TMZ Sports - Page 50

No matter what you think about LaVar Ball's antics when it comes to his sons, you gotta respect it ... so says Matt Barnes who tells TMZ Sports at the end of the day, he got 'em all to the NBA.

Remember, LaVar has aways been his boys' official hype man for years -- praising Lonzo, LiAngelo and LaMelo any chance he gets ... promising fans (and haters) they would all be in the big league.

LaVar ended up being right ... Gelo is on a G-league team, Zo is dominating with the Bulls and Melo has brought the Hornets back to life.

Barnes applauds LaVar for it, telling us he's a great dad for making sure his kids got to the top level.

Even if he did do a lotta trash talk.

"As far as him being a great dad and helping his kids to where they're at to succeed, I definitely salute him," the 41-year old tells us at LAX this week.

"The kids are very talented. Hope Gelo gets a real chance to make an NBA team but to have 2 kids in the league that are doing well and a hopeful third..."

"I can do nothing but respect that."

Demaryius Thomas was at the forefront of everyone's mind this Sunday -- especially for his former team, the Denver Broncos, who paid tribute to him ... with an assist from the Lions.

The late wide receiver -- who died suddenly last week -- was honored during the opening minutes of the game ... with just 10 men on the Broncos taking the field, and WR Courtland Sutton taking a knee on the sidelines as his team let the play clock run out.

It essentially served as a moment of silence -- the significance of leaving Sutton/Thomas' position vacated on the field was symbolic, almost like it was meant to be filled by him in spirit.

Denver was penalized for this, but the Lions declined the penalty ... and let them play on as if nothing had happened -- something the team seemed to be grateful for online. There was also a video compilation played on the jumbo screen before kickoff, which showed off some of Thomas' highlights from when he was playing for them.

In addition to the on-field moment and the video, there were a number of other tributes set up all throughout the stadium, including a memorial that had been set up for Thomas that Peyton Manning and his family visited before the game got underway.

There was also a portrait of the guy that was on display in the tunnel, which players kissed and tapped as they made their way to the gridiron. And even on the field itself, the Broncos emblazoned Thomas' former number, 88, right there onto the grass.

All this was to be expected ... as we reported, the Broncos were pulling out all the stops to make sure their guy was recognized properly, as he was a big part of their SB run in 2016.

Thomas was found dead at his home on Thursday, with a call for cardiac arrest triggering a police response. It's unclear what exactly happened to him -- an autopsy is pending.

LeBron James just gave a huge spotlight to somebody controversial in the rap world -- and that'd be one Tory Lanez ... who's embroiled in a legal fight with Megan Thee Stallion.

LBJ took to IG Saturday to do what he often does when he stumbles across some new tunes ... blasting it in the car and vibing out. In this case, he was playing TL's new album, 'Alone at the Prom,' and gave it a big endorsement ... showering Tory with compliments.

He captioned one of his Tory videos with, "MAN THIS BOY COLD AS HELL MAN!!! ALONE AT THE PROM IS 🔥🔥🔥🔥🔥🔥🔥" Later in the clip, LeBron films himself, seemingly singing along to Tory's lyrics.

Normally, this would be NBD -- like we said, LeBron does this all the time. The difference here ... Tory is very polarizing right now, but that doesn't seem to bother the King.

It's interesting ... LeBron is outspoken over just about everything these days, but he's been mum on the drama between Tory and Meg -- and now, he appears to have shown he's cool with Tory (or at the very least, his music) despite the allegation against him ... namely, that he shot MTS in the foot.

The L.A. District Attorney has charged Tory with one count of assault with a semiautomatic firearm and one count of carrying a loaded, unregistered firearm ... also claiming he caused great bodily injury as it relates to Meg. He's pled not guilty and maintained his innocence.

Tyron Woodley says it was actually a blessing Tommy Fury got hurt and had to pull out of his December 18 fight with Jake Paul -- because nobody wanted to see that crap!!!

Hey, T-Wood said it ... not us.

TMZ Sports talked to the 39-year-old future UFC Hall of Famer just days before he's set to step in the ring with the Problem Child, and Woodley tells us the real winners here are the viewers.

"Nobody wants to see no f***ing Tommy Fury fight, come on now," Tyron tells us, saying, "Now his brother is lit. But, he can't ride the coattails of Tyson."

TW went on to say that Fury may go on to have a solid boxing career ... but as of right now,  he simply doesn't present the same threats as Woodley.

So, when we asked Tyron if he was a more difficult opponent ... he didn't hesitate.

"Of course I am, s***. That's why he took [the Fury] fight instead. He made a double wager and then didn't honor it because s***, why would he go back and give me the chance to finish off what I started now that I've been in there with him."

Of course, Tyron and Jake scrapped back in August ... a fight that the YouTuber turned boxing star won by split decision (Woodley wholeheartedly believes he won the fight).

