TMZ Sports - Page 50

Scary situation for Larry Nance, Jr. -- the Cleveland Cavaliers forward reportedly lost nearly 20 POUNDS in just over a week while battling a non-COVID-related illness.

But, luckily, the 28-year-old is starting to show signs of improvement and is "on the mend."

Nance came down with the mystery illness on March 29 while in Utah for a road game ... and hasn't played a minute of basketball since.

The details are now coming out about the hooper's symptoms -- and it's gnarly.

Nance spent the past week and change bedridden and unable to keep food down, according to cleveland.com ... all while getting consistently tested to help determine what he's fighting.

It's NOT COVID-19 ... but it's still unclear what exactly he's dealing with.

The report says Nance has experienced a DRASTIC weight loss in the short amount of time ... losing 20 pounds in a little over a week.

The good news?? Nance is starting to feel better ... and will slowly work on getting back to his reported weight of 245 lbs. and rebuild his stamina.

It's been a tough year for the guy -- Nance also previously missed 12 games while battling a fractured left hand.

MMA fighter Khetag Pliev is so tough, he's already working out again ... less than a week AFTER SOMEONE RIPPED OFF HIS FINGER!

Remember, Pliev was fighting Devin Goodale at Cage Fury Fighting Championship in Philadelphia on April 1 when suddenly everyone noticed Pliev was missing a digit!!!

People scoured the arena looking for the detached finger -- which was ultimately located inside Pliev's glove.

37-year-old Pliev was rushed to a hospital and doctors were able to successfully reattach it.

Fast-forward 6 days ... and Pliev has already resumed his training!!!

Check out the footage of Pliev getting in some cardio while his finger is stabilized with a special medical brace.

Pliev tells TMZ Sports ... he's hoping to show Dana White he's tough enough to fight in the UFC.

For the record, we spoke to Dana about Pliev's injury -- and to say Dana was impressed with his toughness is an understatement!!!

George Clooney stepped into the batter's box in between takes on the set of his new movie, taking hacks while Ben Affleck tried shagging balls in the outfield ... and for one of them, it didn't go so smoothly.

George took a break from directing "The Tender Bar" Wednesday in Boston for a little batting practice on the softball field where they were filming ... and he was swinging for the fences.

The Red Sox probably won't come calling if any of their scouts see this video, but at least George makes contact and looks like he's having a helluva time.

Ben, meanwhile, tried tracking down George's deep fly balls in the outfield ... and well, let's just say the sun didn't play ball. Error, Affleck.

After struggling in the field, Ben took the mound while the cameras were rolling. As you can see, his orange softball uniform reads, "The Dickens," the name of the bar where his character works in the film.

MMA fighter Johnny Case admitted to police he performed a "leg sweep" on his ex-girlfriend during an altercation last week -- but insists he was merely defending himself against another trained fighter.

It's all spelled out in the police report, obtained by TMZ Sports ... which shows the ex-girlfriend called the Las Vegas Metro Police Dept. on April 1 to report a domestic violence incident.

The woman -- who is a professional fighter -- told cops she was hanging out with Case in her apartment when he told her he wanted to have sex.

The woman says she rejected his advances and told him to leave -- and that's when he "became angry" and got physical with her.

The woman told cops Case pushed her -- so she pushed him back -- and that's when Case picked her up and threw her on the ground, causing scratches on her elbow which were visible by officers.

The woman claims Case continued the attack ... kicking her in the inner-thigh and spitting on her while she was on the ground.

In the police report, responding officers noted a red mark on the woman's leg, which resembled a foot.

Officers later tracked down Case and got his side of the story ... and it's radically different.

Case told cops ... the woman got angry for "personal reasons" (which he wouldn't elaborate about) and attacked him first -- striking him numerous times.

Case admits he picked up the woman to throw her -- but insisted it was the only way to stop her attack.

Case told cops he left the apartment and went to his truck ... but she continued the assault -- throwing closed-fist punches and elbows to his face, which resulted in cuts to his lower lip and eyebrow.

