TMZ Sports - Page 50

The Orlando Magic realized it made a huge mistake on Sunday ... after its social media team posted what it felt was an innocent jersey swap between Gradey Dick and Anthony Black -- before catching on to the wildly inappropriate message the exchange spelled out.

The two rookie hoopers met up on the court to show love to each other following the Magic's 111-96 win over the Toronto Raptors ... and after talking for a bit, it appeared a lightbulb went off in both Black and Dick's heads.

The 2023 lottery picks decided to gift each other the jerseys off their backs as part of the common NBA tradition ... but it was clear they had an elaborate plan to crack a quick joke using their surnames.

The broadcast cameras caught Black running over to a photog to make sure they captured the swap ... and when he posed alongside Dick, he positioned himself to his left so their last names read ... well, you get it.

Black had a smirk on his face as he held Dick's jersey ... and his buddy was also smiling from ear to ear.

The Magic innocently published a shot of the exchange on X ... but after a bit, it was deleted due to the influx of users reacting to the viral moment.

Absolute chaos broke out following a Turkish soccer game on Sunday ... when angry fans stormed the pitch in frustration with the final score -- just to get their asses kicked by the players!!

It all went down at Trabzonspor's home 3-2 defeat at the hands of Fenerbahce ... when the losing team's supporters got so upset over the Super Lig result, they started attacking the opposing players.

But Fenerbahce ended up getting two victories on the day ... 'cause players like Bright Osayi-Samuel and Michy Batshuayi put a beating on intruders -- and it was captured on video.

Batshuayi used his feet for more than footy -- kicking a fan who was approaching him.

Osayi-Samuel was also shown throwing a punch at two fans at once.

Security tried like hell to break up the brawl ... but not before even more spectators made their way to the pitch.

FIFA President Gianni Infantino released a statement on the ugly scene ... saying, "The violence witnessed after the Turkish Super Lig match between Trabzonspor and Fenerbahce is absolutely unacceptable -- on or off the field, it has no place in our sport or society."

"All players have to be safe and secure to play the game which brings such joy to so many people all over the world."

He added ... "I call on the relevant authorities to ensure that this is respected at all levels and for the perpetrators of the shocking events in Trabzon to be held accountable for their actions."

Kristin Cavallari and her boyfriend Mark Estes are clearly pretty serious ... 'cause not only has she introduced him to her kids -- but it seems they've got a rapport!

The mother-of-three shared a picture to Instagram Sunday featuring her new 24-year-old beau with one of her kids ... and they seem deep in conversation while Mama Cavallari is able to hang back a few steps.

KC didn't add anything in the way of words to the pic ... but she did drop a white heart emoji on the photo -- so clearly she's pretty happy with the chummy bonding going on.

BTW ... unclear which of Kristin's sons this is -- but, ya gotta imagine she introduced Mark to them at or around the same time, and it was long enough ago that one of her kids can seemingly hold a convo with him comfortably. Kristin shares three children with her ex, Jay Cutler.

It seems like things are movin' along quickly between KC and ME ... remember, Cavallari only revealed they were dating at the end of February -- so things have seemingly progressed quickly between the two.

It makes sense when you consider it seems almost like fate was pushing these two together ... Kristin recently revealed on her 'Let's Be Honest' podcast that she first spotted Mark on TikTok with his crew The Montana Boyz.

Weeks after spotting the hottie, Kristin got a DM from one of the guys. She invited the group on her podcast, hit it off with Estes and they started seeing each other. Talk about a 21st century fairytale!

Caitlyn Jenner and Lamar Odom are reuniting for a new project -- a sports podcast that pays homage to their "Keeping Up With the Kardashians" connection ... TMZ has learned.

The former in-laws -- Caitlyn was Lamar's stepfather-in-law when the ex-NBA star was married to Khloe Kardashian -- are launching "Keeping Up with Sports," a podcast meant to take a fresh look at what it really takes to be the best.

This venture sounds like a good fit for the pair ... as Caitlyn famously won an Olympic gold medal in 1976 and Lamar won two NBA championship rings with the Los Angeles Lakers.

Caitlyn and Lamar, along with cohost Zach Hirsch, will drop their first episode in the next few weeks ... with boxing legend Sugar Ray Leonard as their kickoff guest.

Check out a sneak peek video ... where Sugar Ray opens up about being a victim of sexual abuse at the hands of one of his trainers. He says he had an emotional reaction after sharing his truth for the first time in decades, confessing, "I was hurting."

While the new podcast seems promising, we're curious to learn how Kris Jenner feels about it ... seeing how Kris and Caitlyn's relationship has been rocky over the years. Remember, in October, Caitlyn confirmed she doesn't speak to her ex-wife anymore ... for various reasons.