Since, Woodley has all but demanded a rematch ... but Paul shot him down. That is until Tommy pulled out of the fight last week with a chest infection and broken ribs, per his reps.

So, Tyron's in ... and this time he says he will not leave things up to the judges.

"I just feel like, definitely, I can't leave any doubt."

WWE Superstar The Miz is not ready to give up on Baker Mayfield just yet ... telling TMZ Sports despite the QB's recent struggles, fans need to have some patience with the Browns signal-caller.

"He's injured. Like he's injured," Miz said. "He's not playing to his highest caliber because he's injured."

"I mean, how good are you when you're injured, you know what I mean?"

Miz says that anyone who wants to see the Browns move in a different direction at QB doesn't appreciate what Mayfield represents ... adding that fans need to throw their support behind the first overall draft pick.

"Everyone's so quick to get rid of quarterbacks nowadays," he added. "Like, you kind of got to stick with people and be like, 'look, this is our guy.' It's one thing, like, I remember a team that wasn't 6-6 that didn't win a game an entire season and I was still on the bandwagon."

Miz recalled the days where the Browns had less than desirable plays at the QB position -- he rooted for guys like Brian Hoyer, Brandon Weeden, and Johnny Manziel -- but, after Cleveland's bye week, he's predicting things will take off for his hometown team.

"I mean after this bye we have Baltimore," the former champ said. "If we beat them, we're one game out of first place in the AFC North and people are talking a different story."

So, what are his expectations for this underwhelming season?!?

"We're going to the Super Bowl. That's on my mind. I 100% think that."

If you know anything about The Miz, the Ohio native always reps for his squad ... and he's confident that with the roster they have, they can make a Super Bowl run.

"I trust in Coach (Kevin) Stefanski. I trust in Baker Mayfield," Miz said. "I trust in Kareem Hunt, Nick Chubb. I think Myles Garrett will be Defensive Player of the Year, and you're going to the Super Bowl. So, let's win, beat Baltimore, and get it started after the bye week!"

Rey Maualuga -- the ex-NFL star accused of driving drunk and crashing his car through a neighborhood earlier this year -- officially has a trial date set for April, TMZ Sports has learned.

The ex-Cincinnati Bengals linebacker is facing two felony charges as well as one misdemeanor ... and, according to a spokesperson for Kenton County, Kentucky prosecutors, he could be locked behind bars for up to 10 years if he's convicted on all counts.

We broke the story, Maualuga was arrested on Aug. 11 in Villa Hills, Kentucky after cops say he drunkenly drove his vehicle through mailboxes and front yards before ultimately crushing into a parked car and a tree.

In police documents, cops say when they questioned the former USC star at the scene, he was "sweating profusely" and admitted to drinking "a few" alcoholic beverages before driving.

Maualuga was ultimately charged with felony first degree wanton endangerment, felony first degree criminal mischief, and misdemeanor DUI -- third offense. His trial has been officially scheduled for April 6, 2022.

Of course, this is far from the first time Maualuga has faced time behind bars -- the 34-year-old has been arrested for DUI two times previously.

He was also arrested in 2017 for allegedly attacking an employee at a Miami nightclub while he was a member of the Dolphins.

Michael Strahan just went where no news anchor has gone ... to the edge of space!!!

It was a flawless flight after a short hold at 15 minutes. Blue Origin hurled into space with Strahan and 4 other astronauts on board, including Laura Shepard Churchley, the oldest daughter of America's first astronaut, Alan Shepard.

The capsule was atop the New Shepard rocket ... named, of course, after Alan.

When they experienced weightlessness, the astronauts were giddy with excitement ... you can hear the joy as they floated in space.

The New Shepard rocket was originally supposed to take off for the 10-minute flight on Thursday but Bezos gave it the yellow light, due to high wind.

This Blue Origin flight is the third launch with people on board. Astronaut Strahan and others had lots of training before they boarded. The TV host says he went to the Blue Origin facility for a week-and-a-half training prior to today's launch.

If taking a trip to space isn't already a good enough incentive, apparently all passengers get some sort of stipend... and Strahan says he is donating his to The Boys & Girls Club.

Jussie Smollett is a guilty man, but the only thing Bola Osundairo is guilty of is having hot hands ... as he demonstrated in the boxing ring just as the actor's fate was sealed.

Bola's been fighting for well over a year now, and it just so happened he had a match Thursday night in Louisiana while a jury found Jussie guilty on 5 of 6 felony charges for falsely reporting a hate crime.

As you can see from our video, Osundairo was dominant, winning a unanimous decision against his opponent Ezri Turner. The fight was part of the 2021 USA Boxing National Championships ... Bola won his previous contest as well.