According to the police report, Case said he "leg swept" the woman so she would fall and "would no longer be able to attack him."

At that point, Case says he got back in his truck and left.

After speaking with both parties, cops determined Case was the primary aggressor -- partly because he's a trained martial artist. He was booked for alleged domestic battery.

It's unclear if the officers knew the woman is also a pro fighter.

We reached out to Case and the woman involved in the incident -- but no comment from either side.

Insanely scary moment on the MLB diamond Wednesday ... Reds star rookie Jonathan India was drilled in the forehead by a 94 MPH fastball, but thankfully, he appears to be okay.

India was at the dish for his second at-bat of Cincinnati's game against the Pirates ... when pitcher Chad Kuhl lost control of a fastball and accidentally plunked the 24-year-old in the head.

India immediately crumpled to the ground in pain ... and Kuhl got down into a squat in disbelief that he had just misfired that badly.

Miraculously, India popped up to his feet just a few seconds later ... and after a short talk with trainers, he stayed in the game.

In fact, India was feeling so good ... in the next inning, he made a hell of a play throwing out a base runner at home plate!!!

It was an awesome throw ... but it was even more awesome that the dude's going to be all right after all that.

Tiger Woods' car crash was caused by excessive speed, but there may be more to the story that we may never know ... TMZ has learned.

The L.A. County Sheriff's Dept. will release the findings of their investigation Wednesday morning.

Sources with direct knowledge tell TMZ ... Tiger was speeding when he lost control of his SUV and we're told the Sheriff is hanging the cause of the accident squarely on speed.

We're told the SUV's black box shows Tiger actually accelerated at the time of the crash. We're also told that just as Tiger lost control the SUV actually gained speed.

There's more ... law enforcement sources tell us, the Sheriff's Dept. did not get a warrant to check Tiger's cell phone to determine if he was on a call or texting at the time of the crash. Our sources say the Dept. felt it did not have probable cause to get a warrant for cell phone records, although that is often done in accident investigations.

Our sources say Tiger hit his head 3 to 4 times on something hard in the cabin.

As we previously reported, the Sheriff had said there was no evidence Tiger was under the influence of drugs or alcohol, although authorities never tried to get a warrant to draw blood. They say they did not have the necessary probable cause.

We're told there will be no charges filed or citations issued against Tiger.

As you know by now, Tiger was on his way to an L.A. golf course when he crashed his Genesis GV80 SUV down the side of a hill in Rancho Palos Verdes, Calif.

Tiger, who told first responders he had no recollection of the accident ... suffered major injuries to his right leg, and underwent surgery to repair the damage.

Tiger is out of the hospital and is back in Florida where he's recovering.

Ex-NFL wide receiver Travis Rudolph has been arrested for murder -- after officials say the 25-year-old opened fire on a group of people in Florida, fatally striking one man.

TMZ Sports has confirmed ... cops responded to a shooting in West Palm Beach shortly after midnight on Wednesday -- and once they arrived, officers found a deceased male victim who had been shot.

Cops say another man had also been struck by gunfire and was rushed to a nearby hospital before their arrival -- though his current condition is unknown.

Law enforcement tells TMZ Sports ... investigators believe the gunman opened fire on 4 people in total -- all of whom were passengers in a vehicle together at the time of the shooting.

After a preliminary investigation, officials believe they have evidence proving Rudolph is the man who pulled the trigger.

The former Florida State star was arrested Wednesday morning -- hours after the shooting -- and transported to county jail. Cops tell us Rudolph was booked on 1st degree murder and attempted 1st degree murder charges.

Jail records show he is currently being held without bond.

Rudolph was a big-time receiver at FSU from 2014 to 2016 ... and led  the team in receptions, TDs and receiving yards in 2015, his sophomore season.

Rudolph went viral during a 2016 visit to a Tallahassee middle school ... when he ate lunch with autistic student Bo Paske, who had been sitting alone.

