TMZ Sports - Page 50

LeBron James wants everyone overanalyzing his son's college basketball career to take a step back ... begging Bronny's critics to leave "the kid" alone as he continues to work on his game.

The Lakers superstar's public plea comes on the heels of ESPN's latest mock draft ... which has the 19-year-old USC freshman staying in school instead of going pro in 2024.

Worth noting -- the 6'4", 210-pounder has played in 20 games for the Trojans this season ... averaging 5.5 points, 2.8 rebounds and 2.5 assists after returning from his cardiac arrest incident he experienced months before the season.

James is clearly fed up with the scrutiny Bronny's faced so far in his collegiate career ... and it's gotten to the point where he unloaded on social media over it.

"Can yall please just let the kid be a kid and enjoy college basketball," King James said on Monday. "The work and results will ultimately do the talking no matter what he decides to do. If y'all don’t know he doesn’t care what a mock draft says, he just WORKS! Earned Not Given!"

Bronny's game was always going to be under the microscope -- not only because of his famous father, but also considering said pops has publicly stated his dream is to be NBA teammates with his eldest son.

LBJ also had words for anyone else feeling pressure from the media ... adding, "And to all the other kids out there striving to be great just keep your head down, blinders on and keep grinding."

"These Mock Drafts doesn’t matter one bit! I promise you! Only the WORK MATTERS!! Let’s talk REAL BASKETBALL PEOPLE! ✌🏾👑"

Tristan Thompson is officially taking over as caregiver for his younger brother... because a court signed off on him becoming Amari Thompson's guardian.

According to new legal docs, obtained by TMZ, the ruling came in Monday, about 5 months after Tristan first filed a petition to become his little bro's guardian.

Remember ... Tristan and Amari lost their mother, Andrea, about a year ago when she died suddenly in Toronto. Tristan's been looking after Amari ever since ... and now he's officially been appointed his brother's legal guardian.

As we reported ... in his original petition, Tristan claimed their father, Trevor, has been absent from Amari's life ... leaving Tristan as the closest family member available to step up and provide the care Amari needs.

Tristan's got a lot of responsibility here ... Amari is unable to care for himself because he's been diagnosed with epilepsy.

Amari's also getting $103,475 in inheritance from his mother's estate ... and Tristan said in his earlier petition that he would protect the money from loss and provide for Amari's care.

Sauce Gardner is warning everyone to be safe on the internet ... 'cause the New York Jets star says a hacker has taken over his Snapchat and is posting personal photos from his archives.

The two-time Pro Bowl cornerback sent out the warning on Sunday ... saying his account was sharing old images from his college days against his will.

"Somebody just DM'd me sending pictures from my snap when I was in college," Gardner said on X. "People be so weird around the world lol. Some of y'all really need help."

"I wanted to give y'all the person Twitter to go report it but they posted old college stuff on the page now and ian got time for it."

Snapchat suspended the account hours later ... but Gardner -- who won NFL Defensive Rookie of the Year in 2022 -- said it hasn't stopped the hacker from putting his business out there from a burner.

In fact, the 23-year-old explained the person also got into his other accounts, including his email ... and shared messages from the alleged hacker.

"Whoever this is doesn’t leave his computer," Garnder added. "I had to get another phone and number because whoever this is hacked my Twitter, IG, and emails."

Of course, Snapchat advises users to make strong passwords or set up two-factor authentication to avoid potential hackers ... but Gardner says these cybercriminals are clever.

Proud mama moment for Kim Kardashian ... her son, Saint West, got the ultimate VIP experience at the Inter Miami vs. L.A. Galaxy match -- escorting Lionel Messi to the field!!

The cool interaction happened prior to Sunday's contest at Dignity Health Sports Park in Carson ... when the soccer G.O.A.T. and his teammates walked onto the pitch with a number of local youth players.

