TMZ Sports - Page 50

There will be two Guardians in Cleveland after all ... the MLB team formerly known as the Indians just announced it's settled its lawsuit with a local roller derby squad -- and both will use the "Guardians" nickname going forward.

The baseball-playing Guardians made the announcement Tuesday ... revealing both sides reached "an amicable resolution" this week after the roller derby team had filed a lawsuit in late October.

In the suit, the roller derby team accused the MLB org. of trying to bully its way into jacking the roller-skating squad's longstanding nickname -- and wanted to put a stop to it all.

The derby team claimed the baseball team ripped off parts of their logo -- and then, according to derby team owner Gary Sweatt, offered "likely no more than fifteen minutes of annual team revenue" when settlement talks initially began.

But, the MLB team said in a statement things have changed in the last few weeks ... and both parties are now happy with each other.

"Both organizations will continue to use the Guardians name," the MLB org. said in its statement.

Terms of the settlement, however, were not revealed.

Clippers center Ivica Zubac's Los Angeles area home was burglarized Friday night ... and the 7-foot tall big man interrupted the burglary, TMZ Sports has learned.

Unfortunately, the 2 assailants were able to escape ... according to our law enforcement sources.

The 24-year-old, 7-foot tall Croatian hoops player -- who's averaging nearly 10 points and 8 boards a game with LAC -- left his home around 8 PM Friday night ... before returning around midnight.

When he arrived back at the crib, Zubac -- the 32nd overall pick of the Lakers in 2016 -- noticed a ladder was placed against his home, leading to a second-floor balcony.

Ivica then witnessed two men bolt from the area, hopping a fence and booking it from the property.

The big man called the police ... and the cops responded and cleared the home, ensuring there were no more bad guys inside.

We're told Zubac's place -- which was locked and had a working alarm system -- was ransacked and at least one piece of expensive jewelry, a Rolex watch worth over $20K was gone.

Vanessa Bryant will have to share some of her medical records with L.A. County -- the judge says the documents are fair game because she's raised the issue of her "emotional distress."

Kobe Bryant's widow had sought to block the County from access to her medical records, citing doctor-patient privilege as it relates to her visits with a psychotherapist. As you know, Vanessa is suing L.A. County over Sheriff's deputies sharing crash site photos that included remains of the victims.

She's said the knowledge the photos were out there was causing her "constant fear and anxiety" ... and she's had trouble sleeping and been depressed.

Defense attorneys for the County requested Vanessa's medical records because they wanted to determine whether her trauma was caused by the alleged photo leak, or the tragic helicopter crash itself.

Hundreds of people honored Tina Tintor and her golden retriever, Max -- who were both killed in the Henry Ruggs car crash on Nov. 2 -- by having a special dog-walking event in Las Vegas this weekend.

The "Pack Walk" happened in the Town Square shopping center in Vegas on Saturday -- just two days after the 23-year-old was laid to rest.

About 200 people -- including Tintor's family -- showed up for the tribute with their canines, dressing the dogs up in white bandanas to symbolize peace.

Tintor's family brought Tina's other dog, a 3-year-old husky named Bella, to the event.

"Las Vegas is a large community of dog lovers and knowing this unfortunate event brought so many feelings," one of the organizers said.

"We need this. We need the family to know the community is here for them as well."

Tintor was also honored with over 2,000 donations to her GoFundMe that was launched a few days after her death. In total, over $103,000 was raised.

As we previously reported, Tina was tragically killed after officials say Ruggs struck her Toyota from behind with his Corvette.

Cops say Ruggs was going 127 MPH at the time of impact, causing Tintor's car to burst into flames and ultimately killing her and her dog.

Alex Rodriguez is quickly learning what NOT to do as an NBA owner -- the Yankees legend's Minnesota Timberwolves were just punished over a team gathering he hosted during the offseason.

On Monday, the T-Wolves were fined $250,000 for holding a team event in Miami in September, according to ESPN's Adrian Wojnarowski.

According to a report from Page Six, A-Rod got together with his business partner Marc Lore and invited the team down for a weeklong gathering ... featuring practices and a little fun in the sun.

The report goes on to say that every player attended A-Rod's event ... and the team bonding went so well, Alex and Marc were thinking about making the Miami trip an annual thing.

The only problem -- the whole bash was NOT allowed ... 'cause under current NBA rules, teams are not allowed to organize or pay for offseason practice ... and they're also not allowed to conduct workout sessions outside of their market.

Sounds like A-Rod and co. will have to come up with some other team-building idea ... but we're sure the guy will figure it out soon enough.

Travis Scott's latest Nike collab won't be hitting the shelves anytime soon -- the Swoosh has decided to postpone the "Air Max 1 x Cactus Jack" release due to the Astroworld festival tragedy.

The Baroque Brown kicks were slated to go live on December 16 at 7 AM ... but just minutes ago, Nike announced it will not go through with the drop.

"Out of respect for everyone impacted by the tragic events at the Astroworld Festival, we are postponing the launch of the Air Max 1 x Cactus Jack," Nike said Monday.