The West Palm Beach native didn't get selected in the 2017 NFL Draft ... but later signed with the New York Giants. He played for the G-Men from  2017 to 2018.

Rudolph made the jump to the Canadian football League where he played for the Winnipeg Blue Bombers.

Can you imagine an NBA ref chasing down Zion Williamson for an autograph after a game??

That's pretty much what happened after a Champions League match on Tuesday ... when a ref ran after 20-year-old Borussia Dortmund star Erling Haaland -- and got him to sign his yellow card!!

The whole interaction was caught on video after Dortmund's 1-2 loss to Manchester City ... with assistant ref Octavian Sovre tailing the striker as he headed to the locker room.

In the footage, Sovre catches up with Haaland, whips out his card and a pen and asks for a quick John Hancock ... and the BVB star obliges!!

Of course, Haaland is regarded as one of the most promising young talents in the sport ... and all the top soccer clubs are lining up in hopes to sign the guy.

In fact, the Norwegian striker has 10 Champions League goals and 21 more Bundesliga goals.

While a Haaland auto is understandably in high demand, Sovre's move has been criticized as unprofessional ... and some folks are pissed.

But, Man City manager Pep Guardiola defended the ref ... saying, "Maybe he's a fan. Why not? The referees were brilliant, the game was not a problem."

"And after, maybe [the autograph] was for his son or daughter, I don't know," Guardiola continued.

"I've never seen it before but it's happened. Listen, they did a good job so that's it. Nothing happened."

Just call him the Big Good Samaritan now ...

Shaq paid off some young guy's engagement ring debt at a jewelry store in Georgia this week -- and the amazing gesture was all caught on video.

The Big Diesel explained how it all went down on "NBA on TNT" on Tuesday night ... saying he was in a Zales in the Atlanta area on Monday shopping for some earrings when he noticed a man was stressing over a bill.

Shaq says the guy was trying to figure out a way to set up a payment plan for a ring he was purchasing for his girlfriend ... when the NBA legend felt like he just had to step in.

"I seen the guy come in -- he was just so shy," Shaq said. "He was saying, 'Hey, how much do I owe to pay off my ring.'"

"And I was like, 'My man, how much is the ring?' I'm not going to say the amount, but it's not a lot for me."

So, Shaq whipped out his credit card -- and paid for it right on the spot!!

"I was like, 'You know what? Tell your girlfriend I got her,'" Shaq said. "'I'll take care of it.'"

Shaq added, "At first, he didn't want to take it. He was like, 'Man, I can't do that.' I said, 'Don't worry about it. I do it all the time.' I'm just trying to make people smile, that's all."

The two then posed for a photo -- and it was all really freakin' awesome!!

The best part of the story, though? Shaq says he had an even MORE generous act at a furniture store recently, paying off a bill there for a sweet family.

"This lady, she had an autistic daughter," Shaq said. "And she was also looking to pay for some furniture and I just took care of her. So, I'm into making people happy."

"Whenever I leave the house, I just try to do a good deed."

Hate needles? Well, an oral coronavirus vaccine in the works could become the best protection against COVID-19 and its mutations ... that's the hope of one of the L.A. Lakers owners, anyway.

Dr. Patrick Soon-Shiong is the founder of ImmunityBio as well as a Lakers co-owner, and his company is behind the tests being done at a research center in El Segundo, CA to determine if a series of pills can replace injections to inoculate the population.

Researchers are experimenting with healthy volunteers under the age of 55 who haven't had COVID yet ... with some getting shots, some getting capsules and some getting a combo.

Dr. Soon-Shiong says the value of ImmunityBio's vaccine is that it generates "killer T cells" that target the center of the coronavirus, which is less prone to mutation. Current vaccines create antibodies to the spiky part of the virus on the surface.

Though researchers are hopeful the oral T-cell-creating approach may result in greater protection against COVID ... the Lakers co-owner believes capsules and injections working together would be key. Sorry, needle haters.

