TMZ Sports - Page 50

Los Angeles Chargers superfan Merrianne Do is turning her viral Monday Night Football appearance into a keepsake -- she's getting her very own bobblehead!!

TMZ Sports has learned ... Do has teamed up with the National Bobblehead Hall of Fame and Museum to release limited-edition mementos -- depicting the wide range of emotions she showed while watching the Bolts take on the Dallas Cowboys last month.

Fans who want to snag one of the 2,023 bobbles can choose from nervous, sad, happy, angry, and angry with red eyes versions for $30 each ... or get the whole set for $125.

The Bobblehead H.O.F. threw together an artist rendering of what the finished product will look like ... showing an 8-inch, mini Do wearing a blue jersey.

"I'm super thrilled and can’t believe my game-day reactions are turning into bobbleheads!" Merrianne said of the business move. "I think many sports fans can relate to one of more of these roller coaster emotions, and the fact that they are being encapsulated into bobbleheads is so fun!"

Of course, Do's popular fandom was the talk of social media for days ... with many questioning whether she was a paid actor.

Do previously told us that couldn't be farther from the truth ... as she simply just loves the hell outta her team.

Steve Kerr made it clear he's pissed at Draymond Green for choking Rudy Gobert earlier this week ... calling the Golden State star's actions "inexcusable."

The Warriors head coach didn't hold back when talking about Green's role in Tuesday night's on-court fight just before the Dubs' game against the Oklahoma City Thunder on Thursday ... explaining to reporters he didn't find Green's actions appropriate.

"He took it too far," Kerr said. "Draymond was wrong. He knows that. It's a bad look."

Kerr added that the five-game ban that Draymond received for putting his arms around Gobert's neck and refusing to let go during the Dubs' loss to the Timberwolves was "deserved."

"It was a terrible visual for the league," Kerr said, "for Draymond and for everybody."

Initially, Kerr seemed to have Green's back following the brawl ... saying Tuesday night he thought his player did what was needed to protect Klay Thompson. In some ways, Kerr stood by that stance a bit on Thursday, telling media members he "had no problem" with Green getting Gobert off Thompson ... but "he's got to let go."

"He hung on for like six, seven seconds," Kerr said.

Without Green on Thursday night, the Warriors got blown out by the Thunder, 128-109.

A Formula One car turned into a flamethrower during a practice run in Las Vegas Thursday night, spitting out a stream of fire that was caught on dramatic video ... forcing officials to cancel the rest of the session.

Check out the footage, obtained by TMZ Sports ... several F1 cars, including a Ferrari, are zooming around the track built along the Vegas Strip for Saturday's celebrity-studded Formula One Grand Prix. Journey, J Balvin, John Legend, Keith Urban and Steve Aoki are all set to perform at the three-day event.

In the 19-second clip ... Carlos Sainz's Ferrari roars down the track past The Cromwell Hotel and, suddenly a burst of flames shoots out from the back of the race car before it disappears from our view. One stunned onlooker reacts by yelling, "Wooooooo!"

It was later revealed the incident was caused when Sainz drove over a loose drain cover, causing serious damage to his car.

Ferrari was forced to replace Sainz's chassis, engine and battery ... which sparked a 10-place grid penalty for the race.

Thankfully, no one was injured ... and the police and fire departments did not have to respond to the scene.

Sainz sounded off on the track conditions in a social media post Friday morning ... saying, "Eventful and long day. We seem competitive and I’m looking forward to tomorrow.

"However, the situation of the manhole damage and the 10-place penalty is not acceptable, but we’ll deal with it."

Much of Clips Nation is panicking over the team's disastrous start with James Harden, but not the team's most loyal fan, Clipper Darrell, who tells us he has complete confidence that the squad will not only turn things around but will also be a top seed in the Western Conference!

And, they could even compete for an NBA title.

Yes, Darrell Bailey is doubling down on the Clippers ... despite them being winless at 0-5 since acquiring the former NBA MVP from the Philadelphia 76ers about 2 and a half weeks ago.

"Anytime a new person comes in, especially of James Harden's caliber, it's gonna take time," Clipper Darrell explained, before making it clear he still has faith in Kawhi Leonard, Paul George, Russell Westbrook and the rest of the roster's ability to mesh with The Beard.

"I still believe in this team. I know we're having a hard time right now, but this team is definitely going to prosper."

Not everyone feels the same way ... Darrell admits much of the fan base is, let's call it, highly concerned.

"Oh no, they're freakin' out, they're freakin' out! They're goin' crazy! 'I told you, I didn't want him!' But hey, ya gotta believe. It's early in the season. Now if this was March, Babcock. Come on! I'd be pulling my hair out."

