TMZ Sports - Page 8

Andruw Jones is staying upbeat despite being snubbed for the Hall of Fame yet again this year ... telling TMZ Sports he's still got hope that he'll get in "one day."

The former Atlanta Braves superstar appeared on 61.6 percent of the writers' ballots in the latest round of HOF voting last month ... up from 58.1 percent last year.

But, with players needing at least 75 percent in order to officially get a plaque in Cooperstown, he fell short for the seventh straight year.

However, when we spoke with the 10-time Gold Glover out at Super Bowl week in Las Vegas earlier this month ... he told us he wasn't sweating things one bit.

Obviously, he'd love to get in ... but he explained, "If I don't make it, I will be the same person."

Jones certainly has a deserving resume. In his 17 Big League seasons, he made five All-Star teams and smacked 434 home runs with a .254 batting average. He also tallied 1,933 hits and 1,289 RBIs.

"I'm gracious that I'm still on [the ballot]," said Jones, who has three years left of eligibility. "Hopefully I can say one day I make it."

Meanwhile, Jones' son, Druw Jones, is trying to begin building a Hall of Fame resume of his own sooner rather than later after the Arizona Diamondbacks took him with the No. 2 overall pick in the 2022 draft.

Andruw says he's hoping his boy has a better career than he had ... although he made sure to say he won't be bothered if the younger Jones never suits up for his beloved Braves.

Javon "Wanna" Walton is looking to solidify his spot in the boxing world when he enters the ring next week ... telling TMZ Sports it's the first step to becoming a champion.

The "Euphoria" star is making his global debut against Joshua Torres in a super featherweight bout on Most Valuable Promotions' March 2 card in Puerto Rico ... and he said he's been training like crazy to make sure he comes away with his hand raised.

Of course, 17-year-old Wanna has been fighting for most of his life ... but he feels he has to go out there and prove to everyone he's dead serious about fighting -- and not just some famous actor.

"I have a lot to prove -- and even past March 2, I have a lot to prove," Walton told us. "Every single fight I'm taking is a stepping stone as far as my skill set to really show the world what I can really do in this boxing game."

"Hopefully five years down the line, I'm fighting for a world title. And looking even further than that, I hope my name goes down in history in the boxing world."

As for his opponent -- 32-year-old Torres -- Walton said he didn't want an easy fight so he could show off what he's capable of in the ring.

Walton added he's hoping to dominate every round and come away with the unanimous decision ... and can't wait to put on a show for the fans in Puerto Rico and his longtime supporters.

Duke basketball's Kyle Filipowski just got injured on the court ... not during the game, mind you -- but by overzealous fans storming the venue postgame.

Duke -- ranked eighth in the country -- just lost 83-79 in a nail-biter match against unranked Wake Forest, a huge upset that could have major conference championship implications.

As students of the winning side tend to do after a big win, hundreds of excited college kids rushed the court and they appear to have injured the projected top-10 overall pick.

From far away, it was unclear exactly what happened, though Kyle looked to be in considerable pain ... but ESPN had the overhead view of the incident, and it's painful to watch.

It seems one fan ran right into Kyle's leg, bending it the wrong way and apparently spraining his ankle -- all while talking trash to the basketball phenom instead of paying attention to where he was running.

Filipowski nearly collapses, doubled over by the collision before hobbling toward his teammates who supported his weight -- basically, dragging him to the locker room.

Obviously, Kyle's squad was incensed after the game with his coach Jon Scheyer openly questioning when the NCAA was going to ban courtstorming.

Kyle also opened up about the incident after the game ... and he says he thinks the fan hit him on purpose, trying to injure him.

A major injury right now could seriously affect Kyle's future livelihood BTW ... 'cause NBA.com just ranked him as the projected 9th overall pick in this year's draft -- meaning an astronomical payday.

6:02 PM PT -- We've got some clarity on what police say happened ... with officers claiming they pulled Richard over just before 2 AM PT because he was going 79 MPH in a 60 MPH zone.

The officers say they administered several field sobriety tests to Sherman -- who they claim admitted to drinking two margaritas earlier in the night. They say they asked Sherman to take a breathalyzer test, which they allege he declined.

We're told Sherman's expected to appear in court Monday morning to address conditions of release -- so, bail has not yet been set.

Richard Sherman -- the former cornerback for the Seattle Seahawks -- has been arrested for driving under the influence near Seattle.