Isaiah Thomas says it was "only right" to choose #24 when he signed with the N.O. Pelicans last week -- explaining it's the perfect way to pay tribute to his mentor, Kobe Bryant.

32-year-old Thomas inked a 10-day contract with the Pels on Friday -- and got emotional when talking to the media Tuesday about his jersey number selection before making his debut with the team.

'Kobe was one of my very close mentors," Thomas said ... "And [choosing #24] was an opportunity to pay homage to one of the best players to ever play the game."

"Hopefully it works out and I could play like Kobe a little bit if I get in there."

Thomas and Kobe had a close relationship -- IT says he would regularly text and call Mamba for advice about the game ... and about life.

"And, I miss that ... about being able to reach out to not one of the best basketball players in the world, but one of the best people in the world."

Kobe passed away in January 2020 -- but IT has vowed to honor Bryant's legacy every time he steps on the court ... and he certainly delivered on Tuesday.

IT made an immediate impact for the Pels as they took on the Atlanta Hawks -- scoring 8 straight points after he checked in.

Nike -- one of the largest sports apparel companies in the world -- has "suspended" its relationship with Deshaun Watson amid the investigation into sexual misconduct.

"We are deeply concerned by the disturbing allegations and have suspended Deshaun Watson," Nike said in a statement released Wednesday morning.

"We will continue to closely monitor the situation."

Watson has been with Nike since 2017 -- the year he entered the NFL Draft.

The bombshell news comes one day after the QB's first accuser came forward at a news conference and revealed her identity.

Ashley Solis says she was the first woman to file a lawsuit against the Houston Texans superstar, accusing him of sexual misconduct during what was supposed to be a routine massage therapy treatment.

"I'm a survivor of assault and harassment. Deshaun Watson is my assaulter and my harasser," she said Tuesday while sitting next to her attorney Tony Buzbee.

"I hope [Watson] knows how much pain he's inflicted on me physically and emotionally," Solis says.

20 other women have also filed lawsuits against Watson alleging he engaged in similar behavior while getting a massage.

Watson has denied the allegations -- claiming the women are lying in an effort to shake him down for money.

The Houston PD announced this week it has launched a criminal investigation into the allegations -- but so far, Watson has not been charged with a crime.

The NBA hardwood looked more like the squared circle Tuesday ... 'cause Lakers star Dennis Schroder was taken down by a "WWE" move in a tiff with the Raptors -- and he was NOT happy about it.

The wild scene all went down in the first quarter of L.A.'s game against Toronto ... when Dennis fouled OG Anunoby HARD to prevent the guy from scoring points.

In Dennis' mind, the play was perfectly acceptable -- he said later in the night it was simply just a smart basketball move to stop a possible and-one play.

Anunoby, though, clearly disagreed ... because he was so pissed over the grab -- he straight-up flipped Schroder with a textbook wrestling move!!!

Dennis landed squarely on his back, and a brawl was nearly incited -- with Montrezl Harrell rushing into the play for a pushing and shoving match.

The refs ultimately separated everybody and ejected Anunoby and Harrell ... and Dennis was still HOT over it all after the game.

"I don't know what to say," Dennis told reporters. "He didn't get hurt. I mean, I just tried to foul him hard so he don't get an and-one. That's it. That was my intent."

"But what he did, it's just unnecessary. You got to go to the 'WWE' with that. That wasn't basketball. That's it."

Tom Brady admits he REGRETS drunkenly throwing the Lombardi Trophy from boat to boat during that legendary floating Super Bowl parade

... but hey, things happen when you're completely sloshed!

"First of all, there was not a lot going through my mind at that point," Brady told Michael Strahan on 'GMA.'

Remember, Tom and the rest of the Tampa Bay Bucs hit the Hillsborough River back in February to celebrate their Super Bowl LV victory over the K.C. Chiefs.

The booze started flowing ... and the QB started throwin' (trophies).

"I mean, that was not smart for a couple of reasons," a sobered up Brady says.