8-year-old Saint -- the oldest son of Kim K and Kanye West -- was the lucky one picked to walk with Messi ... and it's something the reality superstar said he'll never forget.

"Saint walking Messi out on the field tonight at the La Galaxy vs Inter Miami game!!!" Kim said after posting video of the walkout on X. "He is living the absolute dream!"

It's unclear if Messi chatted with the youngin at all ... but he looked happy with the company as he looked down at him.

The two seem to be getting pretty familiar with each other now -- as it's at least the second time they've crossed paths.

Back in July 2023, Kim shared a pic of her futbol-loving son with Messi after his Inter Miami debut ... which she dubbed the "Best day of their entire lives."

Kanye West's beef with Adidas is far from finished, despite the fact he recently posted a shot with its CEO Bjorn Gulden -- making it seem like the cold war had thawed, but now he's accusing the company of creative "rape."

On Monday, instead of celebrating his "Vultures 1" album staying at No. 1 for the 2nd straight week, Ye called out Adidas for selling colors of his popular Yeezy sneakers that he never approved, and claiming it was using contract clauses to "rape an artist, one of y'all's favorite artists" -- clearly referring to himself.

Adidas is aggressively promoting the Yeezy Boosts in a new "steel grey" shade which Ye says is as fake as a $3 dollar bill.

Ye says Adidas is using legal loopholes and muddled language to pull a fast one without his consent, in addition to suing him for $250 million.

And Ye is calling for his true fans to turn their back on the brand.

Arnold Schwarzenegger says he's been having knee problems all his life from weightlifting, skiing, running and climbing ... and now he's sharing tips and tricks for managing the pain.

Arnold's teaming up with his physical therapist girlfriend, Heather Milligan, for a fun and informative video that just recently dropped -- and it's all about a topic he's often asked about in his Arnold's Pump Club daily newsletter ... namely, "What do I do about my knees?"

Heather's an expert in the field ... in addition to being Arnold's PT and GF, she's treated a number of pro athletes -- football players, basketball players, UFC fighters, boxers, track & field peeps and all sorts of Average Joes ... and Arnold gives her a ringing endorsement.

Check out the video ... the couple takes folks through a range of exercises and stretches to strengthen knees and joints ... and there's helpful stuff in here for people who hit the gym, slopes or just have bad knees from walking. Seriously ... really good insights here!

Arnold and Heather have been together for over a decade -- they first met in 2012 when she helped him rehab a shoulder injury before filming "Escape Plan" with Sylvester Stallone -- and they come off as a super cute and loving couple in the video.

There's some funny parts too ... like when Arnold hikes up his shorts to show off his leg muscles as he demonstrates a wall sitting exercise designed to help quads, hamstrings, glutes and knees. As Heather says, "Ohhh, showing us your legs ... that's impressive." 😆

Arnold's video advances his upcoming Arnold Classic this weekend in Columbus, Ohio ... where there's guaranteed to be some sore knees at the famous bodybuilding competition. Check out more tips on Arnold's Pump Club.

Ear muffs, Camille Kostek 🙉 ... Robert Kraft believes Taylor Swift chose the wrong superstar tight end, JOKING the international pop star should've picked Rob Gronkowski over Travis Kelce!!

Why?! Well, Gronk's hotter! 🔥

The New England Patriots owner joined Fanatics Collectibles to celebrate National Trading Card Day with collectors at World Champion Sports Cards in West Palm Beach, FL ... when the billionaire was asked about his relationship with Swift, which goes back more than a decade.

“Her first stadium concert was on my birthday in 2010, June 5. We convinced her and her family that she could sell out a stadium," Kraft said of his decade-plus old convo with T.S. and her fam.

Kraft continued ... "So when she came to view the Chiefs play the Patriots this year at Gillette, I gave her a framed ticket from that concert, June 5, 2010. Think about it, she was like 18-19 and she’s done pretty well since then."

And, that's when Robert made a funny.