The good news for the 3-7 L.A. ... the NBA season is still young. We asked Darrell to look in his crystal ball and predict where the team stands after the full 82 games.

"Second seed," CD said, continuing ... "We definitely gonna be a top 3 team, but I'm looking at second seed. I want first, but I ain't gonna be greedy."

The tee clearly doesn't fall far from the green in the Woods family ... 'cause Tiger's son, Charlie, just helped his high school win a golf championship!!

The 14-year-old freshman competed alongside four others for The Benjamin School's boys team at Florida's FHSAA Class A state championship this week ... and with his two scores of 78 and 76, he helped his squad raise the coveted trophy on Wednesday afternoon.

Charlie finished fourth out of five on his team ... and tied for 26th overall in the tournament. Dad was at the scene for the entirety of the week -- cheering on his boy throughout the competition.

In addition to snagging a title medal, Charlie also had one of the best highlights of the week ... sinking a long chip that elicited a very Tiger-like fist pump from the teenager.

Charlie now has some bragging rights over his Pops ... as Tiger never won a state championship when he was growing up.

Tyreek Hill says his marriage to Keeta Vaccaro last week was a bit of a spontaneous one ... admitting to reporters on Thursday the idea to officially tie the knot with his longtime fiancée came about only recently.

"I was spending a lot of time with my kids, spending a lot of time with her, and the conversation just came up," the Dolphins star told a gaggle of media members in front of his locker.

"I was like, 'Babe, we've been engaged so long, are you ready to tie the knot?' It kind of caught her off guard. She didn't believe me because we've been engaged ever since 2021. It was like, 'OK, let's go do it.' She was like, 'Show me you're for real.' And we did it."

Hill and Vaccaro headed to a courthouse in Travis County, Texas back on Nov. 8 to formalize things ... and while it surprised many, Hill still described it all as ultimately being "perfect timing."

"It was about time, man," he said. "You feel me?"

Hill added he and Keeta will now have a more formal -- yet still small -- ceremony to celebrate the nuptials in the near future.

Jim Harbaugh is waving the white flag in his fight against the Big Ten -- the Michigan head football coach has agreed to accept his three-game suspension as a result of the program's sign-stealing scandal.

U of M released a statement on the matter Thursday afternoon ... saying all sides resolved their pending litigation, with the conference closing its investigation.

"Coach Harbaugh, with the University's support, decided to accept this sanction to return the focus to our student-athletes and their performance on the field," the school said.

"The Conference has confirmed that it is not aware of any information suggesting Coach Harbaugh's involvement in the allegations."

Harbaugh's punishment means he will now miss Michigan's game against Maryland -- plus its massive rivalry with Ohio State ... which has a lot riding on it, as both schools are ranked in the top four.

Thursday's decision, however, doesn't mean Coach is out of the woods just yet -- the NCAA is still looking into the whole saga involving staffer Connor Stalions, who is accused of buying tickets to games to decipher the sideline signals of Michigan's future opponents.

The school stated it will continue to cooperate with that investigation.

Harbaugh will be able to coach during the week ... but he will be persona non grata on gameday for the next two matchups.

Savannah Chrisley's ex-fiancé, Nic Kerdiles, had alcohol in his system when he died earlier this year after a fatal motorcycle crash ... this according to the medical examiner.

According to the autopsy report, obtained by TMZ, the ME in Nashville found evidence of ethanol in Kerdiles' bloodstream after toxicology tests were done ... and they estimate his BAC at about 0.124, well over the legal limit.

Officials note Kerdiles' body was pretty banged up as a result of the accident -- including multiple broken bones, bruising of the brain and other abrasions. The Medical Examiner found the cause of death to be multiple blunt traumatic injuries ... ruling it as accidental. Radar Online was the first to report the news.

TMZ broke the story ... Kerdiles -- a former NHL player for the Anaheim Ducks -- collided with a car while riding late at night one weekend back in September, when cops say he blew past a stop sign and struck the side of a crossing BMW.

It was an absolute tragedy, especially considering his last official photo on social media -- which literally showed him riding his bike, and labeling himself a "Night rider."

Savannah, who'd been engaged to Nic between 2018 and 2020, was devastated by the news ... and posted a tribute to Nic in the aftermath, writing -- "Heaven gained the most beautiful angel today ... I miss you and I love you," while adding, "We loved hard ... and I can't wait to ride bikes with you along the beaches of heaven one day."

Before they ended their relationship, Nic had been featured on her family's show, "Chrisley Knows Best" ... and his proposal to her was even captured on camera.

