TMZ Sports - Page 50

We see London, we see France ... we see SHAQ'S UNDERPANTS!!!

Shaquille O'Neal is out to prove the quarantine look is still in style ... with the NBA legend going business up top, nothing on the bottom for a live TV segment!!

Of course, we've all been there at some point in the pandemic ... but the Hall of Famer had no problem showing off his skivvies while on air for NBA TV Thursday night.

The Big Aristotle had just finished his final segment of the 2021 season after the Suns beat the Bucks in Game 2 of the NBA Finals ... and decided to celebrate by hopping up and dancing like crazy!!

The 7'1", 330-lb. big man even pulled a Petey Pablo by taking his blazer off, twistin' it around his hand and spinnin' it like a helicopter.

O'Neal even started doing jumping jacks ... later admitting it made him "tired as hell."

The moment is hilarious ... and even his fellow "Inside the NBA" analyst pal, Kenny "The Jet" Smith, had to get in on the party -- although it appears he was fully clothed.

Hey, Shaq and Kenny deserve the break -- as Smith points out, it was basically 2 NBA seasons back to back, thanks to the pandemic.

Nick Kyrgios -- one of the biggest stars in men's pro tennis -- is pulling out of the Olympics ... saying the big decision is, in part, due to Japan officials barring spectators from the event.

The 26-year-old Australian made the announcement Thursday evening ... just hours after Olympic officials said no fans would be allowed to watch the Games in-person this summer due to a spike in coronavirus cases in the area.

"It's a decision I didn't make lightly," Kyrgios said. "It's been my dream to represent Australia at the Olympics and I know I may never get that opportunity again."

"But I also know myself," Kyrgios added. "The thought of playing in front of empty stadiums just doesn't sit right with me. It never has."

Kyrgios -- who was forced to withdraw from Wimbledon earlier this month due to an abdominal injury -- also said his health played a role in his decision too.

"I also wouldn't want to take an opportunity away from a healthy Aussie athlete ready to represent the country," Kyrgios said.

"I will also take all the time I need to get my body right. Good luck to all the Aussies competing and I'll see you back on the court real soon."

Lil Baby and NBA star James Harden have been stopped by police in Paris ... with a report claiming the rapper was arrested for weed.

Harden and several other men were swarmed by cops during an apparent search on the popular Avenue Montaigne. In one video circulating on social media, the Brooklyn Nets superstar can be heard saying he doesn't understand what's going on as cops begin to search him.

One photo shows an officer holding what appears to be a vaping device ... unclear who it belongs to or whether is contained the alleged marijuana.

Baby was seated in the back of a police van and appeared to be handcuffed ... local reports say he was among 3 people arrested for some sort of marijuana-related charge. The report said the vehicle the men were traveling in was pulled over and officers could smell marijuana. There were allegedly 20 grams of weed discovered.

We reached out to the Paris Police Dept. who would only tell us the incident was currently an active investigation.

Lil Baby and Harden are in the French city for Paris Fashion Week.

Shohei Ohtani's monster 2021 season ain't just bringing awareness to MLB nationally ... the Angels superstar is opening eyes across the GLOBE -- so says Rick Ankiel.

The former St. Louis Cardinals star -- who was the last MLB player before Ohtani to have huge success as both a hitter and pitcher -- broke it all down for TMZ Sports this week ... explaining Shohei is just that electric.

"Look, there’s nothing the guy can’t do on a baseball field," said Ankiel, who Ohtani just passed on the all-time MLB home run leaderboard.

"Watching what he’s doing, it definitely is must-watch TV ... every time I see it, I stop."

Ankiel says because of Ohtani's ties to Japan ... the incredible year he's having is bringing eyeballs to the sport that may have never been brought otherwise.

"I think you’re going to have a lot of kids who are seeing him maybe for the first time on the All-Star Game, looking up to that and going out in the backyard and trying to hit like Ohtani, and pitch like Ohtani and try to be that growing up," Ankiel said.

"I think it’s fantastic."

Ohtani has a ridiculous 32 home runs already this season with a stellar .279 batting average ... and he's the clear-cut favorite for AL MVP at the moment.

Oh, and by the way, he also has a 3.49 ERA and a 4-1 record as a pitcher.

Mr. Nice Guy is officially dead and gone -- Conor McGregor just UNLEASHED an epic amount of smack talk on Dustin Poirier at their UFC 264 press conference just minutes ago ... vowing to absolutely wreck the guy as soon as they enter the Octagon on Saturday.

Of course, Conor was unusually kind to "Diamond" before their fight back in January ... showing serious respect for Poirier and acting the complete opposite of his wild self.

But, yeah, Thursday night was WAY different.

