TMZ Sports - Page 18

Adam Sandler is publicly supporting Earthgang's new track, which doubles as a tribute to the lead character in one of the actor's most beloved comedies ... "Waterboy."

On Monday, Adam tweeted out his stamp of approval for the song, "Bobby Boucher," writing ... "Yo EARTHGANG! Singing along with you! Love, Bobby B."

Quite the sign of respect and one EG didn't take lightly ... reposting the honor on all their socials.

Adam's a longtime hip hop fan, and has done several movies with legendary rappers over the years -- RZA, Queen Latifah and Nelly to name a few -- so, impressing him definitely amounts to bragging rights for the J. Cole signees.

The Caleb Seales-directed music video reimagines many of the 1998 football flick's most memorable moments -- the neurotic mother, the college crowd energy, and even the famous bright-orange jerseys (which have since gotten a Dreamville upgrade) are all featured.

Surfing star Mikala Jones has tragically died ... after part of his surfboard reportedly severed his femoral artery during a freak accident over the weekend.

It all happened at the Awera Resort in North Sipora on Sunday, according to Surfline, when the fin of Jones' surfboard appeared to cause a huge gash near his left groin.

The outlet reports medical personnel raced to assist Jones -- rushing him to the hospital ... though he sadly was declared dead there from his injuries.

He was just 44 years old.

His daughter, Isabella, grieved his death in an emotional Instagram post later on Sunday ... writing, "I'm not sure how to put this in words, but my dad got into a bad surfing accident and didn’t make it. Im happy he was doing what he loved the most."

"Life will never be the same without you," she added. "I miss you so much, i would do anything to get one more moment, even if it was us arguing and then laughing our asses off. Thank you for teaching me so many life lessons, and always being there for me. I wish you were still here with us right now. I will always be think about you dad ❤️"

Jones, a Hawaii native, began surfing at a young age ... and he eventually gained fame for his ability to ride through massive tubes in dangerous conditions. He was also notable for the way he filmed his rides -- earning praise from Surfline as "one of the 21st century’s most photogenic surfers."

Many in the surf world have mourned his passing ... including Kelly Slater, who wrote on Jones' most recent Instagram post, "Legend. 💔."

Jamie Foxx is back!!! ... hitting up a Topgolf driving range over the weekend, and this new video, obtained by TMZ, shows Jamie's made a great recovery.

Foxx was at Topgolf in Naperville, Illinois Saturday at around 11 PM, and the swing says it all. Jamie, club in hand, showed he has a firm grip and range of motion. An eyewitness tells TMZ his swing was better than the people with whom he was competing! The eyewitness says he had a very strong swing. BTW, Jamie won.

Beyond that, he was walking around, chatting with friends and family. The eyewitness says, "He was walking regular, not dragging his leg. His arm movement were definitely good," adding, "He was just regular Jamie."

The Topgolf driving range is near the rehab facility where Jamie's been recovering from his medical emergency. He's been at the facility since late April.

We also posted video of Jamie on a boat on the Chicago River, looking chill as he waived to fans and a passing boat.

Short story ... Jamie's recovery is pretty remarkable!

Grab the tissues ... Logan Paul just dropped video of his romantic marriage proposal to Nina Agdal, and it couldn't have been sweeter!!!

Paul published the video on his YouTube page Monday morning, giving fans a behind-the-scenes look at one of the most important moments of his entire life.

Of course, we knew 28-year-old Paul and 31-year-old Agdal got engaged last week ... but now Logan and Nina are sharing video of the actual proposal in Lake Como, Italy.

Paul popped the question after dinner ... as the couple was taking in the beautiful scenery.

"Nina, I love you so much," Logan said ... as he turned into a puddle.

"You are the love of my life. You are the girl of my dreams. I never thought I'd find you. I never want to let you go. I'm sorry I'm being such a 'p***y'" ... before dropping down to one knee.

"Will you marry me?"

"Yes!" ... the couple embraced, and there were more tears!

