TMZ Sports - Page 41

Ben Askren just showed he's dead serious about coming out of retirement to square off with his nemesis, Jorge Masvidal ... revealing he's been keeping in incredible shape despite being years removed from the UFC Octagon.

The former fighting star -- who's been retired from MMA since 2019 -- took to Twitter to show off his shirtless bod ... and to tell Masvidal he's now really ready for another scrap.

"I've kept in great shape during retirement," he said. "I have zero desire to fight anyone except that loser Jorge."

The two initially fought in the UFC way back in 2019 after months of trash talk -- and it was one of the most memorable bouts ever ... as Masvidal ended things in just five seconds with a flying knee to the face.

The two, though, have still traded verbal barbs nonetheless ever since ... with Masvidal telling TMZ Sports last week he'd definitely be down to run things back.

Seems Askren's all in too ... adding in an earlier tweet on Tuesday that he wants it to be an MMA fight -- not boxing.

In fact, he showed off an apparent text message exchange with Dana White ... where he asked the UFC honcho to put it all on for them.

LeBron James' son, Bronny, was rushed to a hospital after suffering cardiac arrest during a basketball workout, TMZ Sports has learned.

A James family spokesperson tells TMZ Sports ... "Yesterday while practicing Bronny James suffered a cardiac arrest. Medical staff was able to treat Bronny and take him to the hospital. He is now in stable condition and no longer in ICU. We ask for respect and privacy for the James family and we will update media when there is more information."

The spokesperson continues, "LeBron and Savannah wish to publicly send their deepest thanks and appreciation to the USC medical and athletic staff for their incredible work and dedication to the safety of their athletes."

Sources with direct knowledge tell TMZ Sports ... a 911 call was made at 9:26 AM Monday from USC's Galen Center -- the venue where the team plays and practices -- and the 18-year-old hooper, who was unconscious, was taken by ambulance to the hospital.

Our sources say it was a Code 3 -- meaning the ambulance had lights and sirens going -- which signifies the seriousness of the emergency.

Bronny is a rising talent in his sport -- he recently committed to the Trojans and is expected to end up in the NBA.

Bronny was a McDonald's All-American during his high school senior season ... and LeBron has expressed his desire to play alongside his son in the League.

Bronny also followed in his dad's footsteps and competed in the slam dunk competition at the high school showcase in March.

Bronny will have a close friend to lean on in this situation if he needs one ... as Shaquille O'Neal's son, Shareef O'Neal, dealt with a heart issue of his own back in 2018 when he was a teenage basketball star. You'll recall, Shareef required surgery to fix an abnormality in his ticker ... and while it's unclear if Bronny's medical emergency is even remotely similar -- the two are good pals and appear to be totally fine in confiding with one another.

In fact, they were recently spotted out together in Hollywood earlier this month trying to party with one another at Saweetie's birthday bash.

Bronny -- who was just recently seen looking fine at the ESPY Awards two weeks ago with his family -- was a 4-star recruit who averaged 14 points, 5 rebounds and 3 assists at Sierra Canyon during his senior season.

Shareef O'Neal just unleashed on a troll for blaming him for Bronny James' cardiac arrest ... calling out the distasteful comment in a fiery interaction on social media.

It all went down shortly after TMZ Sports broke the news of Bronny's medical emergency on Tuesday ... with one user referencing Shareef's own heart issues in an awful attempt to poke fun at the situation.

"Bronny started hanging with Shareef and now look," the tweet read. "@SSJreef stay yo ass away from him he’s destined for greatness not overseas 😆"

Shaq's son -- who had open-heart surgery to correct a right anomalous coronary artery in October 2018 -- got wind of the jab ... and he clapped back with a passionate response.

"That is very disrespectful of you to say," Shareef said in a since-deleted tweet. "I’ve been around Bronny for a very long time before this happened ... I’ll pray for you. You need help ... sick that you would even say something like that 🤦🏾‍♂️🤦🏾‍♂️🤦🏾‍♂️#dummy."

The Rock dropped at least a million bucks to help working actors get through the SAG-AFTRA strike -- and if you're one of them ... here's a how-to on reaping the benefits.

ICYMI ... Courtney B. Vance -- who heads up a private, SAG-adjacent foundation, and oversees an emergency fund tied to the union -- fired off a letter this month at the start of the strike ... with the correspondence sent to some of the highest-earning talent in the biz.

It essentially outlined the great need for financial assistance during this precarious time -- namely, for the not-so-famous actors ... who might be out of work for a while now.

In response to that, Dwayne Johnson's people followed up ... saying he wanted to donate 7 figures to back their cause -- something Courtney says proved to be an historic boost, and which will go a long way to keeping striking actors afloat. Again, most of 'em aren't A-list.

