TMZ Sports - Page 50

Claressa Shields isn't playin' around when it comes to Jake Paul ... the boxing and MMA superstar is throwing down the gauntlet, challenging The Problem Child to a fight, and promising to beat his ass.

TMZ Sports talked to the 26-year-old 2x Olympic gold medalist who just recently vowed to NEVER fight on a Paul undercard, claiming it'd be disrespectful to her incredible career.

"I wasn't talking s**t about Jake Paul yesterday. What I was speaking was facts. Jake Paul gets inside a boxing ring with me, he's getting his ass whooped!"

And, Shields is down to put her money where her mouth is ... and if the YouTuber turned boxer doesn't want to a real, sanctioned fight -- Claressa is down to spar and let his cameras roll the entire time.

"I bet you Jake Paul would get hurt, he probably get dropped, he would have a newfound respect for me if we spar or fight," Shields says.

"I'm not calling Jake Paul out because I know how the world looks at women fighting men, they look at it like 'oh no, ew' but I spar men daily and that's the truth."

Claressa -- the only fighter, male or female, to hold all 4 major titles in multiple weight classes -- also took issue with Paul addressing female boxing star Amanda Serrano -- who he just signed to his MVP promotions -- as the greatest female fighter ever.

"I'm the motherf***kin' GWOAT! I saw him make that post today with Amanda Serrano. He needs to know that I'm the GWOAT."

(BTW, there's ZERO beef between Claressa and Amanda. In fact, Shields says she has "love and respect" for Serrano.)

Bottom line, Shields -- who returns to the PFL MMA cage October 27 -- has a message for Jake ... and anyone else who thinks she can't handle herself in the ring because she's a woman.

"Cut the s**t! Don't disrespect my skills. Look, just because a man is a man and he's in boxing doesn't mean that they can beat me and there's a lot of guys who's been in boxing for years who cannot do nothing with me, let alone Jake Paul".

The Super Bowl halftime show will feature not one, not two, but FIVE incredible music acts this February ... with Dr. Dre, Eminem, Kendrick Lamar, Snoop Dogg and Mary J. Blige slated to perform!!

The epic list was just announced minutes ago ... with Pepsi revealing the lineup for the big game at SoFi Stadium in Los Angeles on Sunday, Feb 13.

The halftime show is absolutely nuts -- as the company notes, there are 43 Grammy awards and 19 Billboard-topping albums amongst the bunch ... and they'll all be sharing the stage in L.A.

The show's lineup makes a whole lotta sense to L.A. too ... Dre, Snoop and Kendrick are all born and raised in the city of angels. Jay-Z, who played an instrumental part in getting the lineup together says the event will be "history in the making."

The announcement Thursday also notes the show is expected to be "12 minutes of unforgettable greatness." Nearly 100 million people tuned in last year to watch The Weeknd perform in Tampa Bay.

Carl Nassib says he was worried opening up about his sexuality could cost him his NFL job ... explaining this week he didn't come out as gay sooner because he feared it might "ruin my career."

The Las Vegas Raiders pass rusher -- who famously revealed he was gay in a June social media post -- broke it all down on Darren Waller's "Comeback Stories" podcast.

Nassib said he had mulled the idea of coming out sooner ... but was scared of the reaction the announcement might draw from fellow players -- and, more importantly, NFL owners.

"I thought about it every once in a while," Nassib said of sharing his sexual preferences with the public. "Thought about how I wanted to do it. When I could do it."

"I didn't know how people would react. I wanted to make sure I was financially stable before I did it. I didn't know if it would ruin my career. I didn't know if guys would be supportive or not."

Nassib -- who says he didn't know he was gay until about four years ago -- said he finally felt comfortable making the announcement this year after he had solidified his NFL career as well as gained a good understanding of his Raiders teammates.

The 28-year-old, though, revealed it has been somewhat of a struggle since revealing the news ... telling Waller he felt a huge burden in the practices and workouts following the video's release.

"Being the only out gay guy in the NFL is a little stressful," Nassib said, adding things have gotten easier since.

Nassib also revealed he is dating somebody, saying, "I met an awesome guy. He's the best."

The general manager of the Ukrainian Hockey League is now out of a job ... he was just fired -- and he claims it's all because of the way he reacted to a player's racist, on-ice gesture.

