TMZ Sports - Page 4

Shannon Sharpe believes he was a pawn in Selena Gomez's game of hide and seek with the paparazzi ... laughing off his viral moment and playfully accusing the singer of using his celeb status to her advantage.

The Hall of Famer shared his side of Wednesday's infamous interaction outside Giorgio Baldi with former Cincinnati Bengals star Chad Johnson ... and he seems to think Selena's team concocted a master plan to make a mad dash to her car without getting captured by the cameras -- using Shannon as a distraction.

Sharpe reckons Selena's party realized he was famous at some point in the night ... so when he got up to leave, they followed right behind -- hoping the photogs would be too focused on the Broncos legend.

Of course, it only half-worked -- the guy interviewing Shannon bolted from their conversation mid-sentence to get a shot of Selena ... before eventually getting back to the ESPN host.

Shannon admits he doesn't know much about the former Disney actress ... but said had he known it was her at the time, he probably would've asked for a selfie anyway.

Gisele Bündchen says she wasn't living while married to NFL legend Tom Brady ... she was only surviving.

The supermodel gets candid with "CBS News Sunday Morning"s Lee Cowan in a brand new interview -- looking back at her relationship with Tom -- about a year after pulling the plug.

She believes she was doing more surviving than living while attached to him, and admits she's now able to "choose more of what I want" ... something that obviously feels right to her.

Gisele goes on to say she wouldn't change a thing about her past if she had the chance, which appears to apply to her divorce, too -- although she admits a breakup like this was something she never thought would happen to her.

As we reported, Gisele and Tom announced their separation together last October, with Gisele claiming at the time, "The decision to end a marriage is never easy, but we have grown apart."

The viral golfer who ripped his shirt off and threatened to fight others is no longer welcome at the scene of his bizarre outburst ... TMZ Sports has learned.

The golfer has reportedly been identified as John Reeb, a middle-aged man from Ohio with an extensive criminal history.

We spoke with Heather Ryan, the general manager of Crooked Creek Golf Course in Ottawa Lake, MI, who tells us Reeb is permanently banned from the course due to the behavior he showed in the viral video.

We're told the people Reeb threatened reported him to Crooked Creek staff shortly after the incident ... Reeb was then asked to leave the course and told he couldn't ever come back.

Heather tells us Reeb has also been banned from Cherrywood Golf Club ... another course they own in Ottawa Lake.

The Oakland Athletics didn't pull out many stops when it came to Miguel Cabrera's retirement gift -- they simply handed the future Hall of Famer an $80 bottle of wine ... and MLB fans everywhere have been clowning the org. over it ever since.

The gesture was supposed to be a sweet one ... as Cabrera's been landing gifts from teams throughout his final season in the Big Leagues this year -- but many have been calling the A's cheap over the present that they doled out on Thursday night.

After all, the team is worth over $1 billion ... and there's been a loud roar from social media users claiming it should have sprung for far more than some Cabernet Sauvignon.

Granted, the bottle was signed by the team ... but supporters of the Tigers star have noted other teams have gone far more above and beyond for Cabrera during his last season.

For example ... the New York Yankees gave the slugger his own custom subway sign of 161st Street and a $10k check for his foundation that aims to help young athletes by improving communities through sports and education.

The Los Angeles Dodgers got him his own Hollywood star ... while the Angels gifted him a custom surfboard -- since Cabrera is known to hit the waves here and there.

Some other notable mentions came from the Guardians, who gave Miggy a custom guitar; the Texas Rangers, who got him a custom saddle; and the Marlins, who hooked him up with cigars, a custom cigar box and his favorite rum.

Dwyane Wade is opening up on one of the most challenging times of his life ... admitting he nearly ended things with his now-wife, Gabrielle Union, after finding out he was having a child with another woman.

The Miami Heat legend -- who fathered his 9-year-old son, Xavier, with Aja Metoyer during a pause in his relationship with Union in 2013 -- broke down his mental struggles with the circumstances during his appearance on Shannon Sharpe's "Club Shay Shay" podcast this week ... saying it's something the couple still deals with to this day.