It's a super cool move on The Rock's part, obviously -- and for the thousands of actors out there who might need it ... there's an easy way to go and apply for funds, just hit their site.

There are some eligibility requirements one has to meet in order to be considered -- including being paid up on your SAG dues through Oct. 2022, and providing proof that you're in need of emergency financial support, among other things -- but all in all ... it seems simple.

BTW, if other big earners are inclined to donate to the fund ... they can do that here.

One last noteworthy thing about The Rock stepping up in this situation. Fact is, it's kinda fitting considering he's reportedly in line for a massive payday.

Karl-Anthony Towns couldn't keep his lips to himself during a couples vacation with his NBA friends this week ... swappin' spit with Jordyn Woods in a steamy makeout sesh!!

The Minnesota Timberwolves star is getting in some R&R with fellow hoopers Paul George, Ivica Zubac, Patrick Beverley and their significant others in Mykonos ... and they looked happy as hell as they threw on their bathing suits and hit the water.

KAT and Jordyn -- who started dating in 2020 -- weren't shy one bit about their romance in front of the crew ... passionately kissing each other as they all hung out.

KAT and Jordyn weren't the only couple packing on the PDA ... 'cause Pat Bev and his girl, Mandana, were also inseparable during the beach day -- embracing each other as they showed off their fit figures.

As for Paul and his wife, Daniela, they were also looking cute as ever ... with the Clippers forward lifting her up in his arms as they shared a laugh.

The sports world is sending its thoughts and prayers to Bronny James following his cardiac arrest Monday ... with Damar Hamlin and a bevy of others wishing their best for LeBron James' oldest son after his medical emergency.

Hamlin -- who suffered commotio cordis during a game in January -- took to Twitter on Tuesday to offer his support for Bronny and the rest of the James family ... saying he's available if they need anything from him going forward.

"Here for you guys just like you have been for me my entire process," the Buffalo Bills safety said.

NBA stars Trae Young, Jayson Tatum, Donovan Mitchell and Jalen Brunson also took to Twitter to offer prayers for Bronny.

Magic Johnson, too, released a statement on the scary situation ... saying, "Cookie and I are praying for LeBron and Savannah's son Bronny after hearing he suffered a cardiac arrest. We are praying and hoping he makes a full and speedy recovery."

Metta World Peace added in a tweet of his own, "Prayers for Bronny. What a great kid. Come back stronger young fella. Get better and feel better."

We broke the story ... Bronny was rushed to the hospital after he suffered a cardiac arrest during a workout at USC early Monday morning. Thankfully, however, a rep for the James family said the 18-year-old is now in stable condition and recovering.

Tristan Thompson almost got a front-row seat to a violent street fight over the weekend ... but thankfully for the NBA player, he hightailed out of the area just before the fists started to fly.

The wild scene all went down Saturday night at Papi Steak in Miami ... when the former Lakers center was outside of the restaurant with the hot spot's owner, David Grutman, and a few other men.

It's unclear what exactly was happening on the sidewalk or what Thompson's involvement in it all was ... but check out the video, it seems some of the people at the scene were angry about something -- and when Thompson sensed the apparent tension, he bolted.

"I'm gonna be in the car," he told the group of men as he walked away. "You guys figure it out."

The decision was clearly a good one ... 'cause just a minute later, a man in a blue shirt confronted a restaurant patron as he was leaving the eatery -- and then punches were thrown.

The guys traded blows right on the sidewalk for several seconds -- before the scuffle was all mercifully broken up.

Thompson's ride appeared to stay in the area during the entire fracas -- though it should be noted he was never once involved in any of the action.

It was all part of an eventful weekend in South Florida for Thompson ... who not only attended Lionel Messi's first game for Inter Miami on Friday night, but he also partied with his ex's sister, Kim Kardashian, afterward.

Dennis "D.J." Hernandez -- the older brother of Aaron Hernandez -- has been arrested again ... this time after cops say there was concern he had been planning school shootings at UConn and Brown University.

The disturbing allegations are all spelled out in new Bristol Police Department documents, obtained by TMZ Sports ... where cops say D.J. showed signs this month of being "gravely disabled and a danger to society."

According to the BPD, several people came forward in early July claiming D.J. had been acting erratically ... and sending alarming text messages, including one that allegedly read, "we're taking lives if s*** isn't paid up. It's been years in planning just taking notes, names and locations. They talked their way into this and it's almost point game."

Cops wrote in the docs that they were told by a woman claiming to be D.J.'s ex that instead of using her car to go to his scheduled July 7 Court date ... he actually drove to Brown Univ and UConn and "went into a number of classrooms and buildings." Cops say another person told them they believed D.J. had traveled to the campuses in order to plan school shootings.