"Except maybe she should have been dating Gronk -- he’s better looking!”

Of course, Taylor and Travis are happier than a pig in you know what ... and Rob and Camille have dated for nearly a decade.

In other words ... everyone's happy!

When he wasn't breaking up couples (WE KID!), Kraft was hanging out with scores of fans who came out to celebrate Topps Hobby Rip Night (the trading card company celebrated at 400 shops across the country). One young fan even left with a signed Tom Brady jersey.

Kraft was just one of many huge stars who showed up to hang out with fans and collectors ... including Kevin Durant, Odell Beckham Jr., Joe Burrow, Ronald Acuna Jr., Steve Aoki, Meek Mill, Johnny Manziel, and TB12.

Peter King -- a staple in the NFL media landscape for more than four decades -- is calling it a career ... announcing his retirement in his latest column on Monday.

66-year-old King was well-known for his Monday Morning Quarterback and Football Morning in America articles ... where he'd provide in-depth coverage each week of the NFL season.

The legendary writer explained his decision to walk away from writing ... admitting he had a feeling the 2023-24 season would be his last -- and he's ready to watch the Super Bowl on TV like any other casual fan.

"Who’s complaining? Not me," King wrote. "I'm the luckiest man on the face of the earth."

"To be a long-termer in an increasingly short-term business, to write this column for 27 years and to be a sportswriter for 44, well, that’s something I'll always be grateful for. Truly, I've loved it all."

King pointed out numerous factors that played into his retirement ... including spending time with his family, his eagerness to see what else is out there for him, his growing disinterest in the day-to-day of the NFL, and the current state of his column.

King shared highlights of his career -- his favorite recaps, interviews and moments ... as well as the nicest pros he's talked to over the past 44 years.

He also poked a bit of fun at himself, pointing out all his takes that aged like milk.

The iconic writer signed off with his signature "adieu haiku" ... saying:

"It’s been rewarding.

The future? I do not know.

"F*** George Karl!"

Kenyon Martin made it very clear he still hates his former head coach ... singling him out as the reason the Nuggets missed out on an NBA championship back in the day.

Those Nuggets teams had a bunch of talent in the 2000s ... with Martin, Carmelo Anthony, and J.R. Smith, among other pieces -- long before the days of Nikola Jokic.

However, the talented squad never made it past the first round of the playoffs under Karl's leadership (he coached the Nuggets from 2005 to 2013) ... and Martin -- who played seven seasons in Denver -- blames GK.

"First and foremost, f*** George Karl," Martin said on the newest episode of Gilbert Arenas' podcast. "F*** him and the horse that he rode in on."

"If we had a different coach, we win the championship. [Karl] didn't add no value to nobody! Not one of us. As a coach, as a person, You didn't add value to s*** that we did!"

Martin added, "You're a horrible person George. Live with that, dog. God don't like ugly and you ugly as s*** on the inside."

Kenyon's rant stems from Melo recently revealing on his "7PM in Brooklyn" podcast that Karl called him "overrated" during his time in Denver. Melo is a 10x NBA All-Star, a former scoring champ, a future Hall of Famer ... and the list of accolades goes on.

Karl did not deny Melo's claims ... saying on X Anthony was inexperienced and overrated when he coached him.

Travis Kelce might've been without Taylor Swift this weekend while raging with his teammates in Las Vegas (again) -- but he certainly had her on his mind ... take a look.

Videos of the NFL star belting out "Love Story" at XS Nightclub at the Wynn Las Vegas are circulating all over social media -- and considering his enthusiasm over a T-Swift classic, it's safe to say she was sorely missed for the good time he and the Chiefs were having here.

These clips capture just a snapshot of Travis' rager ... and he wasn't just singing Taylor tracks -- dude was out there screaming his lungs out to a ton of other tunes, celebratory and otherwise.

There's been a little criticism that TK surrounded himself with a bunch of hot women during his night out in Vegas with the boys -- but clearly ... Tay Tay is front and center in his heart.