Eugene Kolychev revealed he was canned in a series of tweets Thursday ... appearing to say he and the league did not see eye-to-eye over the way he spoke out against Andrei Deniskin's abhorrent banana-peeling gesture and subsequent suspension.

"I have spoken openly about #racism in Ukrainian hockey and the Ukrainian Hockey Federation FIRED me as General Manager of the #UHL today," Kolychev said.

"Will it solve the problem? No. Will it silence me? NO!"

Kolychev continued, "My voice has been ignored in the decision over the penalty against Andrei Deniskin, who showed a racist gesture to @jalen_smereck"

Kolychev was unhappy with Deniskin from the get-go ... blasting the hockey player immediately after he taunted Jalen Smereck, who is Black, with a banana-eating motion during their game last Sunday.

And, when the league suspended Deniskin only a handful of games as punishment for the gesture, Kolychev did not seem happy about that on his social media page, either.

Kolychev, though, said despite losing his job ... he's still going to forge on in his battle to help stop racism.

"I am publicly appealing to the @IIHFHockey to conduct its own investigation of the incident and help #endracism. Jalen, we got your back!"

Shaquille O’Neal is fed up with Kyrie Irving ... saying the Brooklyn Nets should cut ties with the star if he won't be able to play home games due to being unvaccinated.

Irving has been under attack for reportedly not getting vaccinated as the pandemic rages on ... and he currently won't be able to play home games due to NYC's COVID-19 mandate.

With the Nets poised for a title run with KI, Kevin Durant and James Harden in 2021-22, Shaq was asked what he'd do if Kyrie misses half the season ... and he's not holding back.

"I would go upstairs and say, 'Get him up out of here,'" Shaq told "Tiki and Tierney" this week. "We can win with a two-punch and a great shooter and some rebounders like we got. Get his ass up out of here."

"Of course, if I played with him, I’d be in charge all the way, all day," Shaq added.

"Whoever owns the Brooklyn Nets, get him up out of here."

But, Shaq wasn't done sharing his thoughts on the topic -- he expanded on his take on "The Big Podcast" on Thursday ... saying he is not going to "knock" Irving's right to have an opinion, but the hooper has to think about the bigger picture.

"In this game of ours, sometimes you have to think about others instead of yourself," he said. "Now, Kyrie has his own views and his opinions. I’m not going to knock that."

"He does have an obligation because he took that $200 million. Once you sign up for this life there is no privacy. And you have to accept it."

FYI -- some of that 200 milli will disappear if Kyrie misses all the home games this season ... with the guard reportedly set to lose out on $17.5 million.

Jockey Oisin Murphy -- a 2-time British flat racing champion -- had a terrifying moment before a race on Thursday ... when his horse went out of control and threw him head-first into a railing.

The scary incident went down at the Salisbury racecourse in the UK ... when Murphy was getting a 2-year-old horse, Oasis Gift, ready for his debut in a seven-furlong event.

In the footage, it appears Oasis gets spooked and starts to lose control -- bucking and dashing across the parade ring with Murphy saddled on.

The 26-year-old Irish jockey was holding on for dear life ... but was thrown off his colt and plunged headfirst into the rail. The horse then burst right through the fence and kept running.

Murphy was sent to the NHS London hospital after the crash and somehow, only ended up with a few cuts to the face.

"I've had a few stitches to my lip + face. I’ve been discharged already," Murphy said on Twitter.

"Very grateful to their work and all the kind messages."

One of the men accused of helping orchestrate the 2019 shooting of David Ortiz has been killed in the Dominican Republic, police announced earlier this week.

Authorities in the D.R. say Luis Alfredo Rivas-Clase -- who was one of at least 12 men who allegedly plotted to kill the Red Sox legend -- died after being gunned down in broad daylight over the weekend.

Cops say Rivas-Clase was shot outside of a shopping center ... adding that investigators found 27 bullet shells when they arrived at the scene.

According to D.R. media outlet Listin Diario, witnesses say Rivas-Clase was chased by his attackers in a car and eventually gunned down after he crashed and tried to flee.

It's unclear if the alleged murder had anything to do with the Ortiz case.

As we previously reported, cops in the D.R. say multiple men -- including Rivas-Clase -- attempted to kill Ortiz while he was sitting outside a bar in June 2019.

Rivas-Clase was the last of the suspects still at large -- cops say they had found, arrested, and thrown in jail all of the others, including the alleged shooter.