Police say additionally, D.J. had posted messages with threatening language on his social media page on July 19 ... including one that they said read, "Will I kill? Absolutely, I've warned my enemies so pay up front."

According to the docs, police showed up at a residence D.J. was at later that day ... and a scary police standoff ensued.

Cops say they tried to get D.J. out of the home ... but he had told them that he was "on foot, armed and that if we approached him, he would kill us all." A short time later, D.J. exited the residence ... but according to cops, he "began advancing towards the police with his hands outstretched to his side."

"He began yelling shoot me," police added, "and disregarded the numerous police commands."

D.J. was then tasered and fell to the ground ... and moments later, cops took him into custody -- before they transported him to a local hospital for evaluation.

While there, police say he continued to make threats at the hospital ... saying he would kill "anyone who profited off of his brother Aaron." Dennis, cops said, "mentioned specifically ESPN, but not any people."

D.J. was ultimately released from the hospital and taken into the Bristol Police Department, where he was booked on charges of threatening and breach of peace. He was held on a $250,000 bond.

He's now due in court for a hearing on the matter next week.

Barack and Michelle Obama's personal chef, who used to cook for them at the White House, is dead ... after drowning in water near the couple's Martha's Vineyard estate.

Tafari Campbell's body was found by divers Monday after going missing Sunday night in water that backs up to the Obama's compound ... this according to police in Massachusetts.

In a statement, Barack and Michelle say Tafari was a beloved part of their family and their hearts break over his death.

The Obamas are remembering Tafari as a talented sous chef who was "creative and passionate about food, and its ability to bring people together" ... and as a "warm, fun, extraordinarily kind person who made all of our lives a little brighter."

Police say they received reports Sunday of a missing paddleboarder, and a search of the waters near the Obama estate ended Monday morning when divers recovered Tafari's body from Edgartown Great Pond.

Cops say Tafari's body was found 100 feet from shore and 8 feet below the surface.

The Obamas were not home at the time of the incident, according to police, and an investigation into Tafari's death is underway.

Tafari is survived by his wife, Sherise, and their twin boys, Zavier and Savin. He was 45.

Steve-O is firing back at Bam Margera after his former 'Jackass' costar said he sucks at skateboarding ... and he's got video with Tony Hawk backing him up.

In a video response to Bam's diss track, Steve-O brushes off Bam's criticism as jealousy and envy, and then hammers his point home with a skateboard mixtape showing off his skills.

TMZ broke the story ... Bam's featured on a new rap song, and in his verse, he takes shots at all of his former 'Jackass' buddies, mostly knocking Steve-O for his skating ability compared to himself and other pro skaters.

Steve-O says the fans buying his autographed skateboard decks are probably making Bam upset... and he's taking serious offense to Bam's claim he can't skate worth a damn.

Ya gotta see Steve-O's compilation vid -- he's doing kickflips, board slides and wall rides and it's Tony Hawk approved!!!

Lionel Messi's clearly looking to make South Florida feel more like home ... the new Inter Miami star was spotted house hunting over the weekend -- scoping out a massive mansion in Fort Lauderdale.

The 36-year-old -- fresh off scoring the game-winning goal in his debut for David Beckham's MLS squad last Friday -- used his day off on Sunday to check out the potential new spot for him and his family.

Messi's wife, Antonela Roccuzzo, and all of their tykes joined the footballer on the trek ... looking at a big place that was right along the Intracoastal Waterway.

No word yet if Messi liked it enough to put an offer on it ... but one thing is obvious -- the guy can certainly afford whatever price tag it came with.

As part of his new 2.5-year deal with Inter Miami, he'll reportedly make roughly $5 MILLION per month!

Of course, he's already shown he's worth it ... 'cause he lifted his new squad over Cruz Azul with a free kick in the 94th minute of his first match with the team.

Colin Kaepernick hasn't played a down of football since 2017, but he's not showing any signs of rust ... 'cause the quarterback looked as good as ever in a recent workout with a bunch of NFL superstars.

The 35-year-old free agent just posted highlights from his training sesh at Nike headquarters ... and the guys in attendance made it look like the Pro Bowl.

While players like Jaylen Waddle, CeeDee Lamb, Najee Harris and Jaxon Smith-Njigba showed up, Kap was clearly the star of the show ... putting his arm on display as he hit his targets.

"Man, he looks great," Patriots receiver Kendrick Bourne said of the workout. "He looks good, the arm looks strong. He got a rocket of an arm ... he got another good six years left."

CeeDee also had high praise for the former 49er ... adding, "The arm's still intact, strong arm. Deep balls very nice. Man, he's still Kap now. Still got it to him."