Minutes after the jury read its verdict, Bola's brother, Ola, shared a few words with reporters outside the courthouse ... but he didn't talk about the case, just shouted out his brother's fight and exclaimed "Nigerian-American lives matter!"

TMZ broke the story, Bola and Jussie were friends -- even hitting clubs together -- in the weeks leading up to the staged attack. Ola and Bola maintained from the beginning that Smollett had paid them for the hoax because he wanted press.

No Denver Broncos player should ever wear #88 again ... so says Brandon Marshall, who tells TMZ Sports the team needs to retire the digits to honor Demaryius Thomas.

"It's just fitting, it just makes sense," said the former Broncos linebacker, who played with Thomas in Denver for years. "[He's] one of the greatest Broncos ever."

Marshall is making the push for his former team to go ahead with the tribute following Thomas' death this week ... telling us Demaryius is more than deserving of the honor.

Marshall explains Thomas' resume on the field was simply that good ... but he also says Thomas' off-the-field actions warrant the jersey praise as well.

"He's one of the greatest Broncos of all-time, point blank, period," Marshall said. "He's one of the greatest receivers of my era -- of our generation. One of the greatest receivers in Broncos history."

"And, as Peyton [Manning] said, he's an even better guy."

While no jersey retirement is in the cards yet -- the Broncos already have plans to pay tribute to the former Super Bowl champion before the Lions game this weekend at Empower Field At Mile High regardless.

Head coach Vic Fangio said the team will wear helmet decals and play a video tribute prior to kickoff. He also said a moment of silence will be observed.

Dustin Poirier's fighting for the lightweight title on Saturday ... but the UFC star openly admits the drama with Conor McGregor isn't over -- and never will be.

TMZ Sports talked to a very focused Poirier -- just days before his UFC 269 main event title fight with Charles Oliveira -- and we asked if the beef with Conor was finally squashed.

"Nah, the chapter will never be closed," Dustin says, clearly not loving the McGregor topic.

It's not a surprising comment ... as Conor said some very personal things about Dustin and his wife.

Of course, 33-year-old Conor and 32-year-old Dustin have already fought 3 times. The first scrap was way back in 2014 ... when McGregor won by TKO.

However, DP beat CM twice this year ... in January and July, when The Notorious gruesomely snapped his leg.

But, a 4th fight is anything but guaranteed ... 'cause Poirier -- who has won 7 of his last 8 -- is fighting for a title, and McGregor's still nursing the busted leg.

"I don't know [about a 4th fight], we'll see what happens. [Conor and I are] in 2 completely different spots if I get my hand on this belt."

Carl Madsen -- the NFL official who tragically died on his way home from a game earlier this year -- passed away due to heart disease ... an autopsy report, obtained by TMZ Sports, revealed.

In the docs, investigators officially ruled Madsen's cause of death as "hypertensive and atherosclerotic cardiovascular disease" -- conditions that are known to contribute to fatal heart problems.

Officials say in the docs obesity was also a contributing cause of Madsen's death.

As we previously reported, Madsen died on Oct. 24 in Tennessee -- shortly after he had worked the Kansas City Chiefs vs. Tennessee Titans game.

Cops said at the time that first responders had found Madsen unconscious in the driver's seat of his car on I-65 North ... and despite attempts to resuscitate him, he later died at a local hospital.

Madsen -- a veteran of the U.S. Air Force who worked as both an on-field official and a replay official in his career -- was 71 years old.

"Carl Madsen was an NFL officiating fixture for more than two decades, first as a highly respected on-field official before transitioning to a replay role beginning in 2009," NFL senior VP of officiating training and development Walt Anderson said after Madsen's passing.

"A terrific friend and colleague, Carl's love of football and dedication to officiating was ever-present, as he generously shared his time to mentor young officials at clinics across the country. A veteran of the Air Force, Carl had a tremendous spirit and will be greatly missed."

Delonte West has just cut a deal with prosecutors -- agreeing to pay $100 and keep his nose clean in order to close out his police station meltdown case next month.

The agreement is all spelled out in new court docs, obtained by TMZ Sports, which show the former NBA guard is close to putting his most recent criminal case behind him.

According to the documents, prosecutors have agreed to stop pursuing the case if West forks over $100 to the court and avoids any new arrests or criminal law violations.

West had initially been hit with misdemeanor obstruction/resisting as well as misdemeanor disorderly intoxication after cops say he threw a drunken fit outside of a police station in Boynton Beach, Fla., on Oct. 19.

Video of his interaction with officers was disturbing ... West can be heard on camera hurling anti-gay insults at cops -- while also claiming he's "was better than LeBron James."

West, through his attorney, had initially pled not guilty to the charges earlier this month.

The Denver Broncos will recognize Demaryius Thomas before their game against the Lions this weekend ... honoring DT with helmet stickers and a video tribute just three days after his tragic death.