The decision comes as 9-year-old Ezra Blount became the 10th concertgoer to lose their life as a result of the chaos at Astroworld.

As we previously reported, the Houston Rockets also scrapped a promotional event featuring Scott last week -- replacing "Travis Scott Night" with a moment of silence for the victims.

On top of that, Fortnite elected to remove the Travis Scott emote from its game.

Ty Montgomery horrifically dislocated his finger during the Saints' game Sunday ... and, yeah, look away now if you're squeamish.

The New Orleans tailback was running a route against the Titans in the first quarter of their weekend matchup when a ball clanked off his hands, sending him crashing to the ground arms first.

At some point during the play, Montgomery's digit got hit -- and you can see in the video from the game's broadcast, it bent in a way a finger never should.

Cameras showed the finger pointing 90 degrees away from his hand ... and, in fact, a little piece of bone even appeared to be exposed.

Montgomery left the game and was initially ruled as questionable to return -- but he never made it back into action ... and seems like a good bet dude will get a few more days off this week.

Whatever it takes to win, right??

Dallas Cowboys head coach Mike McCarthy left the watermelons at home when trying to hype up his team before Sunday's game ... instead, he pulled out some Monkey Butt.

Really.

The anti-chafing powder, as Tom Pelissero noted on "NFL Now," was meant to resemble the good, old-fashioned ass-kicking the Cowboys got in their 30-16 loss at home against the Denver Broncos on Nov. 7.

McCarthy dubbed the week leading up to their matchup against the Atlanta Falcons "Red-Ass Week" ... and had staffers pass out the powder to symbolize getting over their bad loss and taking it out on their next opponent.

Of course, McCarthy had a unique motivational tactic last season ... when he smashed watermelons before a win against the Minnesota Vikings.

Say what you want about the weird motivation, but it seems to be working ... 'cause Dallas got the W on Sunday, whooping ATL in a 43-3 effort.

Tiger Woods has ditched the crutches and the walking aids ... but the golf superstar still has a noticeable limp in his gait -- new video shows.

Woods was spotted arriving at a hotel in Los Angeles on Sunday night ... and you can see in footage, his surgically repaired leg is still clearly far from 100 percent.

Woods walked gingerly as he headed out of his car and upstairs into the L.A. venue ... all while his leg was still encased in a compression sleeve.

As we previously reported, Woods seriously injured his right leg in a car crash in the Los Angeles area back on Feb. 23 -- and needed a rod, screws and pins to repair the damage.

Woods has made slow and steady progress since the surgery -- using crutches for months, before eventually putting his full body weight on the leg recently.

Tiger has been seen walking around golf courses following his son, Charlie ... though it's unclear if Woods has even remotely attempted a swing since the accident.

NFL linebacker Nigel Bradham -- who helped the Eagles win the 2018 Super Bowl -- was arrested Saturday ... after cops say they found guns and over 3 pounds of weed in his sports car.

According to court documents, obtained by TMZ Sports, Bradham was pulled over in Leon County, Fla. after cops say the tag on his C8 Corvette did not belong to his car.

During the stop, officers say they noticed a strong smell of marijuana coming from his ride ... adding that Bradham told them he had a gun in the glove compartment as well.

Officers in the docs say Bradham told them he did not have his medical marijuana card on him, and cops say his name didn't show up in the registry. Officers then searched the vehicle -- and claim they found a huge amount of weed.

Cops say Bradham had "10 small plastic bags with marijuana in them" inside a satchel that also contained a Smith & Wesson pistol in it.

Officers also say when they searched the trunk of the Corvette, they found two more "large bags" of weed -- and say, in total, they located 3.45 lbs of marijuana in Bradham's car.

In the docs, cops also say the search on the gun in Bradham's glovebox, a Glock 23, came back as stolen in Missouri.

Bradham was eventually arrested and booked on three felonies -- possessing marijuana with the intent to sell, use of a firearm in the commission of a felony, and possession of marijuana over 20 grams.

Court records show he posted bond on Sunday.

Enes Kanter has a strong message for President Joe Biden -- ahead of POTUS' scheduled virtual summit with Chinese prez Xi Jinping -- do what you promised and "Prioritize Human Rights".

Joe and Xi will take part in a 2-day online summit, starting today. White House press secretary Jen Psaki said the leaders will discuss relations between the countries, but added Biden won't avoid difficult topics.

"Throughout, President Biden will make clear U.S. intentions and priorities and be clear and candid about our concerns with the PRC," Psaki said.

But, the 29-year-old Boston Celtics center -- a 12-year NBA vet -- isn't so sure that'll actually be the case.

"@potus Stop playing games with bullies & do what you promised to the world! Prioritize Human Rights!" Kanter wrote on social media.

"Will Joe Biden ask about Uyghur Genocide or assault on Tibetans in Hong Kong?", continuing ... "Or will they pat each other on the back?"

It's interesting ... talking about China in an unfavorable way has become a third-rail issue for the NBA.

Daryl Morey, then Houston Rockets GM, was forced to apologize in 2019 after he tweeted support for protestors in Hong Kong. Even after saying sorry, Morey -- who now works for the 76ers -- is on China's bad side. The country doesn't feature Philadelphia's games or highlights for its 1.4 billion citizens.