After the proposal, Logan and Nina had dinner with her parents ... where LP asked the rents if he could ask for their daughter's hand in marriage.

Sure, that's typically done before you actually ask ... but that's when Logan revealed the weather forecast forced him to move up the day he was going to ask for her hand in marriage.

Thankfully, Mom and Dad said yes (whew 😰).

Paul also showed the moment in May when he first saw the huge rock of a ring that he helped design ... and he was clearly blown away.

"Oh my God, it's perfect," LP said when he saw the ring ... adding "People don't talk about how stressful it is for dudes to pick out rings for their soon-to-be wife."

Logan also showed his brother Jake's reaction to the engagement ring (he was psyched for his bro!) ... as well as his mother's!

Bottom line, the proposal was perfect ... and now it's time to plan a wedding!

It's the offseason in Dallas but Dak Prescott is still thrilling at least one Cowboys fan ... helping her out with a sweet baby gender reveal on Saturday!!!

The cute moment all went down at the NFL star's ProCamps football event at the Ford Center in Texas ... when a mom of a participant asked the 29-year-old if he'd help her reveal the sex of her soon-to-be newborn child.

Prescott obliged ... and without wasting too much time, the Dallas quarterback pulled out a card from an envelope and told the woman she'd be having a boy!!

"Congrats!" he exclaimed after making the announcement.

Dak and the fan -- who just so happened to be wearing his No. 4 Cowboys jersey -- then shared a huge embrace ... while everyone nearby went crazy.

"That is awesome," he whispered to her, before giving her a high five.

The rest of the camp was also a joy for Prescott -- he got to teach a bunch of tykes some football moves ... and even got to show them how to do his signature hip-thrusting warmup routine as well.

Awesome stuff, Dak!

Alex Volkanovski partied HARD after his dominant win at UFC 290 ... hitting a Vegas hotspot with none other than Shaquille O'Neal and NBA star Jamal Murray!!

The guys all met up at Encore Beach Club late Saturday night at Wynn Las Vegas -- just a couple hours after Volk's ultra-impressive third-round TKO of Yair Rodriguez -- and the trio got after it.

As O'Neal was DJing for a huge crowd that had gathered at the nightclub ... Volkanovski and Murray (the NBA star rolled up to 290 w/ Volk) hit the booth with the Lakers legend to rile up clubgoers as well.

The guys fist-pumped the night away ... and, at one point during the festivities, the 34-year-old fighter actually climbed onto the booth with his championship belt and danced his face off!!

A bunch of other celebs hit the scene to celebrate the big win too ... fellow UFC star Israel Adesanya took some time out to enjoy the moment with Volkanovski -- as did NBA players Trae Young, Myles Turner and Aaron Gordon.

Of course, Volkanovski deserved every bit of the reception ... his victory over Rodriguez absolutely cemented his status as one of the best to ever do it in the UFC.

Up next for Volkanovski (after he has arm surgery) could be a rematch with Lightweight champ Islam Makhachev or a matchup with contender Ilia Topuria ... but for now, it's clear he's super content enjoying the spoils of his victory.

Congrats!!

Zach LaVine's been at the center of near-constant trade speculation -- the Bulls star took out some of that frustration during a star-studded celebrity softball game, smashing a monster home run!

He flashed some leather, too ... robbing an HR in left field!

It all happened at MLB's 2023 All-Star Celebrity Softball Game in Seattle -- the site of the All-Star Game this weekend -- featuring stars like Joel McHale, Chloe Kim, Donovan Mitchell, Jennie Finch, Felix Hernandez, and Ryan Howard, amongst many more.

In the third inning, with Mariners legend Brett Boone on the mound, LaVine, a lefty, stepped to the plate and absolutely put a charge into one, hitting a bomb over the right-field softball fence.

Zach immediately knew the ball was gone ... he stood at the plate admiring his work, before tossing the bat, and beginning his home run trot.