"I'm gonna go drill his head, put holes into it and take it off his shoulders," Conor said. "That's the goal here! He's done here! This is it for him! This is the end of the road."

Both guys went at each other from the jump by getting in each other's faces -- with Conor grabbing Poirier's signature hot sauce off the table and throwing it off the stage.

Conor was later asked straight-up if he has respect for Dustin ... and he didn't hold back.

"I don't give a f*** about him to be honest," McGregor said. "I don't give a rat's ass about him. He's Buster Douglas is what he is, and that's the way he's gonna go down."

"He's gonna be known for that. It was a fluke win and I'm gonna correct it on Saturday night."

As for Dustin, he had a different tone -- "I don't hate anybody up here. I'm at a different place mentally, man. Respect to him and everything he's done."

TMZ Sports got in a few questions with Conor as well ... asking when he believes he'll be a billionaire ... and ya gotta hear what he has to say.

There's a lot of history between the guys -- Conor got the win their first go-round in 2014 ... with Poirier getting the win in January.

Tyson Fury has COVID-19 and his super fight with Deontay Wilder will almost certainly be postponed ... so says boxing insider Teddy Atlas.

Fury and Wilder are scheduled to fight July 24 ... their 3rd fight. The 1st was a draw ... and Fury KO'd Deontay in their 2nd bout in February 2020.

But, earlier today, rumors were swirling that someone in Fury's camp contracted the virus ... but it was unclear if that was accurate -- and if Tyson had the virus.

But, when Atlas joined the Wise Kracks Podcast with Bill Krackomberger and Jon Orlando ... he dropped some bombshell info.

“It looks like Fury actually has COVID. He had 1 shot. He didn't get both shots, both vaccines. And, it looks like he has the COVID,” Atlas says.

So, if Fury has COVID ... it seems all but a sure thing the trilogy fight will be postponed. There are rumors the trilogy fight could be moved to September ... but Teddy says he doesn't know if that's enough time.

“They're talking about pushing it back to September. I don't know if that's enough time.”

On Thursday, a Top Rank spokesperson -- Fury's promoter -- gave us the following statement.

“We continue to monitor the health status of Tyson and his team and the status of the event has not changed to date.”

Story developing ...

"I was very overconfident going into [Usman] fight. I just believed, I’m going to beat this guy, and there’s nothing he can do to stop me."

That's 34-year-old UFC star Gilbert Burns admitting he thought he was gonna roll over welterweight champ Kamaru Usman when they fought in February.

That didn't happen ... and Burns was ultimately stopped via TKO in the 3rd round -- a defeat that crushed him emotionally.

"As soon as we put on those little, small gloves everyone is danger," Burns tells TMZ Sports.

"You gotta respect that, and I think I was very overconfident, and I paid the price. So, learned so much. The journey is still very alive, first step is going to be July 10th."

Of course, July 10 is UFC 264 ... the date Burns returns to the Octagon against #4 ranked fight Stephen "Wonderboy" Thompson.

"Now I’m on my way back. I’m hungry as ever. I think I’m a little more mature, more disciplined."

Does 1 win get him back in title contention -- and set him up for a rematch with Usman?

Surprisingly, Burns says probably not ... he has more work to do.

Patrick Mahomes ain't pleased that USA Track & Field officials left Sha'Carri Richardson off the Olympic roster this week ... calling the snub "pretty ridiculous."

The NFL superstar explained his thoughts on the matter Thursday on "First Take" ... clearly believing USATF should've added Richardson to the team, despite her recent positive marijuana test.

"She put in the work," the Chiefs quarterback said. "Even though she made a mistake -- like we all make mistakes in whatever way that is -- but to give her an almost extra ban, to not let her be at the Olympics at all, it's pretty ridiculous to me."

As we previously reported, Richardson tested positive for pot after the Olympic Trials last month ... and was subsequently hit with a 1-month ban as punishment.

The penalty -- while wiping away her opportunity to race in the Tokyo Olympics' 100-meter sprint -- still was set to end in time for her to potentially run for USA in the 4x100-meter relay.

But, USATF officials announced Tuesday they were still leaving her off the team ... explaining, "All USATF athletes are equally aware of and must adhere to the current anti-doping code, and our credibility as the National Governing Body would be lost if rules were only enforced under certain circumstances."

Mahomes called B.S. on all on Thursday, though ... saying, "For her to be left off, after all the hard work and dedication that she's put into the sport, and for her to be one of those bright young stars for the USA, it's just disappointing."

"I couldn’t care about them 2 dingbats."

Conor McGregor is days away from one of the biggest fights of his career, but the UFC superstar's still getting grilled about Jake and Logan Paul ... saying he has no intention of ever fighting the YouTubers-turned-boxers.