As for the rest of the celebration ... well, we covered it pretty well already. He was enjoying himself next to Patrick Mahomes and just about every other Chiefs player who helped the team win the Super Bowl a few weeks ago ... with everyone coming back for round 2.

Travis was only in Sydney for a couple days with Taylor before he hightailed it out of there and flew back to Vegas for yet another victory lap with the guys ... and they partied hard.

Taylor, meanwhile, was busy finishing out the rest of her Australia stint -- and soon, she'll be flying off to Singapore for more shows. Unclear if Travis is tagging along for that or not.

Taylor Swift and Travis Kelce have a secret sauce that makes their relationship work in ways their prior relationships didn't, and that becomes evident in Monday night's FOX primetime special, "TMZ Investigates: Taylor and Travis, Ultimate Love Story."

Dr. Phil, Mark Cuban, Skip Bayless, Patti Stanger, Heather McDonald and others have a clear take on T&T ... the relationship works because they are successful in fields that are radically different.

Think about it ... Taylor's past relationships include Joe Jonas, John Mayer, Jake Gyllenhaal, Joe Alwyn, Harry Styles and others. See any common threads? Yep, they're all in Taylor's lane -- entertainment. It's impossible to match Taylor's success, and that inevitably gives way to conflict, jealousy, competitiveness, and on and on.

Travis breaks the mold. He's not only in a different field ... he's top of the heap. He's not competing with Taylor or comparing her success with his. He's conquered his profession and is comfortable and, as Skip Bayless puts it ... they can relate to each other on a star level.

As Dr. Phil says ... not only are they NOT jealous of each other's success, each actually celebrates the success of the other. They are each other's cheerleader.

3:41 PM -- It turns out Joey Bosa was correct in his defeat at the hands of Jaws ... but he was much closer than he predicted -- finishing seventh place with 152 pistachios in 8 minutes, while Joey Chestnut finished tied for fifth with 167.

James Webb was the big winner on the day ... downing a whopping 338 nuts!!

NFL star Joey Bosa is a quarterback's nightmare on the football field, but he admits he's no match for Joey Chestnut ... telling TMZ Sports he's predicting to take an L from the professional eater in Monday's pistachio contest.

The Los Angeles Chargers defensive weapon will be participating in the second annual Wonderful Pistachios Get Crackin' Eating Championship on the Santa Monica Pier ... where he will have eight minutes to out-eat opponents for the title and a $10k prize.

Bosa -- who recorded 6.5 sacks in nine games this past season -- jokes he may have a future in eating nuts for a living ... saying, "Forget football. This is my calling right here. Pistachios."

He has some tough competition, though ... including Nick Wehry, James Webb, Bartley Weaver, Darrien Thomas ... and, of course, Chestnut, who Bosa feels is unbeatable when it comes to eating contests.

The dude is setting the bar pretty low for himself ... telling us he just wants to make it out alive.

"I don't really care where I place," the 28-year-old says. "My main goal is to not choke and die on a pistachio in front of a bunch of people."

"If I could accomplish that, then it's a win in my book."

But the pistachio contest isn't the start of something new for Bosa -- he says we won't be seeing him at the Nathan's Hot Dog Eating contest anytime soon.

"I'll stick with the healthy snacks."

Lamar Odom has taken the reins of a New Mexico rehab facility ... and he's ready to give it some serious TLC to help those hit hard by the drug crisis.

The former athlete's manager tells TMZ ... the previous owner left the property to New Mexico Pastor Anthony Torres, with hopes of opening a treatment center. But when the pastor hit a roadblock with funding, he turned to Lamar, knowing he'd been involved in opening up rehab centers himself.

Lamar checked out the property -- which sits on an acre of land -- and the pastor decided to gift it to him with the intention of using it as a sanctuary for people battling fentanyl addiction.