Of course, softball fences are pushed in because the bigger ball's difficult to hit far. But, Zach hit the ball so hard, he nearly cleared the right field wall at T-Mobile Park.

Later in the game, LaVine showed he's more than just a bat.

Former Mariners star Mike Cameron was at the plate, and he drove a ball to deep left-center. Zach tracked the ball, and using every bit of his 6'5" frame, arm extended, caught it (sending center fielder Howie Mandel to the ground), robbing the home run.

LaVine wasn't the only NBA player showing out ... Cavs star Donovan Mitchell also hit a HR.

Larry Nassar was reportedly stabbed multiple times while in prison over the weekend ... after he was involved in an altercation with another inmate.

The attack, according to the Associated Press, happened inside Florida's United States Penitentiary Coleman on Sunday.

The outlet reports the 59-year-old disgraced sports doc suffered wounds to his back and his chest ... though as of Monday, he was in stable condition. No further details surrounding the incident were released.

We've reached out to United States Penitentiary officials for comment, but so far, no word back yet.

Nassar is currently serving decades behind bars ... after hundreds of female gymnasts -- including former Team USA stars Aly Raisman and Jordyn Wieber -- testified that he sexually abused them.

Nassar has been involved in at least one conflict with a fellow inmate before ... back in 2018, his attorney said he was assaulted just hours after he was released into general population at the United States Penitentiary in Tucson, AZ.

The incident actually led to his transfer to United States Penitentiary Coleman.

Story developing ...

Rome wasn't built in a day, and neither was the Colosseum that's being built for the upcoming "Gladiator" sequel ... and TMZ has the first look at how the replica of the famous venue is coming along.

"Gladiator 2" is filming in Malta and we got these photos and videos from the set. Front and center -- an under-construction Colosseum, plus other replica buildings of ancient Rome.

Colosseum construction is pretty far along ... and it has all the makings of an epic place to hold a fight ... fake though it will be.

There will be stars galore in the flick ... Denzel Washington, Pedro Pascal, Derek Jacobi, Connie Nielsen, Paul Mescal, and Ridley Scott in the director's chair.

OG "Gladiator" star Russell Crowe has given signals he's not involved in the sequel.

In addition to what we see on the ground in Malta, they'll be filming in London and Morocco.

There's already been some drama on the set ... an accident last month left several crew members injured following a few stunts gone wrong.

Leonard Fournette was driving like a madman before his car burnt to a crisp last month ... moving at high rates of speed and racing a motorcyclist -- at least, that's according to a new police report, obtained by TMZ Sports.

In the Florida Highway Patrol documents ... cops say a witness came to them with the allegations shortly after Fournette revealed his car had been destroyed while on a Hillsborough County highway on June 27.

In the docs, cops say the witness told them he had been driving northbound on I-275 ... when Fournette's black Dodge passed him "at a high rate of speed."

The witness, according to the report, then stated "he observed the vehicle and [a] motorcycle to be racing and changing lanes." He stated he observed the vehicles "racing when fire then erupted from the bottom of" Fournette's car.

In the report, cops state the witness told them Fournette then slowed down and pulled over -- while the motorcyclist kept on moving.

Fournette, however, told a much different story to cops ... in the report, officers say the NFL star "stated he has been having problems with the vehicle as of late" -- before it erupted in flames on the 27th.

Fournette -- who had seemed to love the car, posing inside of it in one recent social media post -- said of the incident on his Instagram page, "Man it was one of those days today, but I would like to thank God, my car caught on fire while I was driving, But I am still blessed."

We've reached out to Fournette for further comment, but so far, no word back yet.

Martin Brundle fans were NOT happy after Cara Delevingne snubbed him on the grid -- but the model's defending herself ... saying she was just following orders.

The F1 legend-turned-broadcaster was on his usual TV schtick at the British Grand Prix Sunday ... walking around the grid/trying to talk to famous people on camera, for which he's sort of become famous (anew) lately -- especially depending on who he gets.