... but he's not counting it out for good!!!

"The Notorious" -- who's seeking revenge against Dustin Poirier at UFC 264 on Saturday -- was asked if he'd ever step in the ring with the two bros this week ... and his answer is very interesting.

"I don’t see so, but never say never," Conor said. "If they’re gonna keep competing and what not, who f***in' knows? But dingbats, the 2 of 'em."

In other words -- SO YOU'RE SAYING THERE'S A CHANCE!!!!

Remember, Jake has incessantly gone after McGregor for months ... offering $50 million to make the fight happen, even releasing a wild video claiming the superstar and Dana White are scared to set it up.

Conor -- who loves making money -- has kept his options open about fighting Jake in the past ... and you'd think there's gotta be a reason for that.

Trevor Bauer will be away from MLB mounds for at least another week ... the league just announced it extended the Dodgers star's paid leave 7 more days.

The MLB Players Association signed off on the move Thursday ... meaning Bauer is now out of Los Angeles' rotation until at least July 16.

Bauer had initially been placed on paid leave last Friday ... in wake of allegations that he had punched and choked a woman during two sexual encounters in April and May.

According to MLB insider Jeff Passan, if a police investigation and/or an MLB probe into the matter isn't settled by next week ... the Dodgers and the league could look into putting Bauer on paid leave indefinitely.

Bauer has been arguably the best starter on Los Angeles' roster this season -- he holds an 8-5 record with a 2.59 ERA -- but he hasn't pitched since June 28.

As we previously reported ... a woman -- who says she met Bauer on Instagram -- claims Bauer choked her and hit her so many times during their two meetings earlier this year, she was left with scratches, bruises and lacerations.

The 30-year-old has emphatically denied the allegations ... claiming it was all part of entirely consensual sex.

Michael Avenatti was just sentenced to 30 months in his Nike extortion scheme case.

A very emotional Avenatti appeared in court Thurdsay in NYC where the sentence was handed down, on top of the 30 months, he'll also have 3 years of supervised release. The sentence is light considering the recommended sentence was 108-135 months ... a recommendation the judge called "excessive."

Avenatti addressed the court during the hearing, having to stop several times while he fought through tears. At one point, he said, "I betrayed my profession. I became driven by the things that don’t matter in life. Over the last 2 years, I have often thought to myself, why did this need to happen? What lessons am I supposed to learn from this experience, from what I’ve done?"

He continued, "Your honor, I’ve learned that all the fame, notoriety and money in the world is meaningless. TV & Twitter mean nothing. Everyone wants to ride in a limo with you but very few are willing to sit next to you on the bus."

The disgraced attorney was given a surrender date of September 15.

As we reported ... Avenatti was arrested and charged with trying to extort $20 million out of Nike. The feds had claimed the infamous lawyer told Nike's legal team that if they didn't pay him between $15 million and $25 million he would hold a news conference and allege misconduct by employees at the shoe company.

According to the criminal complaint ... Avenatti had demanded Nike hire him to conduct an internal probe for the enormous salary. Prosecutors said Avenatti was repping a client who was the coach of an AAU basketball team. They said Avenatti gave Nike the option to not hire him but pay $22.5 million to resolve the dispute and buy his silence.

Prosecutors would later allege the Nike scheme played out over the course of a few days back in March 2019. Prosecutors said Avenatti repped an AAU coach whose team had just lost a Nike sponsorship worth $72k a year.

The coach had claimed Nike made payments to families of some HS basketball players ... and Avenatti had allegedly demanded payment from the shoe giant to keep him quiet.

Avenatti was ultimately arrested at the location where he was supposed to meet with Nike brass ... presumably to iron out a deal or keep the convo going.

Prosecutors also have conversations and video recordings ... in which they allege Avenatti made threats. Avenatti also allegedly told Nike he had them by "the balls."

Avenatti's also facing fraud charges after prosecutors in California claim he embezzled client money to cover expenses for his coffee corporation. He's also alleged to have committed bank fraud by submitting false tax returns to get $4.1 million in loans.

Ex-NBA superstar Dwyane Wade is paying his respects to the victims of the devastating Surfside condo building collapse on Thursday ... getting emotional and meeting with those participating in search and recovery efforts.

The Miami Heat legend visited the memorial fence set up to honor the 60 victims of the collapse ... leaving a touching message of support for those grieving.

"Sending prayer, love, strength and healing ..." Wade etched on the memorial ... adding his autograph and "Miami Heat" underneath.

The future Hall of Famer -- who's beloved in South Florida -- was moved by the visit ... putting his hand to his face as he's overcome with emotion.