Britney Spears was the big winner in court Wednesday, but it's hard to believe anyone celebrated her father's removal from the conservatorship harder than this fitness instructor ... who turned his joy into burned calories.

This TikTok vid beautifully illustrates the joy #FreeBritney folks felt when Jamie Spears was suspended from the conservatorship after 13 years -- as this guy literally jumped for joy when he heard the news.

The coach -- who's known as The Fitness Marshall -- parlayed his excitement into a fabulous "Free Britney" workout, including some hilarious jabs at her dad.

"Jump high, knee Jamie in the face" and "Elbow him in the name of the law" might well become new rallying cries for Brit's supporters ... if the other hashtags wear out.

As we reported ... along with Jamie being removed from Britney's conservatorship, it also looks like the conservatorship is coming to an end after Wednesday's monumental court hearing.

Assane Drame, L.A. Clippers video assistant, was tragically killed in a car accident earlier this week following a ground breaking ceremony for the organizations new stadium.

He was only 26 years old.

Drame, who joined the organizations as an intern in 2019, worked with the Clips digital media group.

Before the fatal crash, Assane was present at the Clippers ground breaking ceremony in Inglewood Monday afternoon.

Officials say Drame was on the 10 Freeway in L.A. ... when he pulled his 2012 Honda Accord to the shoulder off the road. Moments later his vehicle was hit by another car, causing fatal injuries.

Assane was originally reported missing by his family after they received a call from Clippers HR, saying he hadn't showed up to work.

The Clippers organization released a statement on the Assane's death, writing ... "The Clippers organization mourns the loss of Assane Drame, a dedicated employee, a talented videographer and a loyal friend."

The statement later continued ... "He was a hard worker and a gentle soul, passionate about his craft and kind to his colleagues, earning the respect and admiration of players, coaches and staff."

And, that's clear ... 'cause players like Nicolas Batum and Terrence Mann expressed their condolences online.

Batum wrote, "Just heard the sad news. Rest In Peace King 🙏🏽🕊"

"🙏🏾🙏🏾🙏🏾 Heard nothing but great things about Assane. 🤞🏾🕊🕊 Send Prayers up," Mann tweeted.

The Rowan University alum is survived by his family in New Jersey.

Ben Simmons would rather lose tens of millions of dollars than suit up for the Philadelphia 76ers ever again ... 'cause the NBA star is reportedly willing to sit out the whole season and forfeit his salary if he's not shipped to another team.

Simmons and the Sixers have been butting heads all offseason amid the All-Star's trade demand -- he's refused to show up to training camp or meet with anybody from the organization.

The 25-year-old is owed more than $33 million for the upcoming campaign and has four years left on his remaining contract ... but if he decides to stick to his guns and sit out 'til a trade is made, as ESPN's Ramona Shelburne reports is likely to happen, that coin will go bye-bye.

Philly has made it abundantly clear that they will not move BS unless the right deal presents itself … but they have expressed a desire to get the ex-LSU star back into the swing of things.

Sixers head coach Doc Rivers even told us back in June he wanted Ben on the team this season ... and is holding out hope for a change of heart.

Russell Wilson and Ciara are making another business move together -- by publishing their first children's picture book!

The couple announced the news Wednesday ... saying they've teamed up with Penguin Random House to release the book titled "Why Not You?"

"I am so excited to share that Ciara and I will be publishing our first book for kids next spring," the Seattle Seahawks QB said on IG.

The picture book intends to "encourage readers to see themselves achieving their dreams, no matter how outrageous they may seem," according to PRH.

"It’s a lyrical celebration of self-esteem, perseverance, and daring to shoot for the stars".

The storybook will have 32 pages -- with illustrations by Jessica Gibson -- and is set to be released in March 2022.

This is yet another dope collab between the Super Bowl champ and award winning singer -- in fact, Why Not You is also the name of the couple's nonprofit org that focuses on education, health and the fight against poverty for youth.

Russ and Ciara -- who married in July 2016 -- also opened their Why Not You Academy in Washington this fall.

Tom Brady's first game at Gillette Stadium in an away uniform is BY FAR the most coveted ticket of the NFL season ... with sales skyrocketing leading up to Sunday's big matchup.

TMZ Sports has learned ... the average ticket price for the Buccaneers vs. Patriots showdown is a whopping $1,222 on StubHub ... with the cheapest seats coming in at $275.

