TMZ Sports - Page 23

There will be two versions of Oneil Cruz out on the diamond when the Pirates star makes his return later this season ... TMZ Sports has learned he just got a few new tattoos put on his body -- including one of himself!!

We're told the Pittsburgh shortstop -- who's been out since April while dealing with a broken leg -- wanted to commemorate his meteoric first few seasons in the Big Leagues with some tats ... so he hit up Jaime Ortiz to get the art put down.

The 24-year-old baseball player -- regarded as one of the brightest young stars in the sport -- sought to get a photo of himself, a lion, and an MLB ball ... and Ortiz certainly delivered.

Check out the images -- the super realistic lion and the tat of Ortiz sit side by side on Cruz's (ultra valuable!) right shoulder. The photo of the baseball, meanwhile, was placed on one of his forearms.

Ortiz, a Zen Ink Tattoos artist, tells us ... Cruz wanted the lion because it symbolizes leadership and being a protector -- while maintaining humility at the same time. The image of Cruz in a Pirates jersey, Ortiz said, represents a reminder of his roots and his prime.

As for the baseball, Ortiz tells us that was "all about his passion to the game!"

"It describes it all by itself," he added.

Cruz sat for 14 hours over two days to get it all done ... and he was clearly thrilled with the end result, posting it to his social media page earlier this week.

Damian Lillard is throwing in the towel in Portland -- the guy just requested a trade from his longtime team, the Trailblazers, and word is ... he wants to go southeast.

News broke Saturday that the PG asked Portland brass for a one-way ticket out of the franchise, and per NBA insider Shams Charania -- he's angling for a deal to be made with the Miami Heat specifically. Woj is reporting the Blazers will try to accommodate him.

Now, while Dame has apparently made his desired landing spot clear ... what remains to be seen is if he actually ends up going there. Woj is also reporting that other interested parties include the Clippers and 76ers ... that the Blazers will get as much as they can for DL.

In other words, if the Heat turn out to be a team that can't give them the most bang for their buck (draft picks/young players) ... they'll go elsewhere, and Dame could end up back in the west again, despite a reported interest in moving to the East Coast. Business 101.

Now, while a lot of Blazers fans are lamenting losing the bona fide face of the franchise -- who's been incredibly loyal to Portland for years now -- this is actually a move many anticipated in the wake of the team drafting Scoot Henderson recently ... an up-and-coming point guard who has a lot of potential and who the Blazers clearly want to replace Dame.

Many took that pick as a not-so-subtle message to Dame ... namely, it's time for you to go big dawg. For a minute, there was an unspoken game of chicken going on as to who'd blink first. As it turns out, Dame pulled the trigger and got the message -- time to move on.

Another element at play here that's made it difficult for the Blazers to sign other good players over the years is the fact that he signed a cash-rich supermax deal with the team a few years ago ... and while he's said he was dedicated to bringing them a championship, the reality is -- that was likely never going to happen with their salary cap issues.

Italians would riot in the streets if Rome's Colosseum staged a UFC fight between Elon Musk and Mark Zuckerberg ... that's the prediction from a famed archaeologist over in Italy.

Darius Arya, a historian whose been on tons of TV programs about Ancient Rome, joined us on "TMZ Live" Friday from Italy's capital and we asked him about the Italian government contacting Zuckerberg about hosting his fight with Elon.

For Darius, the prospect of the billionaires doing battle at the same site as the ancient gladiators of old sounds super enticing ... telling us the Colosseum would come out on top of a list of potential venues, mainly because of its international fame as the ultimate arena of the ancient world.

Darius says there are inherent issues with staging a fight of this magnitude at the Colosseum, because it's a heritage site and tourist attraction ... and while he's confident it would never come to fruition, he's glad folks are talking about the venue and getting excited about history.

Logistics aside, Darius firmly believes Italians would take to the streets in protest if the nearly 2,000-year-old venue gets the green light to host the fight ... so that's another hurdle for Dana White.

There's been concerts and other events on the Colosseum grounds over the years, mostly outside the arena walls ... and we've been told Elon and Mark would love to fight there ... but it sounds like Las Vegas might be a more likely fight destination.