Head coach Vic Fangio just announced the plans ... saying there will also be "a moment of silence and maybe another thing or two" before kickoff at Empower Field at Mile High on Sunday.

"There's still 10 players on this team that played with [Thomas], a bunch of coaches that coached him," Fangio said Friday. "And we've got over 40 workers in the organization and the support staff that were around him."

"And just seeing and feeling their reaction and hurt just tells me what a special player DT was."

As we previously reported, cops say they found Thomas dead in his shower in Roswell, GA at around 7 PM on Thursday night.

The reaction to his passing in the NFL community has been overwhelming since the news broke, with nearly every major player in the league expressing heartbreak over the death.

Stars like Tim Tebow, Tom Brady and DeMarcus Ware have all penned emotional notes on their social media pages -- and the Broncos themselves have also released statements mourning the death.

Thomas -- who played 10 seasons in the league, including 9 with the Broncos -- would have turned 34 on Dec. 25.

Kyle Kuzma's middle finger just cost him -- the NBA just hit the Wizards forward with a $15,000 punishment ... after he flipped the bird at a fan earlier this week.

The incident took place when Kuzma -- a native of Michigan -- was in town playing against his hometown Detroit Pistons.

The Wizards were winning 94-88 in the fourth quarter when Kuz nailed a corner three ... then turned around and gave a fan the middle finger gesture.

Unclear what, or even if, the fan said something ... but you can tell Kuzma did it deliberately.

The game went to overtime -- Kuzma finished with a team-high 28 points and his team secured the W, 119-116 ... but let's be honest, the bird was the highlight of the night.

Of course, this isn't the first time Kuz has gone at fans this season -- he nailed a dagger three against the Cleveland Cavaliers, and blamed hecklers for motivating him to knock down the game-winning shot.

Kuzma is typically a good sport ... when social media roasted him for wearing that oversized pink sweater, Kyle seemed to go along with the jokes.

Ex-NFL star LaVar Arrington says it was a "bitch move" for Robert Griffin III to write a book about the alleged sexual harassment he dealt with while the QB was at Washington ... saying the Baylor star shouldn't have waited years to disclose what went down.

43-year-old Arrington made the controversial comment on his "Two Pros And A Cup Of Joe" podcast, saying ... "So, RGIII, with all due respect, it’s kind of a bitch move to say you’re going to do a tell-all now," the former #2 overall pick said.

"Why didn’t you do your tell-all three or four years ago?"

If you're not familiar with RG3's allegations, we previously reported the QB announced he wrote a book called "Surviving Washington" ... that's releasing next year.

"I'm gonna detail the medical mismanagement that I received during my time in Washington," Robert said on social media while asking fans to preorder the book.

"I'm gonna open your eyes to the sexual harassment that permeated the walls of that building and give you a deep dive into a power struggle between one of the most powerful coaches in all of sports and an owner who many of you want gone."

But, Arrington -- who played for WFT from 2000 to 2005 -- believes the team's past scandals have made it easy for Griffin III to put the team on blast.

"You were scared of backlash that you would receive saying what you believed your truth was in a time where you didn’t have all of the stuff that has come out with the cheerleaders, and the emails, and all this stuff that makes it safe for you to be a front-runner of justice."

Arrington added, "I hate when dudes do bitch moves to be heroes and heroic about the things that they're doing and you do it in the comfort of knowing people already know what's going on."

"Stand up and be a man! Do that 'S' before now."

And, LaVar wasn't alone ... 'cause fellow former WTF player, CB Fred Smoot also went off on Robert.

"Sensitive thugs need a hug and RGIII is one of these sensitive thugs who needs a hug," Smoot told the guys.

"Then he said, ‘I’m going to tell everybody how I got sexually harassed.' The ugliest quarterback of all time?! Yes, I said it. He ain't attractive."

"Bobby failed at his career in the NFL, let’s be honest. Now he wants to bring attention to himself by any means necessary, and that’s why he wrote this book."

BKFC fighter Jordan Nash suffered a NASTY eye injury Thursday night, forcing his fight to be stopped ... and it's pretty darn hard to look at.

Nash was fighting fellow bare knuckle boxer Noah Cutter ... when the horrific injury, a gash to his eyelid, happened in the ring.

Yikes.

In the pic (look if you dare), you can see the gruesome eye injury up close and personal. Nash is bleeding profusely from his left eye, and appears unable to open it.

Despite fighting with only one eye, Nash showed tremendous heart -- somehow making it to the fifth and final round of the fight -- before it was ultimately stopped by officials.

It was Nash's first professional loss.

Of course, horrendous injuries are common in fighting ... especially bare knuckle, where gloveless hands can gash skin.

The silver lining ... if fans didn't know Jordan Nash before, they certainly do now.