"It hasn't been perfect," Wade said. "It will never be perfect. We go to therapy, been to therapy. We've had shouts about it, regular conversations about it. It's going to continue to be something that I have to work at and work on."

Wade said he considered cutting ties with Union to avoid facing the music ... but he's thankful she didn't give up on their love for each other.

"I tried to pussyfoot around it," Wade continued. "I tried to break up with her. 'Hey, things have been bad lately.' 'Hey, we've been having a little distance in our relationship anyway.' I tried all of that. She kept showing up."

Wade -- who married Union in 2014 -- explained there is no way he'd be able to navigate through the rough waters without his partner ... but made it clear he also feels for his son, who will always have to live with the narrative.

Aaron Gordon will never forget his iconic poster dunk over Landry Shamet now ... 'cause TMZ Sports has learned the NBA star just got the moment memorialized with a crazy iced-out pendant!!!

Gordon's jeweler and good pal Buckz The Jeweler gifted the piece to the Denver Nuggets forward this week ... and it's awesome.

It features a mini Gordon in his No. 50 jersey soaring over a mini Shamet ... with 6.54 carats of VS1 diamonds draped over both characters.

The coolest part of the piece, though, is instead of Gordon dunkin' a basketball, he's holding the Larry O'Brien Championship Trophy that he won just a couple months after the Christmas Day 2022 slam.

"This pendant took me and my team 504 hours to bring every last detail to life," Buckz told us. "I knew I had to capture that all-time great moment on a pendant."

Buckz says the piece would typically run his customers somewhere in the area of $20,000 ... but he handed it over to Gordon free of charge as a thank you for believing in him when he was an up-and-comer in the diamond biz.

Buckz tells us ... Gordon came to him for an 18K gold grill last year -- and he'll never forget how the hooper took the chance on him.

Joey Votto is taking his talents to Bikini Bottom -- the Cincinnati Reds star is lending his voice for a local kids' production of "The Spongebob Musical!!"

TMZ Sports has learned ... the 2010 MVP has teamed up with The Children's Theatre of Cincinnati for its rendition of the show based on the hit Nickelodeon series -- officially joining the cast as the iconic "French Narrator."

Of course, Votto is fluent in French after growing up in Toronto ... so the guy won't have to work too hard on nailing the accent.

The first baseman won't be present when the kiddos take the stage October 14-23, but the production company says the work he put into his role will be a treat for everyone involved ... including the folks in the seats.

"We are so thankful to Joey Votto and his team for being a part of the 23-24 TCT Season," TCT CEO Kim Kern said. "Our audiences will enjoy hearing a Cincinnati icon bring this character to life."

The 49ers didn't have many issues on the field on Thursday night, but their fans in the stands sure as hell did ... getting so mad at each other, they brawled right in their seats!!

The fracas happened at some point during San Francisco's blowout win over the Giants at Levi's Stadium ... when about half a dozen Niner supporters decided to beat the hell out of each other.

It's unclear what started it all -- but both women and men were involved.

You can see in video from the scene, as two ladies decked out in SF gear took swipes at each other ... a man wearing a Richard Sherman jersey grabbed one of the combatants by her hair and threw her several feet down some stairs.

The fight, though, continued ... and when another man jumped into the action, the guy in the Sherman jersey started throwing punches.

Meanwhile, another 49er fan hopped into the fray to land some kicks as well.

GoFundMe is putting a permanent kibosh on Rob Mercer, the World Series of Poker player who lied on the platform about having cancer, took tens of thousands of dollars in donations and then blew it in Vegas.

A spokesperson for GoFundMe tells TMZ ... those who chipped in for Rob's fundraiser earlier this year have been fully refunded, and he's been axed from using the site in the future.

We're told the company has zero tolerance for those who "exploit the generosity of our community," adding GoFundMe often cooperates with law enforcement investigations into those "formally accused of wrongdoing."