According to online records, Sherman was booked into King County Jail at 7:51 AM PT on Saturday for DUI.

Washington State Patrol reportedly told the local FOX affiliate that the matter's currently under investigation, but provided no further information on the arrest.

This is the latest arrest for Sherman, who has faced his share of legal issues over the years.

Remember ... Sherman was arrested on a domestic violence burglary charge after he allegedly tried to beat down his father-in-law's door back in 2021 -- an incident that was caught on video.

Richard eventually pleaded guilty to one count of negligent driving and one count of criminal trespass for the incident ... receiving a 90-day sentence, most of which was suspended.

Sherman was also sentenced to monitored supervision for 24 months in March 2022 as part of that deal ... unclear exactly how this arrest might be impacted by that.

The former cornerback spent 11 years in the NFL, winning a championship back in 2014 with the Seattle Seahawks. He's since embarked on a career in media, appearing as a talking head on Amazon Prime NFL broadcasts.

We've reached out to Richard for comment ... so far, no word back.

Travis Kelce appears to be back stateside ... landing in Las Vegas early Saturday morning -- after a whirlwind weekend down under.

The Super Bowl champ reportedly touched down in Sin City around 8:30 AM Saturday according to People and seemingly confirmed by online flight records -- marking the end of one of the fastest lovers' liaisons in recent memory.

We broke the story ... sources told us Travis took off from Sydney on Saturday afternoon but he landed Saturday morning -- Vegas local time, 'cause of the time change.

It's all pretty confusing but basically, TK was in Syndey for about two days, landing Wednesday before hopping right back on a jet and taking off for Vegas to hang out with his Chiefs teammates.

His reason for jetting back ... he wants to celebrate with his K.C. teammates in the aftermath of their third Super Bowl win in 5 years, and he's heading back to the site of their most recent conquest to live it up.

Kelce's guys have already started the party BTW ... with Patrick Mahomes and some of his teammates partying at Zouk Nightclub Friday night.

Kelce packed a ton of activities into his two days with Taylor ... with the pair hitting the zoo down in Sydney before Travis watched his lady live in concert -- where the two engaged in some passionate PDA.

T-Swift also showed her man some love during the show when she changed up the lyrics of "Karma" again to include a reference to him. Not the first time she's done it during her tour either ... talk about couple goals.

Bottom line, despite spending some time apart ... Traylor seems stronger than ever which falls in line with what we heard while researching our new documentary on their love story.

Patrick Mahomes was out celebrating Friday night in Las Vegas as Travis Kelce was flying back to Sin City after his rendezvous with girlfriend Taylor Swift.

The Kansas City Chiefs quarterback showed up at Zouk Night Club in Resorts World Las Vegas for his best friend's bachelor's party -- and he played it real cool all night, sporting his black shades.

Check out this video obtained by TMZ ... Mahomes is grooving to the loud music and hanging out with his homies, including the groom-to-be, Brennan McDaniel, who is the QB's childhood buddy and fellow Texas Tech alum.

At one point, Mahomes took in a little performance, watching a line of scantily clad women dancing and waving around sparklers.

Mahomes was also a magnet for lots of lovely ladies, tons of whom kept coming up to talk to him. Of course, PM's only got eyes for one woman, his wife Brittany ... but shooters gonna shoot, we suppose.

Mr. Kelce was also absent from the festivities ... but as you know, that's because Travis is flying back to Vegas to be with his teammates. We'll keep you updated on when he lands and starts partying with his boys like there's no tomorrow.

As we reported, Travis just spent two days with Taylor in Sydney, Australia, attending her Friday night concert and getting quality time with her at the zoo.

Needless to say, the Chiefs tight end and the pop superstar seem head over heels in love.

WWE superstar Grayson Waller says the biggest must-see event in Australia this weekend ain't the Taylor Swift concert in Sydney ... it's something going down 2,400 miles away -- the Elimination Chamber!!

TMZ Sports spoke with the Sydney native ahead of the big wrestling event ... and while he's happy to see Tay Tay and Travis Kelce made their way through his old stomping grounds with the singer's tour in town, he says the REAL draw is over in Perth.

The Aussie Icon takes a few jabs at the Super Bowl champ -- playfully comparing him to a wombat (fitting, considering Traylor went to the zoo this week) and accusing Kelce of ducking him by being so far away.

