happy Pride #gaypride #loveislove #pridemonth"

The 5x NBA champ was wearing a green, pleated schoolgirl skirt, along with a black t-shirt, featuring a photo of Rodman's head, complete with his rainbow hair.

As you might expect given the current climate, some people weren't thrilled with Dennis' attire at the parade.

The Hall of Famer clearly heard some of the criticism ... and responded online, writing "Do your research guys #beenhim🦍," pointing to other times he's worn women's clothing, including the time he put on a wedding dress in 1996 to "marry himself."

While things were a little testy online, Dennis was all smiles at the Pride event ... taking pics and giving autographs to fans!