As we reported, Rob came clean this week about his big lie ... in which he created a GoFundMe to get enough cash to attend July's WSOP event in Las Vegas.

He claimed he had colon cancer and reportedly received between $30,000 and $50,000 from people supporting him. However, he told the Las Vegas Review-Journal, he made it all up, and claimed it was a "spur-of-the-moment" decision.

Rob also told the outlet he thinks he actually has undiagnosed breast cancer but was embarrassed to say that, which is why he says he picked colon cancer instead.

The issue he's facing now ... if he really does have breast cancer, he won't be able to jump on GoFundMe and ask for help.

Byron Scott won't be shedding any tears over "Winning Time: The Rise of the Lakers Dynasty" getting shelved anytime soon ... 'cause the Lakers champ tells TMZ Sports he wasn't tuning into the series anyway.

We caught up with Byron just days after HBO announced the fate of the show based on the 1980s Los Angeles Lakers after just two seasons ... and asked him if he was bummed the storyline never got the chance to shine a light on his tenure with the purple and gold.

Safe to say he's not losing any sleep over it ... 'cause Scott told us straight up, "Nah, I'm good."

"I wasn't a big fan of the show because I know a lot of it was fabricated in certain ways just to make it more interesting for the fans which is cool, that's TV. That's Hollywood. That's what they do."

Scott -- who won 3 NBA championships with the Lakers -- said he, Magic Johnson and his former teammates don't even discuss the show ... and if it's ever brought up, it's their wives doing the talking.

Of course, it's no surprise the real Showtime Lakers are saying "good riddance" to the series -- Magic, James Worthy and Kareem Abdul-Jabbar have all spoken out against it.

Byron -- who entered the picture (for real) in 1983 -- said he didn't feel as strongly about it as his teammates ... admitting he didn't care all that much.

USC head coach Lincoln Riley has lifted the controversial ban he placed on journalist Luca Evans this week ... after the two had a "long conversation" about the Trojans' beef with the beat writer.

Riley and his team initially suspended the Orange County Register reporter after they said he violated their media policies when he documented the pre-press-conference mannerisms of a Trojans player in a recent article.

The school said Evans shouldn't have written about the student-athlete's actions ... explaining they happened outside of the Trojans' allotted media availability period. Riley then suspended Evans for two weeks in response.

But, following days of backlash, Riley agreed to talk with Evans on Wednesday ... and on Thursday, he decided to remove the punishment.

"We had a very candid and productive conversation," Riley said. "We agreed that we both could have handled the situation differently. I appreciate Luca recognizing the policies we have in place to protect our student-athletes and acknowledging to adhere to those in the future."

"We welcome Luca back to practice and look forward to his continuing coverage of the Trojans."

Added Evans, "I respect and understand the program's outlined policies regarding media access, and any missteps came through the intent of doing my job and pursuing relationship-building and storytelling."

"I will continue the same reporting an writing with fairness, accuracy and depth, and we reached an agreement to lift the restriction on access."

Cam'ron is rewinding it back to 2002 when he starred in the Roc-A-Fella-produced film "Paid In Full" ... a cult classic still getting its props today thanks to Damian Lillard.

The (probably) soon-to-be ex-Blazer released his "Paid In Full" video Thursday from his new album "Don D.O.L.L.A." album featuring Cam reprising his old role.

Cam'ron played "Rico" in the popular gangsta flick ... which was a loose exposé on the life and times of Harlem drug dealers Rich Porter, Alpo Martinez and Azie "AZ" Faison.

Song costar Tobe Nwigwe also pops up in the clip, which he helped direct with Keoni Mars.

The Dallas Cowboys' blistering start to the season just hit its first major roadblock ... the team's best cornerback, Trevon Diggs, tore his ACL on Thursday -- almost certainly ending his 2023 season.

According to multiple reports, Diggs suffered the serious knee injury during 1-on-1 drills at Cowboys practice ... and was seen on crutches afterward.

Several minutes later ... he took an MRI, and the results reportedly revealed the torn ligament.