Still, since the podcast focuses on the sports world, it'll be interesting to see if the family comes up at all.

Upcoming guests include CBS basketball analyst Seth Davis, boxer Bryce Hall, model Amber Rose, world champion boxer Zab Judah, professional stuntman Steve-O, and UFC fighter Paddy “The Baddy” Pimblett.

The NBA's gonna have a real problem on its hands when LeBron James retires ... so says Kwame Brown, who tells TMZ Sports the league isn't putting enough focus on the next generation of athletes -- like that one guy on the OKC Thunder.

We spoke with the former 2001 No. 1 overall pick at LAX this week about the current state of the Association ... and he pointed out the top teams in the Western Conference aren't getting nearly as much coverage as the Lakers due to the LeBron effect.

"You got this young talent," Brown said. "The only thing I see what's wrong with the NBA is that they hold on to the 'superstar' thing too long. We got OKC ... before, I didn't even know their starting 5. You don't even know their coach."

"You gotta start promoting this young talent that you have. Otherwise, they're going to be scrambling when LeBron's gone."

Our camera guy pretty much proved Brown's point ... 'cause when he brought up MVP candidate Shai Gilgeous-Alexander, he asked how his name's pronounced -- and both dudes were stumped.

"I don't know either," Brown admitted. "He's not on ESPN every day."

FYI -- it's "Shay."

As for SGA's season, the 25-year-old Canadian is averaging 31.1 points, 5.6 rebounds, 6.4 assists and 2.1 steals a game ... leading the Thunder to a 46-20 record, tied for the best in the Western Conference.

Zendaya and Tom Holland put on an impromptu performance during the BNP Paribas Open ... belting out Whitney Houston at a break in the action.

The lovely couple were sitting together at the tennis final Sunday when they were both seemingly overtaken by the music ... launching into their own renditions of "I Wanna Dance with Somebody" by the late, great artist.

You can't hear the pair singing, but just check out the clip ... the dynamic duo's clearly putting on quite the show for anyone looking their way. TH is even getting his body rockin' to the beat.

And, the end of the singing is just as good too ... with the couple sharing a joke during the last notes of the song -- not totally clear what they're laughing about, but they look adorable here, seemingly lost in their own world

The pair were dressed in their tennis best ... a good thing too, 'cause Zendaya headed down to the court after the match to take a snap with the women's champ Iga Swiatek.

What a day for Iga -- a trophy and a pic with Zendaya ... no wonder she's grinning from ear to ear!

BTW both Tom and Zendaya have their own affinities for the sport -- TH has been photographed at multiple tournaments, just like Zendaya ... who seems to like it so much she's starring in the movie "Challengers" based around the sport.

Kim Kardashian and her son, Saint, sat courtside at the Los Angeles Lakers game Saturday night, leading a small group of big celebs who showed up for the event.

As per, Kim looked stunning in a tight white t-shirt and black leather pants while parked alongside 8-year-old Saint at Crypto.com Arena in downtown LA.

At one point, Kim posed for paparazzi by putting her arm around her little guy who was dressed in his Lakers jersey, leaving no doubt as to who he was rooting for.

Kim was also snapped chatting with some fans and Saint even flashed a peace sign for the camera!

Meanwhile, Jennifer Lopez and Ben Affleck enjoyed their courtside seats, watching the matchup while holding each other's hands. The couple seemed pretty chill as they hung out with Ben's 12-year-old son, Samuel.

And that's not all ... singers Bad Bunny was also in the crowd to see the Warriors and Lakers take it to the hoop.

And in the world of sports, tennis legend Novak Djokovic was front and center to see the Warriors take the W, 128-121.

After the game, J Lo gave Bunny a little hug as Ben shook hands with some of the Golden State players.

If Steph Curry gets into politics after his career ends, he's already got a vote from Danny Green ... 'cause the NBA player tells TMZ Sports the country could use someone from the league in office -- so why not Steph?!

Curry mentioned the possibility of running during an interview that aired on "CBS Mornings" this week, claiming he's open to a position in the government after his run with Golden State ends.

Green -- a longtime NBA veteran who played for the 76ers this season -- said Curry is the perfect candidate from the league for a gig like that ... and he would 100 percent support the Splash Brother if he saw his name on a ballot.

"If anybody from our league is gonna represent us in that fashion, it'd be him," the 36-year-old said. "I'd vote for him."

"He does things the right way," Green continued. "Spiritual guy, faith, uses his platform for great things. He's a good human being. How can you hate Steph Curry?"