Gisele Bundchen is brushing off the fact her ex-husband Tom Brady is now dating another supermodel, Irina Shayk ... and it sounds like Gisele expected it to happen eventually.

A source close to Gisele tells TMZ ... "Why wouldn't she be happy for Tom? She divorced him. It is helpful to her freedom that he moved on."

The source says Gisele and Irina are NOT friends, but they have known each other professionally for years and have always been cordial when they cross paths.

TMZ broke the story ... Tom and Irina spent the entire weekend together in Los Angeles and are now officially dating, after first meeting at a billionaire's wedding where several models were hitting on Tom.

Some of our other sources say Gisele is "not happy" about the Tom and Irina news ... but now, people close to GB are pushing back.

For her part, Gisele has been spending a lot of time with her jiu-jitsu instructor in the wake of her and Tom's divorce ... though people close to her have consistently said she's not dating Joaquim Valente.

So, Tom's the first to officially move on ... and Gisele is rolling with it.

We covered it all in the latest episode of The TMZ Podcast, available on all podcast platforms.

Cam Newton rubbed out a heckler who was chirpin' at him recently ... taunting the guy with a crude gesture -- while bragging about the money in his bank account.

The scene appeared to take place at some sort of football camp ... when Newton had clearly had enough of a person who was taunting him from the sidelines.

Video from the event shows Cam walked over ... and immediately began jawing with the guy.

Cam was hit with the classic "how many rings you got?" diss ... to which he replied "none." When the agitator said "we got the same amount" ... Cam went off.

"But, we don't got the same bank account," he said ... before making an X-rated motion with his hand.

One of the people on the sideline chided the former NFL star for the gesture ... saying, "You're too famous to be acting like that."

Cam's response ... "No, no, don't play the victim now." The video then ended.

Of course, this ain't the first time Cam's gotten into it with some young spectators on a football field ... back in 2021, he and an H.S. player jawed back and forth about his free agency.

Brian Harman is making the best of his shiny, new trophy after winning the Open Championship this weekend ... 'cause the golf star turned the Claret Jug into his own drinking device!!

Fresh off claiming his first major title at Royal Liverpool Golf Club, Harman chugged a beer right from his earned hardware ... and he passed the cup around the room for his buddies to share.

It all happened at Hickory's Smokehouse in West Kirby, England ... with PGA Tour caddy Aaron Flener sharing the clips on social media.

Harman's longtime caddy, Scott Tway, also partook in the celebration ... drinking and posing with the 152-year-old relic with a big grin on his face.

Across the weekend, Harman weathered the rainy conditions at The Open and came out victorious in dominant fashion.

The 36-year-old pro finished 13 under par ... becoming the first American golfer to win the tournament by six strokes since Tiger Woods in 2000.

Previously, the closest Harman came to a major win was when he finished runner-up at the 2017 US Open.

Harman will have plenty more time to live it up -- and take more sips -- on his 10-hour flight back to the Peach State.

Tom Brady seems to have a new love in his life -- and it just so happens to be Bradley Cooper's ex ... Irina Shayk, who spent the night at the dude's house this weekend.

Paps caught TB12 and Irina apparently cozying up in L.A. over the course of 2 days -- which all started on Friday, when we're told he first picked her up at Hotel Bel-Air in the afternoon ... only to drive her over to his crib. Our sources tell us Tom and Irina walked into his pad -- all smiles-- and that she didn't leave his place until the following morning ... at about 9:30.

Tom dropped Irina off at the hotel, only to pick her back up later that same afternoon. It was here they were photographed and filmed having a sweet interaction in his car.

They were stopped at a light ... and, clear as day, Tom is seen stroking Irina's cheek -- very tenderly, we might add. She's leaned over in her seat with a huge smile ... and Tom is also flashing a big grin. They even seem to be laughing together.

After this brief moment of PDA ... we're told Tom and Irina went back to his pad yet again.

Funny enough ... rumors of these two possibly being involved have been swirling for about a month now. Reports said they were at the same wedding back in June, and that Irina was allegedly "throwing herself" at Tom all throughout the evening ... something her rep denied.

In fact, Irina's team came out swinging at the notion she was into him ... calling that report "totally malicious and fictional." Welp, it would appear there was some truth in it. Tom and Irina haven't said anything about this themselves yet -- but on its face, it looks like they're romantically involved ... if not fully dating. TB ain't stroking anyone else's face like that!

Of course, they're both single ... especially Tom, who recently divorced Gisele Bundchen. Irina and Brad have been done for a while -- and she's dated around since, as we've seen.

Tom is certainly the most eligible bachelor in Hollywood ... and has a lot more time on his hands post-football. Sure seems like he's making good use of it -- have fun you two!

Originally Published -- 6:00 AM PT