As we reported, the Ministry of Culture reached out to Mark Zuckerberg about the prospect of staging a Musk vs. Zuck fight at the Colosseum, and Zuck passed it on to UFC's Dana White, whose people were in touch with the Ministry. A Zoom call was set for next week.

Treylon Burks is catchin' on to the whole good husband thing quickly ... the Tennessee Titans star happily played photographer for his wife on Thursday -- just five days after the two tied the knot!!

The couple has been out in St. Lucia this week following their wedding on Saturday ... and it appears Burks is stepping into his husband role nicely -- jumping in when his new wifey was in need of some oceanside pics.

Check out video we obtained of the two as they were soaking in honeymoon rays -- Burks grabbed Shelby's phone when she wanted some photos ... and he then proceeded to make sure to get all of the angles for her as she got her poses in.

Shelby seemed pleased with the job Treylon did -- she took one glance at the set of pics ... before she and Treylon jetted off to their next adventure on the island.

Impromptu photo shoots aside ... the duo appears to be loving their post-nuptial life -- chasing waterfalls and getting some toe dips in the Atlantic Ocean as well.

As for the upcoming football season, Burks is clearly keepin' himself in shape while on vacay ... all of his muscles were on display in a pair of tiny board shorts Thursday.

Say "hello" to Nakobe Dean's BIG friend -- the Philadelphia Eagles star just got a brand-new tattoo ... complete with tributes to Scarface and his home state of Mississippi!!

TMZ Sports has learned ... the former Georgia Bulldogs linebacker wanted to go all-out for his first ink piece, so he commissioned artist Daniel Czar of "Czar Studios -- The Lounge" in New Jersey for the job.

Czar tells us the half-back tat was done over a 2-day period ... which added up to about 8 hours of work.

The piece includes objects that symbolize Nakobe's upbringing in Mississippi ... such as a magnolia and a road sign that reads "Tunica County."

The part that stands out the most has to be the blimp that's etched along Nakobe's right shoulder, which reads "The World Is Yours."

Of course, anyone who's seen the classic Al Pacino classic will be quick to recognize what that's from.

Even though it was Nakobe's first tat, Czar praised the guy for taking it like a champ ... saying, "He seemed pretty confident going into it. And he actually sat super well for it."

"A lot of people come in and get their first tattoo and they're super nervous and antsy. He was ready to go, so I was super proud of him."

In fact, Czar -- who's done work for names like Johnny Manziel, Corey Clement and Jalen Mills -- tells us Nakobe's ready for his next tat ... and he's looking to fill out the rest of his back with art down the road.

As it turns out, Nakobe's Eagles teammate, Kenneth Greenwell, is the one who recommended he go to Czar ... and the artist plans to work with a lot more Philly players moving forward.

Can you imagine not one, but TWO competitive eaters staying under the same roof after downing dozens of hot dogs in a matter of minutes??

That's power couple Miki Sudo and Nick Wehry's reality when every Fourth of July rolls around ... and they're telling TMZ Sports exactly how they avoid bathroom catastrophe following the Nathan's Hot Dog Eating Contest!!

Of course, the annual tradition is a lot of fun for the fans ... but what they DON'T see is how the world's best eaters deal with the aftermath. Naturally, we had to ask The Hungry Couple how it all plays out.

"We force a lot of water, we stay away from each other," Nick (who has the third-best odds to win the mustard belt on Tuesday) tells us.

"I don't know what's more unpleasant -- our moods toward each other or the G.I. distress, but we do a good job of kind of avoiding both."

Miki -- the 8-time hot dog champ -- added ... "I don't blame anybody for not wanting to be around me after I eat four dozen hot dogs and equally, I don't really feel like being around him after he competes in events."

As for the actual contest, Miki -- the #1-ranked female eater on the planet -- says she's hoping to break her world record of 48.5 glizzys on Independence Day ... and revealed she has a new strategy she's been working on in hopes of making that happen.

Miki tells us she has no plans of slowing down anytime soon ... and sees herself competing for another 10 years.

Joseph Baena's upcoming action film includes a nod to his famous dad ... Arnold Schwarzenegger's most famous one-liner.