Green went on to praise the Warriors star for even considering a career in politics ... noting it ain't exactly the easiest post-basketball route to take.

Diamond Dallas Page might not be where he is today if it weren't for Paul Heyman ... 'cause DDP tells TMZ Sports the legendary wrestling personality actually helped launch his career!!

Page said the assist came many decades ago ... after Diamond sent the American Wrestling Association -- where Heyman worked at the time as "Paul E. Dangerously" -- an audition tape of him "managing" a group of aspiring wrestlers.

Initially, Page said the org. laughed at the submission ... after it found out neither he nor the wrestlers he filmed with had any sort of real experience.

But, DDP said after Heyman left the Association for the National Wrestling Alliance ... AWA execs gave him a call about potentially filling Heyman's boisterous void.

Of course, DDP stepped in ... and the rest was history.

"If Paul Heyman does not leave there," Page said, "that spot never opens up. So I have always been a Heyman guy."

Page went on to congratulate Heyman on his upcoming induction to the WWE Hall of Fame -- adding he believes the microphone maestro could have made it even without his most recent twenty-or-so years in the squared circle!!

Not only is Travis Kelce a great NFL player, he's also got a huge future as a film producer ... so says actress Sonequa Martin-Green, who tells TMZ Sports he has all the tools it takes to make it in Hollywood!!

The Kansas City Chiefs tight end is an EP for the new flick, "My Dead Friend Zoe" ... and Martin-Green played the lead role of Merit.

The movie is a dark comedy that follows a U.S. Army veteran who struggles with her family due to the spiritual presence of her dead Army friend, Zoe.

The project has solid ratings ... including a 9.2 out of 10 on IMDb.

SMG said Kelce's passion for supporting the military is why he wanted to join the production team ... and that kind of mindset is what's needed in the movie business.

"He wanted to support veterans," SMG said. "That's what I heard -- he wanted to support veterans and someone pointed him to our film."

"It's all about the 'why' and I feel like if anybody has the right 'why,' they'll succeed."

Martin-Green -- famous for her role as Sasha in "The Walking Dead" -- hopes to meet Kelce one day ... to tell him how grateful she is for what he did.

BTW, Kelce is also working on a future project called "King Pleasure," a documentary on Jean-Michel Basquiat, alongside Ray Maiello and Mike Field. Filming for that begins this summer.

The weekend's almost over, so why not look back at what we covered on TV last week?

Kicking things off on "TMZ Live," Harvey and Charles discussed Meghan King's staunch defense of Olivia Rodrigo for handing Plan B birth control at her St. Louis concert ... something that sparked outrage and backlash among many across the country.

MK doesn't think Olivia has anything to apologize over, but Olivia changed her tune regardless.

Next up, "TMZ on TV" ... where the gang talked about this cool effort that 'RHOBH' star Mauricio Umansky is involved in that entails building affordable housing for folks in need.

He was actually at a build site on Thursday with his own daughter ... pretty cool stuff!

Finally, we land on "TMZ Sports," where Babcock and Mojo talked Dak Prescott's new claim.

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

Shakira fans have been waiting almost a decade for a new album ... and her ex Gerard Piqué may be to blame -- at least, according to Shakira herself that is.

The singer-songwriter sat down with the Sunday Times for an interview published Saturday ... where she revealed she actually put her career on pause to support Gerard turning his playing days in Barcelona.

Shakira explained she made a lot of sacrifices in the name of love -- one we know didn't last -- deciding to take care of the kids rather than focusing on her music.

Of course, Gerard and Shakira broke up during the summer of 2022, with rumors of infidelity swirling as the pair went their separate ways.

Shakira's path has taken her out of Spain and down to Miami where she's made fast friends with David Beckham -- who she said she knew back before she started dating Gerard, when DB played for Barcelona's rival, Real Madrid.

The Colombian star said she's in constant contact with Victoria Beckham ... and she's hoping to take her son Milan to a soccer match down in Miami -- leaving dear old dad totally out of the equation.

Shakira stayed above the whole Piqué fray during the interview BTW -- though she did admit it seemed like cosmic justice that one of his old soccer rivals Sergio Ramos presented her with a Latin Grammy.

She also skipped over talking about her tax fraud case -- instead choosing to focus on her first studio album in seven years, "Las Mujeres Ya No Lloran" which translates to "Women No Longer Cry" ... bit of a wink and a nudge to a certain ex?

Paul Walter Hauser is just hours away from fighting Matt Cardona ... YES, the star actor is trading in his Emmy Award for a singlet (or maybe not, but ya get the point!), and he's got a stern warning for the pro wrestling star!