We're told the property, once owned by the American Legion, is getting a whole new lease on life under Lamar's Odom Recovery Group.

Of course, Lamar's already made a considerable impact across different communities with his network of addiction treatment facilities. From Restoration Recovery in Sacramento to Compassions in Laguna Hills ... from Inner Minds Health in San Bernardino to Vanity Wellness Center in Woodland Hills ... he's covering some serious ground.

Lamar's not just stopping at addiction treatment -- he's also keeping busy in the dentistry world with his new venture, Oxy Dental.

Cam Newton appeared to get in a fight with a group of guys recently ... and it was all caught on video.

The former NFL quarterback's right in the middle of a group of guys who have jumped on him, and he's trying to hold them back without swinging back.

As they spun around, another man in a white t-shirt came up and threw a punch at Cam, a blow that appeared to make contact with someone.

Ultimately, Cam fended off these people long enough to receive help from others -- including a police officer who came in and backed several individuals away from Newton.

There's not a lot of context about what started the brawl which seems to have taken place at the B.E.S.T. Academy 6-12 in Atlanta.

It seems Cam was there for an event put on by his foundation C1N, a 7v7 league that plays tournaments all across the country.

Another angle of the brawl shows a couple of the guys shoving Cam around before the group goes flying off into an area covered by trees -- but, outside of that, it's unclear what might've set off such an explosive situation.

We've reached out to Cam's camp and Atlanta police ... so far no word back.

Chuck Liddell went for a swim in San Diego over the weekend ... though he didn't do it voluntarily, instead slipping off a boat into the bay!

TMZ has obtained video of Chuck hanging around on a Lamborghini yacht, talking expressively with a couple dudes and seemingly leaning forward to show them a move with his fist balled.

Unfortunately, seems like CL didn't quite have his sea legs underneath him 'cause he started to fall backward -- and Chuck's companions weren't looking toward him, so they weren't able to stop his descent.

Liddell made a big splash into the water, and the alarm bells sounded with the whole crew kicking into rescue mode to drag Chuck back on board.

The yacht's owner, Ace Rogers, jumps off the back and swims toward Chuck helping him back up. He's got guys pulling on his arms while another supports his back as a little dog looks on.

It takes a while for his buddies to pull him back up onto the deck -- Chuck's a pretty big dude -- but ultimately they dragged him up out of the water.

Acting like the champ he is ... Chuck -- who was a special guest for the Digital Mastery Mastermind event over the weekend -- just kept on vibing into the evening, eyewitnesses say he had food delivered to the Lambo yacht.

He also waved hello to a collection of fans -- though he didn't leave the boat for the rest of the night.

UFC Fight Night 237 saw some big names throw down in Mexico City ... but the biggest knockout of the night may have actually happened outside the Octagon.

Video of a brawl breaking out in the crowd during the big event Saturday night is going viral online ... with a huge group of men grabbing each other by the shirt and throwing punches, essentially turning the crowd into a mosh pit.

Right in the middle of the melee ... one of the biggest knockouts in UFC history -- if you can count a fight going down in the stands that is.

Check out the vid ... a man in a black shirt throws a vicious left hook against his unsuspecting victim, and the guy's body basically goes limp as he hits the concrete canvas.

The fight sorta cools off after the KO ... with guys on both sides holding people back -- though they don't look like security guards per se.

In fact, it seems like security took forever to respond -- just check out the multiple angles of the fight that go on for a while ... and UFC prez Dana White even expressed his shock at the lack of a security presence.

White said he stood there watching the fight for a while, just waiting for security to come in and handle the fight ... but they seemed to just let it go until it ended.

DW's clear though -- he doesn't feel it reflects poorly on the UFC ... even if it was one of the craziest things he's ever seen, he said.

BTW ... several fights actually went down in the ring too with Brandon Royval defeating Brandon Moreno to launch himself back into UFC Flyweight title contention.