But, Enes -- who has long been outspoken about human rights issues across the world -- clearly isn't intimidated.

Kanter specifically pointed to the Uyghur population in China ... a group of over 1 million mostly Muslims who have been kept in "re-education camps," according to the BBC.

He also raised human rights issues facing Tibetans.

Former MLB shortstop Julio Lugo -- who played in the Big Leagues for 12 years -- reportedly died on Monday.

He was just 45 years old.

ESPN's Enrique Rosas said Lugo's family confirmed the death, explaining they believe the ex-baseball player suffered a heart attack.

No further details surrounding the death have been given.

Lugo -- who was set to celebrate his 46th birthday on Tuesday -- was drafted by the Houston Astros in 1994 and eventually played in the MLB from 2000-2011.

The infielder played for seven teams -- the Astros, Rays, Dodgers, Red Sox, Cardinals, Orioles and Braves -- but he was most known for his time in Boston.

After signing a four-year, $36 million contract with the Sox in 2006 -- he went on to help the team win the 2007 World Series.

Lugo logged 1,279 hits in his career ... and finished with 198 steals and a batting average of .269.

The death is the second tragic one in the MLB in less than two weeks ... former Mets reliever Pedro Feliciano also passed away at age 45 just 8 days ago.

Don't get Odell Beckham Jr.'s ring size just yet ... so says Nate Burleson, who tells TMZ Sports he loves the Rams' newest addition -- but there's still one thing standing between them and a Super Bowl.

Of course, Odell is now in L.A. after a disastrous stint with the Cleveland Browns ... and could play a big role in the Rams' offense with Robert Woods going down with an ACL injury.

Burleson gives a message to OBJ as he prepares to suit up for his new squad ... telling him to be himself and ball out.

"Block out the noise, like I always say," Burleson says. "Make your next act your best act."

Nate thinks the Rams are a legitimate Super Bowl contender ... but says the OBJ signing doesn't make it a foregone conclusion they'll win it all this season.

"But we can't give 'em a Super Bowl ring just yet, they gotta go earn it," he says.

"And they gotta go through Thanos -- I mean Tom Brady."

Burleson also points out the new off-field opportunities OBJ has in L.A. ... imploring Beckham to wait until after he finishes playing football to pursue a fashion, music or acting career.

Lamar Jackson was Gucci for his Louisville jersey retirement ceremony -- literally -- pullin' up in an $8,000 fit from the luxury line!

The 24-year-old QB was at Cardinal Stadium on Saturday to celebrate the retirement of his No. 8 jersey during the Louisville vs. Syracuse game ... and he clearly had his drip together.

LJ was Gucci-ed out head-to-toe -- you can see the Baltimore Ravens star was wearing a huge, green nylon vest with a GG jacket and Gucci t-shirt underneath. He also had matching GG canvas jogging pants.

The quarterback made sure his kicks matched his Gucci theme too ... rockin' green and red White Tiger Ace sneakers.

In total, the whole fit cost over $8k!!

Here's a breakdown (per the Gucci site):

-Down padded nylon vest -- $2,500
-GG canvas jogging pants -- $1,020
-Music shirt -- $650

The GG jacket is listed for $3,405 elsewhere ... and the sneakers have been known to carry a price tag of $690 too.

Don't worry, the 2019 NFL MVP can splurge on the outfit since he's made over $9 million in his 4-year career ... and he's expected to ink a massive new contract soon.

Bryson DeChambeau launched a ball OVER the net at Topgolf this weekend ... and the majestic drive was all captured on epic video!!

The PGA star -- who's by far the longest driver on the Tour -- hit up the popular golf spot on Saturday ... and it didn't take him long to begin punishing balls from an upper-deck bay.

Check out the footage the 28-year-old posted to his TikTok page ... during one of his tee shots, you can see he hit a ball that cleared the fence over 200 yards away!!!

The computers at the golf spot registered the speed of the ball at a staggering 201 MPH -- something DeChambeau was clearly pleased with.

"@topgolf we might need to get taller nets🤪," Bryson said after posting the vid.

Of course, we shouldn't be too surprised by the shot ... DeChambeau does these kinds of things regularly on the actual course -- hitting drives over 400 yards!!

Mason Rudolph didn't get the victory for the Steelers on Sunday -- but don't worry, he's still clearly winning off the field ...

Here's the Pittsburgh QB's GF, Genie Bouchard, cheering on her man all the way from Mexico ... in a tiny bikini.

The tennis player posted the spicy pic in the middle of Pittsburgh's game against the Detroit Lions, writing, "When bae is playing but ur in Cancun."

She added a heart emoji while tagging Rudolph.

Of course, the support didn't equal a win for Mason on the field -- he struggled in the Steelers' 16-16 tie against the Lions -- but we're sure it was appreciated nonetheless.

We broke the story, Genie began dating Rudolph over a year ago ... and hasn't been shy about her affinity for the Steelers since.

She's been spotted at Rudolph's games -- and after going IG official with the signal-caller in February -- she's rocked Pittsburgh gear while traveling too.