TMZ obtained this clip from Joseph's new action flick, "Called to Duty," where he puts his spin on Arnold's famous line from "The Terminator."

Joseph's character, a Navy pilot, is flying a fighter jet into battle and he tells his fellow pilots ... "In 1984, there was an actor who gave one of the greatest lines of all-time ... I'll be back!!!"

After delivering the warning, Joseph's jet peels off from the group.

It's pretty cool to hear Joseph channel his inner Arnold ... the movie, which came out Saturday, is Joseph's first foray into action flicks ... and it seems he's truly following in his father's footsteps.

As we've shown you ... Joseph looks super jacked, just like his pops ... even shooting a scene in a gym.

The plot for "Called to Duty" sounds a lot like "Top Gun" ... it's about Navy air show pilots who are called into battle ... a story loosely based on real events between North Korea and the United States.

Andre Johnson and Adrian Peterson, along with other current and retired NFL players tried to take each other's heads off in an intense game of volleyball ... and let's just say Eric Reid is probably sorry he didn't bring his football helmet!

But, it was all for charity ... and that's gotta ease (some of) the pain.

The Ultimate Most Dopest Dodgeball Charity Challenge went down last week in Texas ... pitting 4 teams, captained by Alex Bregman (the MLB star couldn't be there, but his wife Reagan held it down) DeAndre Hopkins, Chester Pitts, and reigning Super Bowl champ Justin Reid.

The captains all played for charities near and dear to their hearts. Cecil Shorts III, Tank Dell, DJ Reader and a bunch of other guys also participated.

Pitts and Reid's team were the last teams alive ... and Eric Reid was the last man standing on his squad. Despite fighting like hell against multiple players from Pitts' team, Eric was taken out by a line drive throw from Andre Johnson.

To add insult to injury, someone on Johnson's team fired another ball a split second later, and it smacked ER directly in the side of the face/head. Thankfully, Eric was okay (you don't play 7 NFL seasons if you aren't tough)!

FYI, headshots are usually illegal in dodgeball, but it technically wasn't the shot that eliminated Reid.

Former WWE star Darren Drozdov -- who was tragically paralyzed after suffering an injury during a match in 1999 -- has died ... the wrestling org. announced Friday.

He was 54 years old.

"There are no words to convey the deep sense of loss and sadness we are feeling right now," Drozdov's family said in a statement. "We would like to extend our deepest appreciation to everyone. All of his fans, teammates, colleagues, and friends for all the love and support he received over the years."

"You all gave him meaning, purpose and something to live for," the Drozdov family continued. "He loved each and every one of you and cherished the conversations, notes and letters he received. His faith in humanity never faltered, so know that for all the love you've shown him, he loved you back."

Drozdov's family added that he passed away due to natural causes.

Drozdov was initially introduced to the sports world through football ... when he played noseguard in the NFL for three seasons.

But, following the end of his playing days, he found his true calling in wrestling ... first appearing in the ECW -- before debuting with the WWE in 1998.

Drozdov initially competed under the pseudonym "Puke" -- a nickname he had previously been given for his affinity for throwing up during football games -- but, he later wrestled as "Droz" ... gaining fame for the way he teamed up with the Road Warriors.

Sadly, in Oct. 1999 -- just as his wrestling career looked poised to take off -- he broke his neck in a match with D'Lo Brown ... and was paralyzed from the neck down.

He eventually gained movement in his arms and upper body -- but he would still require a wheelchair to get around for the rest of his life. He did, though, remain steadfast that Brown was not to blame for the incident -- and the two stayed friends over the years.

Following Drozdov's passing Friday ... Dwayne "The Rock" Johnson penned an emotional tribute to the wrestler, writing on his social media page, "We wrestled on a lot of cards together. Such an awesome dude."

"Great personality and great wrestling talent," he added. "We always talked about football and fishing. Sending love, strength, mana and light to his family. RIP brother."

More alleged financial issues for Kim Zolciak and Kroy Biermann ... Target says she hasn't paid a relatively puny credit card bill, so now they're going after her in court.