This time, he wanted a quick one-on-one with Cara ... but he was being rebuked at the door, with some nameless-faceless man blocking him from approaching CD and saying an impromptu interview was a no-go. Martin forged on though, and asked Cara directly.

He tried to be light-hearted about it ... saying it's a "rule" that everyone on the grid has to talk to him, and we're being honest -- yeah, that's kinda the unspoken deal at these events.

Anyway, Cara doubled down in what the guy -- who looked to be part of her team -- said ... namely, she wouldn't be giving any interviews ... saying "no" repeatedly. MB walked away and threw a little dig at her, sarcastically saying he's sure it would've been a fascinating chat.

As you can imagine, F1 Twitter started ripping into Cara ... calling her conceited and full of herself for rejecting what's become a pastime at Grand Prix races -- talking to Martin. But she's come out swinging, responding by saying she specifically was told not to rebuff him.

Folks replied to that by questioning whether she was told this by her agent or PR person, and wondering if she wasn't capable of thinking/speaking for herself -- but she stamped that out too ... claiming it was actually a Formula 1 rep who instructed her not to speak.

Michael Rubin followed up his famous July 4 fireworks bash in The Hamptons this year with another celeb-studded soiree in Las Vegas ... and we got all the excitement on video!!

TMZ obtained this footage showing a bevy of stars partying it up at the NBA's Summer Players Party at TAO nightclub, with rapper Lil Baby performing on stage Saturday night.

The list includes ... James Harden, Joel Embiid, Meek Mill, Jalen Rose, Flava Flav, Jason Tatum, Carmelo Anthony, Spencer Dwindiddie, Chet Holgram, JaVale McGee and Grant Williams.

Lil Baby was pumpin' out lyrics as the crowd grooved to his hip hop songs. Meek Mill was just chillin' and chattin' with a friend. James Harden was watchin' it all from afar.

There was also a pretty cool moment where smoke and confetti sprayed down from the ceiling engulfing the audience.

As you know, Rubin -- the sports apparel mogul -- is well known for his lavish summer get-togethers and last weekend was one of his best ever.

Hollywood's elite popped up at Rubin's July 4 white party bash, which is always a tradition in The Hamptons and the hottest ticket in town.

Jay-Z, Beyoncé, J-Lo, Ben Affleck, and Justin and Hailey Bieber were just some of the A-listers who came out to enjoy the festivities.

Lamar Odom's got a job offer to be the next head basketball coach at his former New York high school ... and he's giving the prospect some serious consideration.

A source familiar with the situation tells TMZ … Lamar recently had a conversation with the folks at Redemption Christian Academy in Troy, NY and was presented with an offer to be the head coach.

We're told Lamar originally reached out to the school about a month ago to inquire about the current head coach. Shortly after, the conversation developed into the school asking if he would consider taking the head coaching job for this upcoming school year. Should Lamar accept, we're told he would start in August and coach for 4 months, during the season.

Lamar's connection to the school is personal ... he played his senior season at Redemption, where he was named National Player of the Year by Parade Magazine. Lamar averaged 25 points, 17 rebounds, 12 assists and 5 blocks at Redemption, and he was also named a McDonald's All-American and played in the 1997 Magic Johnson Roundball Classic.

Our sources say Lamar would love a coaching job in California, where he currently lives, but he's seriously considering taking the position at Redemption because the school has a special place in his heart. Of course, if Lamar accepts he would move to NY and live there during the season.

Ultimately, we're told Lamar wants to coach college basketball in the future ... and he also wants to get back in the classroom and earn his BA in business, which would help with his Odom Recovery Group.

Our sources say those plans are on hold until Lamar decides if he wants to coach at Redemption.

"Elon, you need me on your team, brother!"

That's retired UFC superstar Jorge Masvidal's message to Elon Musk ... offering to train up the $250 billion man for his would-be scrap with fellow billionaire and social media rival, Mark Zuckerberg.

