TMZ Sports - Page 49

PSA, prank Neymar at your own risk!

The soccer superstar literally slashed the tires of his teammate's car ... all after a harmless little prank.

Here's the deal ... Al-Hilal's left-back Renan Lodi was in good spirits after the team was named the Saudi Professional League champion this week, so he decided to have a little fun at Neymar's (he's recovering from an injury) expense.

On Wednesday, Lodi got a hold of Neymar's shoes and tied them together at the Al-Hilal training facility ... likely never thinking revenge would be so swift and severe -- and costly!

O.J. Simpson avoided paying Nicole Brown Simpson and Ron Goldman's families millions when he was alive -- and now, from beyond the grave, he might be dodging them again ... TMZ has learned.

While Malcolm LaVergne -- O.J.'s longtime lawyer and now executor of his estate -- made it clear he intended to talk money with Nicole and Ron's respective loved ones ... Malcom says an unforeseen tax debt is creating a new hurdle.

Malcolm tells TMZ ... the state of California has a massive tax lien against Simpson's estate for $572,402.69 -- which he says could derail his plan to settle part of the $33.5 million judgment O.J. owed his victims' families after the 1997 wrongful death lawsuit.

Darryl Strawberry's back to feeling 100 percent --- and he couldn't be happier about it ... revealing to TMZ Sports this week he nearly died from the heart attack he suffered in March.

The Mets legend opened up to us about his medical scare while out in NYC ... and he said things got so bad with his heart at the time of the emergency, doctors couldn't believe he survived.

"My heart was pumping at 40 percent," said Strawberry, who described the heart attack as a "massive" one. "So, there was a lot going on. There was not a lot of blood flowing through my heart at that particular time."

We're just getting over the hump in the week, but we're still rolling with some fire TV takes.

Let's start out on "TMZ Live" ... where Harvey and Charles discussed the latest development in the Diddy saga -- namely, the fact that a grand jury has been convened in the ongoing federal investigation ... and that prosecutors are apparently bringing in witnesses to talk.

Bam Margera's all smiles after tying the knot with Dannii Marie Tuesday -- but the marriage is raising the eyebrows of his ex Nikki Boyd, who's got a lot of questions about the timing.

Nikki tells TMZ ... “Whatever makes him happy. I’m happy for him. But it was curious timing, considering that he was supposed to be in court for our trial today."

Despite his big day, our Bam sources say he managed to fulfill his legal obligations by hopping on a Zoom link to attend the trial during his reception.

Jason and Kylie Kelce are not only welcome in Margate, NJ ... but they've also been invited to have a free meal on the mayor's dime -- this after an out-of-control fan threatened the couple wouldn't be allowed inside town limits after turning down a photo request!

Mayor Michael Collins hit up X on Wednesday to address the controversy just hours after the uncomfortable interaction went viral online ... where a woman was seen arguing with the Kelces, all because Jason and Kylie wanted to enjoy a night out without interruption.

"On behalf of the City of Margate, I'd like to formally apologize to Jason & Kylie Kelce for the experience they had in Margate City over the holiday weekend," Collins wrote.

The comeback for three-time Olympic gold medalist Gabby Douglas has come to an end for now -- the star gymnast suffered an injury that has forced her to back out of the U.S. championships -- making her ineligible for the 2024 Games in Paris.

The 28-year-old hurt her ankle during training for this weekend's event in Fort Worth, Texas ... and the ailment was severe enough to keep her sidelined.

The injury will cost her a spot on the five-person team for the Olympics this summer ... which would have been her first since the 2016 Rio de Janeiro Games.

UFC star Sean Strickland just went off on Tom Brady ... calling the NFL legend a "p***y" in a crass rant filled with all kinds of homophobic and misogynistic language.

The former middleweight champion didn't hold back when he was asked for his thoughts on Brady's "The Greatest Roast of All Time: Tom Brady" at UFC 302 media day earlier Wednesday ... ripping the ex-Patriots quarterback for nearly a minute.

The fighter's beef with TB12 appeared to be over the way the former signal-caller expressed regret over some of the jokes about Gisele Bündchen and their family.

11:34 AM PT -- Scottie Scheffler is speaking out following the dropped charges ... saying he has no ill will toward the officer and will look to move past the incident.

"Police officers have a difficult job and I hold them in high regard," Scheffler said. "This was a severe miscommunication in a chaotic situation."