According to new legal documents, obtained by TMZ, the bank which handles credit cards for Target claims the former 'Real Housewives of Atlanta' star failed to pay off a $2,482.24 balance.

Target National Bank claims Kim opened a credit card at the retailer way back in 2007, but says she only recently defaulted on the payments ... claiming she hasn't made a payment since September, when she paid $500.

In the docs, the bank says it's demanded payment from Kim ... but she's failed to settle the bill.

Kim and Kroy, who are going through a nasty divorce, allegedly owe tons of money ... including an alleged $1 million to the IRS.

TMZ broke the story ... Kroy was sued just this week for allegedly failing to pay back a line of credit he used at a casino in the Bahamas, and he's also being sued for allegedly missing lease payments on a Rolls-Royce.

Jalen Ramsey is reminding folks he's got skills both on the gridiron AND the hardwood ... putting on an absolute dunk show during a pickup game in Miami this week.

The new Dolphins cornerback was caught on video throwin' down a bunch of impressive rim-rattlers inside of the Florida International University gym -- including one that he needed just one hand for.

Ramsey -- who was traded from L.A. to Miami back in March -- also displayed some ball-handling skills ... and even showcased a sweet jump shot too!

Of course, the athleticism shouldn't surprise anybody ... Ramsey was a two-sport star back in high school, albeit it was in football and track.

The 28-year-old did, however, always have basketball game ... and at one point last month, he compared himself to Russell Westbrook.

"Lotta energy, getting the rebounds, the triple-doubles, all of that," the Super Bowl LVI champ said.

"If I get a chance to get in an NBA game, they give me 30 minutes, I'm gonna be the worst teammate you ever had. I'm shooting every time! I'm getting my 10 for sure!"

Of course, Ramsey ain't the only Dolphins player who's shown off an insane vertical on the basketball court ... Tyreek Hill has proved repeatedly he can throw it down as well.

A huge hammerhead shark circled a couple of paddleboarders off the coast of Florida ... and the terrifying encounter was all caught on video.

The footage -- shot Sunday between the Bahamas and Lake Worth, FL -- first shows a woman on a paddleboard in the middle of the ocean being followed by a shark ... with a fin rising above the surface and getting super close to her board.

The shark appears to circle the paddleboard, then it goes over and checks out another paddleboarder.

Somehow, the woman keeps her cool through it all, paddling to a boat and hopping in the vessel ... and the shark disappears into the depths.

The woman, Malea Tribble of Fort Lauderdale, told FOX 35 News in Orlando she felt a few taps on the bottom of her paddleboard ... but she didn't realize it was a shark until her husband spotted the fin.

Folks on the boat think it was a hammerhead shark ... and it seems to be one curious fish.

Gisele Bundchen hit Costa Rican waters on Thursday for a little morning of surfing ... and she looked goooood -- both on the board, and off of it!

Tom Brady's ex didn't stay in the ocean long -- getting in only about 40 minutes of wave-riding -- but check out the photos from her gnar-shredding sesh ... she sure seemed to make it all count.

Bundchen got up on her ride several times ... cruising into shore with some serious pace over and over again.

She impressed while away from the board as well ... showing off a toned body in a black bikini.

In between it all, Gisele found time to give a little love to her daughter, Vivian ... holding hands with the young Brady as they got out of the water.

As it turns out, the surf spot was a pretty popular one on Thursday ... 'cause Shakira hit it up just a couple hours later as well -- and rode in some whitewash too!!

Unclear if the ladies have linked up while out in Costa Rica this week -- though we know they've gotten close over the last few months ... going on a mid-May dinner date with their kiddos in Miami.

This will blow your mind -- an official from the government of Italy contacted Mark Zuckerberg about staging a UFC fight against Elon Musk at the most legendary battleground in the world ... Rome's Colosseum ... TMZ Sports has learned.

Sources with direct knowledge tell us ... the Minister of Culture reached out to Zuckerberg a few days ago about staging what could be the biggest fight in the history of the world in the most fabled fight theater in history.

Our sources say both Elon and Mark would love for the fight to go down at the Colosseum.

We're told Zuckerberg's people passed on the message to UFC Prez Dana White, whose people contacted the Minister.