"I'm not surprised that Travis flew all the way to Sydney to be as far away from me in Australia," Waller said. "I'm sure they'll put on a good show, but it's nothing compared to what I do."

Waller even extends an invite to the Kelce bros to hit up WrestleMania in Philly in April ... saying it all makes sense with Jason being an Eagle and Taylor hailing from Pennsylvania.

While he says it would be a lot of fun, Waller says the Kelces wouldn't stand a chance him in the ring ... despite Travis and Jason being world-class athletes.

Shaunie O'Neal wants her hoops star daughter, Me'Arah, to stay in school as looooong as possible ... telling TMZ Sports the NIL cash is way better than a WNBA salary!

Depending on the athlete, there's a ton of money to be made at the collegiate level thanks to the "Name, Image and Likeness" rules ... with a reported $917 million in deals being made in the first year alone.

With Shaq and Shaunie's 17-year-old daughter, one of the best high school players in the country, heading to the University of Florida next year, her mom tells us the money's SO good she (and other young women) should wait as long as possible before going pro.

"For the women, for sure, hold on to your college career and NIL money," O'Neal told us at LAX.

"The more I look into it, the more I see these WNBA players are doing multiple things just to make that kinda money."

O'Neal added ... "I think those college students who are able to get these NIL deals, ride it until the wheels fall off!"

Shaunie makes a valid point. The highest base salary for a WNBA player is $241k ... while LSU star Angel Reese reportedly makes around $1.7 million with all her NIL deals.

Shaunie wants Reese's numbers for her daughter ... even though the ultimate goal for the McDonald's All-American is to play in the WNBA.

"If she can hold on to that NIL money and be in college and get a great education along with playing the sport she loves, then why not?!" the TV producer/personality told us.

Whenever she finally is ready for the next level, don't be surprised to see Me'Arah starring in the Association ... she's the best athlete out of Shaq's kids, according to her brother, Shareef O'Neal.

Not everyone believes Donald Trump's $400 sneakers will win over Black voters.

TMZ Sports ran into former NBA star Lou Williams at LAX on Friday ... and we asked him about FOX News host Raymond Arroyo's predictions that DT's kicks will garner him political capital -- earning the former prez votes -- among the Black community.

Of course, Trump recently revealed the $399 pair of "Never Surrender" gold high tops,  and let's just say the reaction was mixed.

Lou Will -- who played 17 seasons in the NBA before retiring in 2023 -- disagrees, telling us it's a misguided move if it was in fact Trump's plan to pick up votes.

"If that's your intention, I think you're in the wrong place and I think you're a little misled on thinking how intelligent we are to see this coming a mile away," Williams said on Friday.

Not to mention, Williams isn't really a fan of the sneakers.

"They're not even dope. Not really collectibles. Obviously, some guys are gonna do it when you got the Hypebeasts."

Instead, the 37-year-old would rather Trump, his supporters, and all American voters focus on fixing the country ... rather than materialistic goods.

"We talking about sneakers opposed to the direction that our country is gonna live in and where our kids and how our children are gonna grow up in this world and the leadership that follows that," Williams said.

It's the weekend, and there's no better time to catch up on our TV clips than right now!

Kicking things off on "TMZ Live," Harvey and Mike talked about Travis Kelce crashing Taylor Swift's first Sydney show in Australia -- which he traveled thousands of miles to attend ... and where he made a big impression on the Aussie crowd. Safe to say, he's a rockstar!

Travis has already left Sydney since, and his trip was short ... but boy, was it memorable.

Next up is "TMZ on TV," where the work crew discussed Kanye West's wife's new (but familiar) look in Milan ... where she and her husband are still promoting his most recent album.

Bianca has a slightly switched-up 'do ... but the rest of her looks awfully familiar.

Lastly, we land on "TMZ Sports" ... where Babcock and Mojo talked Floyd Mayweather's pricey watch.

Check your local listings for when TMZ is on in your area or catch up on past episodes!

Travis Kelce's trip to Sydney has been cut short -- he's leaving Taylor Swift behind so he can beeline it back to Vegas ... where he, Patrick Mahomes and the Chiefs are gonna party!

Sources with direct knowledge tell TMZ ... Travis is currently aboard a private flight that's going from Sydney to Vegas -- and it's gonna be a long journey that sees him landing in Sin City Saturday morning. Quick turnaround, no doubt ... he just landed in Sydney Wednesday (US time).