We're told Brady's homecoming is crushing every other game of the NFL season in ticket sales ... outselling the second most popular game by 20%!!

As for who's going to the game -- the majority of fans are from Massachusetts (duh) ... with 8% of spectators coming from California and another 7% coming from Brady's new state of Florida.

The game has been hyped up since the schedule was released back in May ... and many have called it one of the biggest regular season ones in NFL history.

Brady has downplayed the whole thing ... claiming he's not expecting a "homecoming" as it's just another Sunday night game to him.

It may not go as TB12 plans -- after all, the guy is responsible for those 6 Super Bowl banners in the stadium.

Greg Steube looked less like a politician and more like Juan Soto on Wednesday night ... hitting a towering home run in the Congressional Baseball Game that was WILD!!

Steube -- a Republican from Florida -- blasted the moonshot dinger in the third inning of the annual Democrats vs. Republicans game ... and you can see in footage of the homer, he got ALL of the ball.

Steube planted the pitch several rows into the seats in left field at Nationals Park -- clobbering the baseball more than 330 feet!!!

"That was a bonafide Major League home run right there," one of the game's announcers said on the broadcast.

In fact, the swing was so impressive, Steube got some dap from the Democrats as he rounded the bases -- and then he was mobbed by his Republican teammates when he stepped on home plate.

For his part, Steube seemed to love the tater as well -- 'cause his home run trot was long, slow, and featured a lengthy finger point to the sky!!

Steube became the first participant in the game to hit an out-of-the-park homer at D.C.'s MLB stadium since the contest was moved there in 2008.

And, in addition to his heroics at the plate ... the 43-year-old politician also pitched in the game -- and later played some stellar defense at third base, helping the Republicans win the evening, 13-12, for the first time since 2016.

Steube's probably got too much on his plate to make a run at The Show -- but it should be noted, the Nats are in danger of finishing in last place in the N.L. East this season and could use some help.

Dak Prescott is better right now than Tom Brady, Lamar Jackson AND Kyler Murray ... so says Drew Pearson -- who tells TMZ Sports the Cowboys star is a top-3 QB in the NFL.

The Dallas legend made the claim just one day after Dak carved up the Eagles on "Monday Night Football" ... saying he believes only 2 other QBs in the league are as good as Prescott is at the moment.

"Aaron Rodgers, Matthew Stafford, Dak Prescott," Pearson says. "Top three quarterbacks in the league, I would say, right now."

Dak has been tremendous through the Cowboys' first 3 games of the season ... completing 77.5 percent of his passes for 878 yards, 6 TDs and just 2 INTs.

And, Drew's been wildly impressed with it all, praising the guy for his leadership as well as his ability to bounce back from a devastating ankle injury in 2020.

In fact, Pearson tells us Dak has been so good ... he already believes the Cowboys are a true Super Bowl contender.

"You didn't hear it first but you heard it from the original 88, OK?!" Pearson says. "I think they're on a roll."

Before this ballin' baby was driving to the hoop on the NBA court, he was just another sporty sweetheart working on his game in Grand Rapids, Michigan.

This mini-man is best known for shining as an all-star athlete -- he went home with the first round pick for the NBA back in 2015 and took his team to the finals just last year. He isn't unfamiliar with being in the sports spotlight ... his father was also a professional basketball player.

Now, this talented gamer can be spotted with his famous fashion model girlfriend.

Teyana Taylor is not surprised her husband, ex-NBA star Iman Shumpert is beastin' on "Dancing With The Stars" ... telling TMZ Sports she expects it 'cause he's always at her dance rehearsals.

Taylor is known for her amazing moves -- notably the Kanye West music video "Fade" -- so we had to ask if she gave her hubby any tips for 'DWTS.'

"I mean he's always at all my rehearsals," the singer and dancer tells us at LAX this week.

"He's always jumpin' in my rehearsals dancing with me."

And, she thinks Shump is doin' his thing! He delivered a dope performance to Outkast's "Hey Ya!" with Daniella Karagach for his debut dance last week. Shump then followed up with the rumba to Donell Jones' "You Know What's Up" on Monday.

"I think he's doing amazing. The lines, the techniques, his versatility. I love it!"

No adjustments needed, either ... Taylor tells us there's nothing she would advise him to change.

"He just needs to keep being perfect and keep having that authenticity and keep having fun with it."

Can he win the whole thing?! Taylor thinks so. Next eliminations go down next Monday.