Wade also gave an inspiring speech to the South Florida Urban Search and Rescue team on Thursday ... thanking them for their service and stepping up to help after the incident.

Of course, there have been several Miami pro athletes showing support following the tragedy -- from Heat guard Tyler Herro to Dolphins players Jaylen Waddle and Jerome Baker and more joining the effort to help those affected over the past few weeks.

Steph Curry stared death in the eye once again -- with the NBA superstar finally getting his sparring rematch against Canelo Alvarez ... and shock, shock -- it ended in a big, fat L!!

Remember, Curry first faced off against the boxing champ a year ago -- when he playfully squared up with Alvarez at the celeb American Century Championship tournament in Lake Tahoe.

33-year-old Curry narrowly escaped catastrophe in their initial encounter, and the dude never got over it ... 'cause when he peeped Canelo at the Edgewood Tahoe resort on Wednesday, it was ON!!

The 2 tangoed for about 10 seconds, with Curry throwing a quick jab before getting caught with the 30-year-old's fast counter ... and just like that, rematch OVER!!!

"I tried the champ Canelo again," Curry said afterward. "It didn't go well again!"

But, Chef Curry had a few takeaways to go home with this time around ... saying, "Footwork was solid though just saying. #stayinmyweightclass."

Curry was definitely moving compared to last year's match where he looked stiff and didn't throw any punches .. so, definitely an improvement.

Let's see if a Curry-Alvarez trilogy happens next year .. 'cause third times a charm, right?

Drew Lock is VERY fortunate to be uninjured today ... cops say a stray lug nut smashed into the QB's windshield on the road on Wednesday -- but, thankfully, it didn't hurt the NFL star.

The Kansas Highway Patrol assisted Lock after his car had the run in with the wheel nut ... and in pictures they posted, you can see just how close Lock was to catastrophe.

The nut hit the Denver Broncos signal-caller's ride so hard ... it wedged itself into the glass, causing major damage and nearly shattering the whole thing.

Lock, though, walked away from it all just fine ... and even took a smiling picture afterward with the officers who helped him out!!

One of the KHP troopers who was on the scene told KDVR after the incident that he believed Lock's athleticism played a role in keeping him safe throughout the ordeal.

"He did what we want," the trooper said. "He was alert. He was quick to react and start taking the actions needed to keep himself and others safe."

There will be no fans allowed to watch Olympians perform in-person at the Games this summer ... spectators have now been banned from the Tokyo Olympics due to COVID-19.

Japan's Prime Minister Yoshihide Suga just declared a state of emergency in Tokyo ... after people in the heavily populated area have seen a spike in coronavirus cases.

Suga said Thursday the state of emergency -- and the heavy restrictions that come with it -- will be in place through Aug. 22.

The Games are scheduled to run from July 23 to Aug. 8.

"The number of infected cases in the area including Tokyo has been increasing since the end of last month," Suga said.

"The number of severe cases and bed occupancy rate continues to be on the low level, but considering the impact of variants, we need to enhance countermeasures so that the infection will not spread nationwide."

The Tokyo Olympics had already been postponed from 2020 to 2021.

Olympics officials apologized Thursday to those who had tickets to the event.

"It's f***in' back-to-back!!!"

NHL superstar Nikita Kucherov gave an epic, shirtless post-game interview after winning the Stanley Cup on Wednesday ... chugging beer, spewing expletives and absolutely going IN on Montreal Canadiens fans.

It all went down after the Bolts eliminated the Habs in 5 games in Tampa ... securing their second-straight Cup.

Kucherov -- easily one of the best players in the league -- was feelin' himself after the game ... and had a very special message for their opponents' fans.

"I didn't want to go back to Montreal," Kucherov told reporters. "The fans in Montreal, come on. They acted like they won the Stanley Cup last game. Are you kidding me? Are you kidding me? Their final was last series."

Kucherov had every reason to celebrate -- he missed the entire regular season due to hip surgery ... and returned to lead the playoffs in scoring with 32 points in 23 games.

Meanwhile, Kuch's teammates were going wild in the locker room ... poppin' bottles and dancing -- as if they didn't just do this a year ago!!

And, get this -- Patty Maroon (who just won his third-straight Cup) even got his parents to chug booze out of the trophy!!

The Lightning weren't the only ones singing and celebrating -- their fans were lit outside the Amalie Arena, singing "We Are The Champions!!!"

Conn Smythe winner Andrei Vasilevskiy was a bit more on the chill side -- recording himself on the ice as his teammates received Lord Stanley.

The party ain't over .... a parade is possibly in the works for Monday according to city officials.

Will this be a remake of the epic Tom Brady tossin' the Lombardi trophy boat celebration?!