It's already Saturday there now ... so he'll be going back in time in a bit. In any case, when he arrives in Vegas -- we're told TK is set to reunite with his teammates, including his QB and other players ... which our sources say had been the plan all along dating back to the SB.

Our sources say this 2nd Vegas get-together with the team isn't for any particular reason or occasion -- we're told this is just another celebration to ring in the big Super Bowl win.

And if you're wondering ... didn't they already do that the night they actually won??? The answer to that is yes -- but they're going back again and doing a little déjà vu Vegas-style.

This will actually be the third Vegas trip for Travis in two weeks -- he was obviously there for the game itself and the festivities after ... but remember, he was also just in Vegas earlier this week on a random Monday, where he played a little golf and chowed down with friends.

In fact, a few eyewitnesses who saw Trav in Vegas that day might've actually blown his and the Chiefs' cover here -- a DJ who plays at Toca Madera said he'd been approached about doing a private gig for the guys on Friday evening, but if that's still going down as mentioned ... Trav obviously ain't gonna be there for that. He'll be 30,000 feet in the air.

Of course, with Travis flying out of Sydney ... that also means he and Taylor are parting for now -- which seems to be their new reality as she gets back into the swing of touring.

Fact is ... she'll be busy traveling the world for the foreseeable future, and while ya gotta imagine he'll tag along for some of those stops -- it's not reasonable to expect him to be there for all of it ... and that's manifesting here in this short Sydney visit from him.

The real question will be ... how long can they realistically sustain this sort of schedule/situation? So far, Taylor and Travis still look head over heels -- so on its face, they seem to be able to make it work for the time being. We'll see as the months go on.

Anyway, Travis is up in the air and on his way back to the States. Usually, people are leaving Las Vegas ... but in this case, it's the opposite -- here, he's Vegas-bound.

Tammy Sytch is getting comfortable in her new digs -- a state prison in Florida -- after the WWE Hall of Famer was shipped off to the place she could call home until 2040.

51-year-old Sytch, who was sentenced to 17 years behind bars after she killed a man while driving drunk, also posed for a new mugshot ... and she doesn't exactly look thrilled.

The wrestling legend had been at the Florida Women's Reception Center in Ocala before she was moved to Lowell Correctional Institution ... just a mile away.

Lowell is an all-women's facility, the oldest in the state, and holds around 1,000 inmates.

Tammy's still got more than a decade and a half left on her sentence ... so she's got a lot of time to fill. Thankfully, LCI boasts several different programs for inmates like Tammy, including cosmetology and cooking classes.

There's even a vocational program on equine care -- AKA horses -- and operating heavy machinery.

The prison also offers aid to inmates battling alcohol addiction... something Sytch has struggled with over the years.

As for the grub at Lowell, it's not exactly like eating at a Michelin-starred restaurant, although perusing the menu ... it could be worse.

Lowell rotates four different menu options, over and over and over ... week 1, 2, and so on.

Sytch can look forward to breakfast options like "buttery oatmeal w/ brown sugar," pancakes, breakfast sausage patties, and scrambled eggs.

Lunch ... meatloaf, peanut butter and jelly, sloppy joe, and buffalo chicken are a few of the different foods.

As for dinner, Sytch will be served everything from a fish patty to turkey hot dogs (2 of 'em), chili mac, and even meatballs.

Tammy may also have an opportunity to hold down a job in prison ... though a rep for Lowell tells us she does not yet have a work assignment.

Travis Kelce has to be happy Taylor Swift and Katy Perry are no longer beefing ... 'cause he once had to make a tough choice between them, and he kinda gave the nod to Katy.

An old interview with Travis from 2016 that he did with AfterBuzz TV is being resurfaced and recirculated in the wake of Katy crashing Taylor's concert down in Australia Friday ... and in the clip, Travis is playing the classic game "FMK," but the PG-version ... Kiss, Marry, Kill.

Travis is given 3 options ... Taylor, Katy and Ariana Grande ... and after he reluctantly chooses to "kill" Ariana -- noting he actually thinks she's great -- he was left with Taylor and Katy as the final 2 ... and he picks Katy for marriage and Taylor for kissing.

It's super silly and all in good fun ... but little did he know back then, he'd end up with one of these ladies -- although, he obviously crossed paths with Katy as well in the company of TS.