Diggs had been playing at an All-Pro level for the 'Boys in their first two games of the year ... recording an interception, a forced fumble and four tackles. He was a big reason the 2-0 team had allowed just 10 points through eight quarters.

The Cowboys have yet to publicly comment on Diggs' injury ... although quarterback Dak Prescott asked for prayers for the defensive back while he was undergoing testing on the knee.

"Hoping for the best," Dak told reporters. "Simple as that."

Kroy Biermann might have a light at the end of his massive debt tunnel, and it's all thanks to a male strip club willing to dish out some serious cash if Kroy's willing to get down 'n dirty.

Kings of Hustler in Sin City is giving Kroy the chance to make a sweet $150k to "perform a live strip tease" at its location. The club's manager, Brittany Rose, says she's certain he'll also "make a ton of money in tips."

There are conditions, of course -- Kroy will have to perform on stage for 15 minutes, strip down to his underwear, and give the crowd lap dances "at the request of big spenders."

He'll also have to take a ride on the club's "Golden Boner" -- a mechanical bull that's shaped to look like ... well, a golden boner.

Kings of Hustler says it sent Kroy's team the lucrative offer Wednesday ... though he hasn't yet accepted the offer.

As we reported, Kroy says he and Kim Zolciak are DEEP in the red amid their divorce -- he's already asked a judge to let them sell their Georgia home at haste ... the one that recently entered pre-foreclosure again.

Kroy filed new docs this week, begging the court to prevent Kim from slowing down his attempt to sell the property. Don't forget, Kroy said he had to sell his own personal belongings to try and make their mortgage payments, which he wasn't able to cover in July.

Travis Kelce just confirmed he has at least made contact with Taylor Swift amid rumors the two have been hanging out recently ... revealing he invited the pop superstar to an upcoming Chiefs game.

Pat McAfee got the tight end to open up about rumors he's been quietly seeing Swift the last few weeks on Thursday's episode of the "The Pat McAfee Show" ... and while Kelce didn't exactly address any details head on -- he did admit he's been talking to the "Cruel Summer" singer.

"It's hilarious how much traction this has actually got," the 33-year-old said. "I think it's, right now, it's like that old game in school called 'Telephone,' where everybody is just whispering in each other's ear, just hearing some random stuff."

Kelce said his brother, Jason, has been one of the main reasons the gossip has exploded recently ... and he playfully scolded the Eagles star for it.

"The guy is absolutely ridiculous," Kelce said of his older bro, who's commented a few times on the potential relationship since last Thursday. "He can't stay out of the frickin' headlines."

"Please," Travis added, "everybody stop asking my brother about my love life."

Kelce previously said he wanted to shoot his shot in the form of a friendship bracelet with his phone number on it when she performed at Arrowhead Stadium in July, but had no luck connecting with her.

It certainly sounds like it eventually worked ... 'cause Kelce said he has, in fact, been in communication with Swift.

"I threw the ball in her court and, you know, I told her, 'I've seen you rock the stage at Arrowhead,'" he told McAfee. "'You might have to come see me rock the stage at Arrowhead and see which one's a little more lit.'"

Minkah Fitzpatrick says he was not trying to end Nick Chubb's season when his goal line tackle resulted in a devastating injury ... defending himself and claiming the controversial hit wasn't a dirty play.

The three-time Pro Bowler broke his silence on the incident with reporters on Thursday ... clapping back at critics who say the result could have been prevented.

"You can tell me how to tackle him low, but it's a fast game," Fitzpatrick said. "It's a game where you make decisions in milliseconds."

"Can't really control what happens after you choose to make your decision. I already chose to go low. Somebody got on his back when I was going low, and what happened happened. There's nothing I really would do differently."

Chubb will be sidelined for the rest of the season ... and his football career remains up in the air as a long road to recovery awaits him.

Fitzpatrick said it's still unfortunate what happened and he hopes Chubb gets well soon.

"Nick Chubb's a great player," Fitzpatrick said. "He makes the game a lot better when he's playing."