Underestimate me and pay the price.

TMZ Sports' Mojo Muhtadi chopped it up with the "Black Bird" star ahead of Saturday's match at Pro Wrestling Revolver's "Ready or Not!" event in Clive, Iowa.

Cardona has a lifetime more of experience in the squared circle, so, how's Paul, a huge wrestling fan, prepping for the scrap?

"How do I prepare for a guy like that? It's about focus. I don't need to be [retired wrestler and AEW producer] Dean Malenko and know 1,000 holds. I need to be Paul Hauser," the actor told us.

"I've studied tapes on Matt. I know when the boot's coming. I know when he's trying to cheat. I know when he's trying to 'play possum.' I've watched him. I know. I think he's underestimating me and I think that's to my advantage."

Hauser is so pumped for the match with MC, formerly known as Zack Ryder with WWE (Zack and Mojo made up the Hype Bros), he teased the match during the biggest moment of his acting career -- while accepting his Emmy for Oustanding Supporting Actor -- saying he would "beat Matt Cardona!"

Hauser also wanted to make it clear he's taking this match seriously.

"I just know one thing, I respect the business. I'm learning the craft and I should definitely not be underestimated."

"So, to you, Matt Cardona, I know you're watching. You're probably Googling yourself 86 times a day and you'll find this link, so, I'm telling you do not underestimate me or maybe you should because then I will come up with the 1-2-3, be it a knockout elbow, a small package -- double entendre -- 'cause Matt also has a small package."

Rudy Gobert is addressing his whopping $100k fine for making a money gesture toward officials last week ... telling TMZ Sports he simply reached his boiling point and reacted with his emotions.

Gobert made the Johnny Manziel-esque hand sign at official Scott Foster during the Minnesota Timberwolves vs Cleveland Cavs game on March 8 ... insinuating refs are influenced by sports betting.

The 3-time All-Star also called out the refs during the post-game press conference ... saying he felt gambling has really hurt the sport.

We caught up with the Minnesota Timberwolves center on Rodeo Drive just a few days after the league handed down the 6-figure penalty for his actions and postgame comments ... and although the dude has made more than $217 MILLION over the course of his career, even he had to admit that's a huge hit financially.

"How I feel about the fine? I mean it's a fine. It's a lot of money," Gobert said ... before explaining his actions.

"We human beings at the end of the day. We not always right but everyone's allowed to speak their mind. Also, it's a game with a lot of emotions so sometimes we react off of frustration."

Gobert -- who is averaging 13.7 points and 12.9 rebounds per game this season -- got the maximum fine that a player can get for conduct or statements detrimental to the team or league ... but Charles Barkley believes he should've been suspended for it.

"It will ruin a sport if people thought it was fixed," the ex-NBA star said on "NBA on TNT."

Merab Dvalishvili admits he was pissed when Sean O'Malley called out Ilia Topuria after the UFC 299 main event, but the title contender isn't sweatin' Suga's words 'cause the big guy, Dana White, told him the fights his!

"I did see Dana for a little bit. I just said hi, and I believe he told me, 'You are next.' That's what he told me," 33-year-old Dvalishvili told TMZ Sports, adding, "We all know I'm next. I'm very confident I'm gonna fight Sean."

Merab was in the building at the Kaseya Center in Miami ... and watched 29-year-old O'Malley put on a masterful performance against Marlon "Chito" Vera, winning by unanimous decision.

FYI, Dvalishvili is the #1 ranked bantamweight contender, and is in the midst of a 10-fight win streak which includes wins over Henry Cejudo, Petr Yan, Marlon Moraes, and Jose Aldo.

"It's so stupid from Sean that he's not mentioning my name. Especially because this fight is going to happen, and he could make it big," Dvalishvili said showing his frustration with O'Malley.

Despite not loving the post-299 call-out, Merab still has a healthy dose of respect for Sean.

It's the weekend, and what better way to unwind than by recapping all our TV topics?!

Let's start with "TMZ Live," where Harvey and Charles talked about Oprah Winfrey explaining why she left Weight Watchers -- the company she'd been with for years -- amid a new TV special she's airing that talks all about weight loss medications like Ozempic and others.

As O explained to Kimmel, it was to avoid a conflict of interest ... but when did that begin?

Next, we land on "TMZ on TV" ... where the gang talked about the ongoing Alec Baldwin case out of New Mexico -- where he's facing an involuntary manslaughter charge (again).

He accused the grand jury this week of being rigged ... and some here think he's right.

Finally, we land on "TMZ Sports," where Babcock and Mojo talked Aaron Donald's retirement.

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