It's pretty funny to see Travis in this throwback -- obviously, the Taylor reference is the stand-out here -- but his flowing hairdo is also pretty wild to see. These days, he rocks a regular fade.

In any case, he seemed pretty stoked on marrying Katy at the time ... which is interesting -- because in 2016, she and Katy were still feuding and had bad blood back then.

Of course, the two pop stars have since patched up their relationship ... to the point where Katy was singing "Bad Blood" Friday at Taylor's first Sydney show -- the ultimate sign they're all good now.

Katy was singing along from the VIP tent ... where she was joined by Rita Ora and Travis. So yes, Travis was standing next to and hanging out with the woman he was once smitten with over Taylor.

Unclear if Travis brought this funny clip up with Katy Friday during the concert ... but frankly, we doubt it ... and it's entirely possible he doesn't even remember this.

It was a lifetime ago ... and he's clearly very happy with Taylor now.

Anyway, Travis and Taylor are still going strong as her "Eras" tour picks back up and he celebrates another Super Bowl championship with the Kansas City Chiefs. Whether Katy's in the mix there with them or not ... he's only got eyes for Tay Tay these days.

Ex-NFL player Shareece Wright is one of 12 former high school football players accusing their trainer of sexual assault ... claiming he was groomed into having an inappropriate relationship when he was a minor.

Wright opened up on the allegations in an interview with ESPN ... stating Colton High School trainer Tiffany Strauss-Gordon, the daughter of then-head coach Harold Strauss, performed numerous sexual acts on him at the team facility when he was a member of the football team.

The former cornerback said he first met Strauss-Gordon in 2002 -- when he was 15 and she was 21 -- and as time went on, she became increasingly flirty.

Over the next three years, Wright told the outlet Strauss-Gordon would touch him inappropriately and perform oral sex on him while receiving treatment ... and eventually, they had sex during team dinners at his coach's home.

Wright claimed the interactions were no secret among the team ... with his teammates referring to receiving oral sex from Strauss-Gordon as the "Tiffany treatment."

The outlet stated the school was made aware of the allegations back in 2011, which led to a temporary leave and internal investigation ... but she was allowed to return to her job after meeting with officials.

Strauss-Gordon has denied the allegations ... but was placed on administrative leave after the players filed lawsuits against her and the school district in 2022.

She has not faced charges from the San Bernardino County District Attorney's Office due to insufficient evidence.

Kendall Jenner and Devin Booker are rekindling their relationship, but they're taking things slow -- and they're not even exclusive just yet ... TMZ has learned.

Sources familiar with the situation tell us the former lovebirds have been spending more time together lately -- something that became evident during the Super Bowl ... when DB popped up in the Kardashian suite super randomly, albeit separated from Kendall.

Still, it was curious ... and obviously sparked new dating rumors about them -- this after spending just about all of 2023 apart.

Remember, she was dating Bad Bunny at the time ... and they were quite serious.

Anyway, our lying eyes weren't deceiving us -- as it turns out ... we're being told they are, in fact, seeing each other again -- but our sources emphasize they're not rushing into things.

Eyewitnesses tell us they've even seen Kendall pop up in Dallas this week while Devin was in town for the Mavs/Suns game Thursday -- so yeah, she's even traveling to be with him lately.

It's interesting that they're circling getting back together ... they first broke up at the end of 2022, and according to reports -- it was apparently all over how busy they were and not having time in their schedules to keep it going as a couple.

Considering they're both just as famous (if not more so) since then, that rationale sounds like BS -- Devin is still a pro basketball player, and she's still a super successful model.

Sounds like wedding bells will soon be replacing the ref's whistle for Christian McCaffrey ... 'cause the NFL star's fiancee Olivia Culpo just made it clear she's ready to tie the knot!

The former Miss Universe, wearing a white dress, shared photos Friday on social media, along with a caption reading ... "Thanking God for a healthy season and for putting my best friend on this earth. Now let’s get married!"

You can see Culpo, 31, with the 49ers running back and their dog, Oliver Sprinkles, on a waterside balcony ... with both of 'em rocking white attire.

Of course, it's unclear when the couple -- who got engaged last April -- are going to say their "I dos" ... but it certainly feels like it'll be soon.

In fact, McCaffrey, during the lead-up to Super Bowl LVIII, opened up about the "hell of a job" Culpo has been doing planning the event.

"It's been going really well," the 27-year-old said, "and I'm sure you guys will see plenty coming soon."