Sydney Sweeney is at it again ... she just can't seem to help but flirt with Glen Powell online -- with his ass-baring magazine photo shoot very much still top of mind.

After flirtatiously claiming her costar's near-nude images were contributing to rising heat levels this winter, Syd showed off yet another personal glimpse of her hunky costar as he worked out onboard a yacht during their film shoot together ... which she threw up on IG.

Check it out ... the clip shows SS recording Glen while they're out on the water during a scene, and it looks like GP was getting a quick workout in between shots -- something Syd was filming at the time, and which we're just now seeing.

She writes, "How @glenpowell actually trained for his men's health cover shoot" ... this while giggling like a school girl and adding a tongue-out emoji for good measure. Mind you, this follows a cheeky comment she left on Glen's naked Men's Health pic earlier this week.

Luckily for Syd, this isn't the first time she's got up close with Glen's buff bod ... as seen in the brand-spankin' new trailer for their rom-com, "Anyone But You," there's a VERY steamy, naked shower scene they acted in together. Just more evidence of chemistry between 'em.

Of course, the pair has been dismissing romance rumors for a while now ... with Glen lamenting to fitness bible MH that the speculation has been "disorienting and unfair."

Miles Bridges is slated to make his return to the hardwood on Friday -- the Charlotte Hornets just announced he's fulfilled the terms of his 30-game suspension related to a domestic violence incident.

The team released a statement on Bridges' status on Thursday ... saying, "We are comfortable with Miles returning to play based on our current understanding of the facts of the recent allegations and remain in contact with the NBA as that matter proceeds through the court process."

Bridges -- who re-signed with the Hornets this past summer -- hasn't played a second of NBA ball since he was arrested for allegedly assaulting the mother of his children in June 2022.

The 25-year-old forward maintained his innocence throughout the case ... but pled no contest to the felony domestic violence charge in court last year.

Bridges was handed the 30-game ban in April 2022 ... but was credited with serving 2/3 of that punishment as he remained a free agent during the 2022-23 season.

Hornets head coach Steve Clifford said earlier this week he expects Bridges to have a "significant role right away" ... and the team could use him, as it's currently 3-7.

Dwayne Johnson is changing his tune after endorsing President Biden's 2020 campaign -- instead, he's now distancing himself from POTUS in a very public way ... on Joe Rogan's super popular podcast.

The Rock and Rogan were bemoaning the fact most Americans pick their friends based on political affiliation, these days -- but the actor said he doesn't discriminate, and has Trump-lovin' pals and friends who support Biden.

But when Joe asked him if he really does have Biden-backing friends, Dwayne clarified he meant he had buddies loyal to the Democratic party. Basically, he's no longer aligning himself with Joe's leadership!

Dwayne has clearly been making quite the impact in politics ... recently divulging on Trevor Noah's Spotify podcast that last year he was approached by several political parties to see if he would run for President. That's following a 2021 poll revealing 46% of Americans would vote for him.

While he said those numbers make him confident that if he were to go down that road, he could be a real contender -- however, he added there's a lot about politics he "hates," and right now he just wants to spend time with his kids.

Dwayne did say he'd reconsider running in the future -- and Wednesday in D.C. he looked every bit like a politician.

He spent the day meeting with several Senators, on both sides of the aisle ... including Chuck Schumer, Jon Tester, Lindsey Graham and Susan Collins.

Jordyn Woods made sure her boyfriend, NBA star Karl-Anthony Towns, was shinin' on his 28th birthday ... gifting him a massive diamond ring AND an iced-out chain!!

The Timberwolves center celebrated yet another trip around the sun on Wednesday ... and even though Minnesota had to play a game against the Suns, his lady made sure his cake day wasn't all about work.

In a video she shared on her social media page, you can see she gifted KAT the diamond set after the Wolves' loss in Phoenix ... and the pieces -- created by Tim Da Jeweler -- are incredible.

TMZ Sports has learned ... the ring features 15.4 cts of VVS1/VVS2 diamonds, while the pendant is 14K rose gold with 37.5 cts of VVS1/VVS2 diamonds. Both were fashioned so they made out the No. 32 ... a nod to the jersey number he wears in the NBA.

"Happy Birthday my love 🤍," the 26-year-old said to KAT in a separate IG post. "Can't imagine life without you 🤍"

Woods and Towns -- the first overall pick in the 2015 NBA Draft -- got together in 2020 ... and they've made it well known they've been super happy with each other ever since.

In fact, Woods recently praised her relationship with the 3-time All-Star ... saying she loves the trust, quality time and gifts they share together.

"We love gift giving and ... What is it? The love language? The love language is quality time. We love everything," she said to PEOPLE magazine.