"Elon, if you're watching this, I mean, we all know you're a smart dude, man. You're going to want as many options, missiles, if you're going to war, right, you're going to want the snipers, you're going to want everything. Give your boy a shot, man! I can show you some techniques to deal with these jiu-jitsu guys that they don't like."

"I'm not going to be teaching all this arm bar stuff," Masvidal said, continuing ... "I'm just gonna show you some techniques to break someone's face, man."

And, let's be real ... there aren't many people who have more combat experience than Gamebred -- from the streets to the biggest arenas in the world -- and that's why Jorge believes he could help Elon.

Of course, we've seen Musk working out with legendary Brazilian jiu-jitsu instructor John Danaher and BJJ black belt (and great podcaster) Lex Fridman ... but Masvidal believes he can help in ways they may not be able to.

"All those guys, you mentioned are studs but none of those guys have 50 pro fights and all the amateur fights that I got, all the street fights that I got. So no offense to none of them, because they're all great at what they do. Elon, you need me on your team, brother! That's who you need on your team."

Although he admittedly is Team Elon, Jorge has no beef with Zuck (even says he's "done some great things in this world") ... he just connected with Musk on a different level.

"The reason why I love Elon so much, this dude's a patriot, man. He's just a dude that's for America, that understands how our rules work, and he's not even like naturally American, you know? And understands how well this country works and what makes this country work, that's why I'm cheering for Elon."

There's much more with Masvidal.

Jorge's Gamebred Bareknuckle MMA promotion has been incredibly successful. In fact, Masvidal inked two former UFC heavyweight champs, the legendary Fabricio Werdum and Junior dos Santos are rematching (they fought at UFC 90 in 2008!) on September 8 in Jacksonville!

LaMarcus Aldridge just got a new massive back tattoo featuring an image of the Joker ... and check it out -- it's so seriously awesome!!!

The former NBA star hit up Andres Ortega and his Onder Ink team last month to get the piece done ... and after sitting under the needle for 10 hours, most of the backside of the hooper's 6'11" frame was completely covered in ink.

On the bottom of the tattoo, Aldridge got Batman's nemesis tatted because, according to Ortega, the former San Antonio Spurs forward said there was a time in his life when nobody believed in him -- and this was his way of laughing at those detractors.

Aldridge also got images of a lion and its cub to represent the relationship he has with one of his children. The skyline of Dallas -- Aldridge's hometown -- was also added to the top of the artwork.

The 7-time NBA All-Star got his jersey No. 12 inked too ... and Ortega tells TMZ Sports he added religious imagery to honor his faith as well as family members who have passed.

Talk about unlikely allies ... UFC star Michael Chandler believes Conor McGregor is getting an unfair shake when it comes to his reputation as a coach on The Ultimate Fighter!

"I  think Conor's getting a little bit of a raw deal when it comes to how much he was there or wasn't there [with his team]," Chandler told Babcock on the "TMZ Sports" TV show (airs weekdays on FS1).

If you haven't seen the show ... Conor and Michael are coaching opposite one another on TUF 31, and a decent amount of time has been spent on The Notorious being absent for certain team activities, including weigh-ins.

But, Chandler says that's not really fair to Conor.

"Showing up for the weigh-ins isn't that big of a deal and they kept asking me about it so obviously I kept talking about it. I don't think the results would be any different, to be honest with you."

FYI, Chandler's team (made up of former UFC fighters looking to make a return to the promotion) is 6-0 against McGregor's squad (made up of prospects).

It's somewhat surprising to see Michael defend Conor. Things got physical between the men on last week's episode of the show, resulting in McGregor shoving Chandler, causing Dana White to sprint into the Octagon (can't fight for free!).

Michael walked us through the dustup with Conor and gave us an update on where things stand with the fight negotiations between the men.

There's more -- we also talked to Mike about Elon Musk and Mark Zuckerberg. Some people like the fight, while others hate it. Count Mike in the group of people ready to grab their popcorn.