"I appreciate the support during the past two weeks and want to again encourage everyone to remember the real tragedy of May 17. My thoughts and prayers continue to be with John Mills and his family, and I hope to personally offer my condolences now that the case is over. May John rest in peace."

Scottie Scheffler can breathe easy once more ... the criminal charges he was facing in his assault case have just been dropped.

Jefferson County prosecutors filed a motion in court Wednesday afternoon to dismiss the case against the world's best golfer -- and a judge granted it without issue.

In explaining why they wanted to move on from the case, officials said they simply did not have enough evidence to go forward. In fact, they said Scheffler's characterization of the incident as a huge misunderstanding was actually "corroborated" by the evidence they had collected.

Nicole Brown Simpson made some troubling claims against O.J. Simpson before her death ... so says Faye Resnick, who claims O.J. would lurk in bushes to keep an eye on her.

Faye -- who was a close confidant of Nicole's before her murder -- shed light on NBS and O.J.'s dynamic following their split in a sneak peek from Lifetime's docuseries, "The Life and Murder of Nicole Brown Simpson" ... saying her late friend was scared of the NFL star.

As FR puts it ... O.J. had allegedly taken to stalking Nicole in the aftermath of their breakup -- with the American athlete even creeping on her from the bushes at one point.

Jason and Kylie Kelce's run-in with a rude fan didn't ruin their entire trip to the Jersey Shore ... 'cause the Philadelphia Eagles legend had nothing but great things to say about their weekend getaway.

The recently retired NFL center discussed his time in Sea Isle City on the latest episode of the "New Heights" podcast with his brother, Travis ... but anyone looking to get Jason's take on the drama they encountered during a date night was left unfulfilled.

As we previously reported, Kylie unloaded on a woman who got upset over a denied photo opportunity ... and many witnesses claimed the Kelces were nothing but polite leading up to the altercation -- but the lady wasn't having it.

Boston radio host Fred Toucher delivered the worst on-air eulogy ever, calling Bill Walton a "phony hippie" and making a joke about his death, just a day after the legendary hooper-turned-broadcaster passed away ... and suffice it to say, many people are pissed!

Walton -- a College and Basketball Hall of Famer, and, when healthy, one of the most unstoppable big men to ever lace up a pair of sneakers -- died at the age of 71 after battling cancer.

Most people, especially in the cities where Walton played, were in the mood to remember Bill ... just not like this.

NBA coach James Borrego is certainly taking a liking to Los Angeles lately ... popping up in town amid reports the current New Orleans Pelicans assistant is a lead candidate for the Lakers' job opening.

The 46-year-old landed at LAX on Tuesday ... and cameras were quick to ask him if he was taking a business trip -- specifically, one that could result in him donning the Purple and Gold next season.

Borrego was tight-lipped on everything ... but his presence could mean the Lakers are close to making him an offer, as outlets stated the team already had a formal interview with the former Hornets head coach.

Body cam footage from Scottie Scheffler's arrest at the PGA Championship earlier this month has just surfaced ... and in the new video, you can hear the world's best golfer admitting he "should have stopped" for the cop who was barking orders at him outside the major event.

The clip was posted on Facebook back on May 23 -- six days after Scheffler was first arrested -- but it just began making its rounds on other social media apps on Wednesday morning.

It shows Scheffler in the back of a squad car minutes after he allegedly ignored a policeman and then dragged him with his vehicle as he attempted to make his way into Valhalla Golf Club to get ready for his early morning tee time.

Bronny James is done playing college basketball ... his agent, Rich Paul, said Tuesday the 19-year-old is staying in this year's NBA draft class.

LeBron James' kid had until Wednesday night to make the decision ... but Paul told ESPN the former USC star's mind is already made up.

"He's staying in the draft," Paul said.

The woman rumored to be expecting a child with Las Vegas Raiders owner Mark Davis is actually welcoming a baby with MLB player Joey Gallo, TMZ Sports has learned.

The erroneous reports were made over the weekend ... with several irresponsible NFL social media accounts assuming Hayden Hopkins -- who was spotted alongside the team owner at a game in 2022 -- was pregnant with his first kid.

We got down to the bottom of things ... and as it turns out, there is still a sports connection to Hopkins' future baby -- just not what was previously indicated.