9:35 AM PT -- Turns out Gradey's intro was more PG-13 than rated R ... 'cause the Raptors tell us their announcer did actually say the D-word, but instead went with the clean version, "Big Big Energy!"

Latto's smiling somewhere ... after the Toronto Raptors PA man announced rookie Gradey Dick in the most hilarious way during player introductions -- "Mr. Big Dick Energy!"

The WTF moment happened right before the Raptors took on Damian Lillard and the Bucks at Scotiabank Arena in Toronto on Wednesday.

The Raptors' PA announcer began introducing the Raptors starting lineup ... which for the first time ever, included Dick.

The announcer made sure GD's first time starting would be very special ... and the intro was hysterical.

"Wearing number one, Mr. Big Dick energy!" the announcer yelled, before eventually saying his full name. Video of the intro has gone viral.

Of course, it's not the first joke that's been made about Gradey's last name since the 19-year-old was selected with the 13th overall pick in the 2023 NBA Draft ... Raptors fans immediately began having fun with it.

"I’m not a fan of grading draft picks this early but I’m no stranger to grading Dick picks," a fan said on draft night in June.

Insert a million and one other jokes here.

Gradey's been a star since he arrived in the city of Toronto ... and even become buddies with Drake. In fact, Gradey made a cameo in Adonis' music video for his song, "My Man Freestyle!"

The Oakland A's are now one step closer to becoming the Las Vegas A's ... MLB owners just gave their resounding stamp of approval on the team's potential move to Sin City.

All 30 of the league's bosses voted on the Athletics' relocation plans in Arlington, Texas on Thursday morning ... and not a single one disapproved -- paving the way for the team to now pack its bags and send them to Nevada.

Of course, there are plenty of other hoops the team must jump through in order to officially relocate ... namely, the org. must secure funds to build a $1.5 billion stadium on the Vegas Strip. But, it seems all of that is mere formality at this point.

The news is a crushing one for Bay Area fans ... who did all they could to try to sway MLB owners before Thursday's vote, including flying a plane over the owners' meeting earlier this week with a banner that read "A's belong in Oakland - #VoteNo."

The at least somewhat good news for Oakland supporters? The team could still remain in its current city for a while.

A Vegas stadium is not expected to be erected until January 2028 -- meaning staying in the Coliseum for the next four seasons is an option on the table.

If and when the A's officially move, however, it'll be historic ... only one other team has relocated in the last five or so decades -- the Montreal Expos, who bolted to D.C. in 2005.

Drake says the force has taken hold of him, and the songs are writing themselves, so he's releasing them -- the 3rd edition of his 'Scary Hours' EP series is about to drop!

On Thursday, Drake made the impromptu announcement via a video trailer shot inside one of his lavish estates, where he explained the method for his latest round of madness ... comparing his latest tier to being on drugs!!!

Drake says he's so confident in his recently released album "For All The Dogs" that he could go MIA for a couple of years ... but says that's not his style.

He cited his famed "If You're Reading This It's Too Late" mixtape as inspo behind the 'SH3' drop and claims to have written the project within the last 5 days!!!

Kevin Durant and Drake's longtime engineer Noel Cadastre are also listed as executive producers for the project but the guest appearances are mum for now.

Drake made no mention of the "stomach issues" he brought up last month when he told fans he wouldn't be releasing music for a while.

The new EP, and the fact he's going on tour with J. Cole, seem like good signs he's no longer worried about his health.

Philadelphia 76ers head coach Nick Nurse is scoffing at the theories surrounding Kelly Oubre Jr.'s recent hit-and-run accident ... saying he 100% believes the hooper's injuries are the result of being struck by a vehicle.

Nurse -- who's in his first season with Philly -- met with the media prior to the Sixers' game against the Boston Celtics on Wednesday ... and was asked about the rumblings that Oubre isn't sharing the full story after police stated there was no surveillance footage to back the hooper's claim.

Nurse said he's not looking that much into the report ... as he has no reason to think the 27-year-old would fabricate his side of things.

"I would not address that," Nurse said in a back-and-forth with a reporter. "I don't have an answer to that other than I believe what's been reported so far."

Nurse said he was recently made aware of the chatter surrounding the incident ... but reiterated he wasn't giving it the time of day.

"Again, I'm going to believe Kelly at his word and all that stuff and focus on this game and handle things as they come."

As we previously reported, Oubre was pretty beat up as he returned to his Philly apartment on Saturday ... with Ring footage showing him tell his wife he was just hit by a car.

We're told he was later interviewed by police at the hospital ... but possibly mixed up the location of the incident as he was on medication and new to the area.