As for the venue itself -- one of the 7 Wonders of the World -- there have not been large events held inside the nearly 2,000-year-old amphitheater in hundreds of years, and only a few hundred spectators can be seated in temporary seating within the theater.

Sir Paul McCartney performed inside the Colosseum in 2003 for an exclusive charity show before 400 people who paid up to $1,500 -- but other than that, all other concerts have been held just outside the structure.

It's unclear where a Musk vs. Zuck fight would go down -- inside or outside.

Multiple sources with direct knowledge tell us if you're gonna bet on whether this fight goes down ... wager that it's happening. We're told both Musk and Zuck are "all in," and have been negotiating with Dana about the details of a fight daily ... multiple times each day for more than a week.

The biggest obstacle is height and weight disparity, although both men have no issue with it. The question ... if the fight were to go down in Vegas -- which was the goal until the Colosseum offer surfaced -- the Nevada Athletic Commission would have to sign off. Given that Zuck is 5'7" and weighs 145, and Elon towers over him at 6'2" and weighs 230, it's a little problematic. Nevertheless, this would be an exhibition fight, so the rules might bend.

Now that Italy is interested, it opens up so many more possibilities.

Originally Published -- 6/29 9:39 PM PT

Two University of Buffalo football players have been charged with animal abuse ... after prosecutors say they were seen on video earlier this month beating a 4-year-old miniature Poodle with a leather belt.

According to the Erie County District Attorney's Office ... the incident happened at around 9 PM on June 13 inside an apartment in Amherst, N.Y.

Authorities allege 19-year-old Blake Hiligh, a cornerback, and 20-year-old Zachary Pilarcek, a tight end, filmed themselves striking the dog repeatedly ... in what was an apparent attempt to discipline the animal. Prosecutors say the two then uploaded the footage to social media.

On June 14, prosecutors say they hit both men with one misdemeanor charge of overdriving, torturing and injuring animals.

Officials also say the poodle, named Kobe, was seized and transported to a local Society for the Prevention of Cruelty to Animals ... where it received treatment for abrasions and bruises.

Both Hiligh and Pilarcek appeared in court for their arraignment on Thursday ... and pleaded not guilty to the charges. Following the proceedings, Hiligh's attorney told a group of reporters, "My client regrets the actions."

"We love our dogs," the lawyer added. "We love our pets. Sometimes they do frustrate us. Sometimes we do discipline them sometimes. I don't believe it was in a cruel manner."

Both Hiligh and Pilarcek have been dismissed from the UB football team over the allegations.

"The UB football program has zero tolerance for this type of behavior,” UB football head coach Maurice Linguist said.

"After learning about this incident, I immediately suspended the two young men from all team activities before permanently dismissing them from the program earlier this month. At UB, not only do we expect our student-athletes to excel on the field and in the classroom, but we also expect them to be outstanding citizens in our community."

It was a rough day to be a Golden State Warrior on Thursday ... while Klay Thompson and Steph Curry were bad on the golf course, Draymond Green showed he's got ZERO skills when it comes to chugging beer!

The comically awful showing from the NBA stars all went down during the eighth iteration of The Match at the Wynn Golf Club in Las Vegas ... when the Splash Brothers were trying to beat Patrick Mahomes and Travis Kelce in the annual charity golf event.

Thompson and Curry struggled mightily against the Kansas City Chiefs superstars ... losing the contest in just 10 holes.

But, perhaps the bigger story happened earlier in the evening ... when Kelce gave Green a booze-slugging contraption and 12 ounces of Coors Light.

The tight end tried his best to get Green to pour it out properly down his throat -- but check out the video ... Green was awful!!

The 33-year-old got more of it on his shirt than in his mouth -- and Kelce was cracking up over it all!!

To his credit, Green was a good sport about the snafu ... though he did try to blame Kelce's device for the mishap.

For Kelce's part, he showed he had absolutely no issues with the thing just a few minutes before Green's debacle ... slamming a Silver Bullet in less than four seconds.

The day -- despite the Warriors' worst efforts -- was still a good one nonetheless ... it showed Mahomes is truly good at everything, AND it raised a ton of cash for various charities.

Good work, guys!