"One is, if we drop it, that's a little bit of a problem. But, the worst thing that could happen is the edges on that trophy are so sharp -- and had those things clipped one of my boys in the other boat, it would have been an ugly, ugly parade."

He's right -- but fortunately, his sure-handed teammates caught the trophy with no problems.

Brady says of the event, "From what I remember, yes it was pretty cool."

During his interview with 'GMA,' Brady also opened up about why he wants to continue playing the NFL.

Remember, in the wake of winning his 7th title, Gisele had asked him, "What more do you have to prove?"

"I don't think proving it for me is the motivation," 43-year-old Tom told Strahan ... "I still want to play, I got like a little sickness in me that just wants to throw a frickin' spiral, you know what I mean?"

"Once you stop you can't go back and do it, I got some more football [left in me] I mean not a lot, and I know that, but what I got left, I'm gonna go I'm gonna give everything I got."

Another monster entry into the NFT space -- this time, it's gaming legend Tfue, who's dropping his very own collection ... and hoping to cash in like Rob Gronkowski.

The 23-year-old superstar -- one of the most popular Esports athletes ever -- is launching his own "NFTfue King of Gaming" collection.

NFTs -- aka non-fungible tokens -- are the newest rage in digital collectibles, built on blockchain technology.

In other words, you can buy, sell or trade them like you would a baseball card ... and the blockchain attached to each NFT essentially certifies the token as authentic (and not a knockoff).

But, back to Tfue ... who tells TMZ Sports he's stoked about his NFT collection and thinks collectors will snatch them up in record time.

The collection features custom animated videos, which Tfue considers to be legitimate works of art.

"They're pretty sick. They're not like, just like a picture like normal people usually do. We put a lot of time into this, a lot of effort into it. We wanted to make sure it was right. It's gonna come out pretty sweet. I'm pretty excited!"

Tfue says he was inspired by Rob Gronkowski who recently launched his own NFT collection and reportedly made $1.7 MILLION in sales!

In fact, Tfue says he bought one of the Gronk NFTs and hopes the NFL star will return the favor!

Deshaun Watson's attorney claims accuser Ashley Solis -- who identified herself as "Jane Doe #1" on Tuesday -- demanded $100,000 in "hush money" before filing her lawsuit.

... and Watson's attorney claims he has the emails to prove it.

Solis was the first accuser to file a sexual misconduct lawsuit against the Houston Texans star back on March 16. She used a pseudonym to protect her identity.

She came forward in a news conference alongside her attorney Tony Buzbee on Tuesday and spelled out her case against Watson -- at one point explaining, "People say that I'm doing this just for money. That is false. I come forward now so that Deshaun Watson does not assault another woman."

But, Watson's attorney Rusty Hardin says this is absolutely about money -- claiming Buzbee approached one of Watson's reps back in February in an effort to "quietly settle the allegations the month before he filed the first lawsuit."

Hardin says he has emails sent by Buzbee associate Cornelia Brandfield-Harvey to one of Watson's representatives on Feb. 9 spelling out the demand.

"My client’s demand is $100,000" ... and ... "This offer remains open until Friday of this week."

Hardin claims Deshaun's representative pushed back against the demand in the following email response.

"We don’t believe that the alleged facts show that Deshaun did anything wrong with regards to Ms. Solis, but we are nevertheless happy to continue the conversation around a reasonable settlement figure because we believe he can learn a lesson about having put himself in this situation."

Buzbee's response to that ...

"We made a legit demand. You rejected it. We won’t be making another or bid against ourselves. We also won’t be having an extended dialogue about why you think your client did nothing wrong or how you want this to be a 'learning' experience for your 'high profile athlete,' as you refer to him. This is Houston, Texas. Perhaps you should find him a lawyer here so you can apprise both you and your client of the landscape here and who you are dealing with. Talk soon."

The lawsuit was ultimately filed on March 16 -- and 21 women have filed similar lawsuits against Watson since then.