TMZ Sports - Page 50

Transgender swimmer Lia Thomas had no chance to win a legal challenge that would have opened the door for a potential Olympics bid -- and she should instead compete against other trans swimmers ... so says a former Team USA gold medalist.

Decorated swimmer Donna De Varona, who won two golds at the 1964 Summer Olympics, joined us on "TMZ Live" Thursday, and we asked her about Lia's failed bid to overturn rules preventing transgender women from competing against biological women at the Olympics.

Donna says Lia was never going to get the ban overturned because she didn't get a U.S. Aquatics membership card, which DDV says prevented Lia's challenge from having any standing from the get-go.

UConn men's basketball head coach Dan Hurley is opening up on his decision to reject the Lakers ... admitting the team succeeded in piquing his interest -- but ultimately, he has many more reasons to keep his current gig.

Hurley -- who just turned down a six-year, $70 million offer from Los Angeles -- spoke with reporters about his eventful week on Thursday ... and said the idea of taking the reins for the Purple and Gold was "obviously tempting" and a once-in-a-lifetime opportunity.

The opportunity to coach a future Hall of Famer in LeBron James wasn't lost on Hurley either -- in fact, he revealed he spoke with the four-time champion on the phone during the interview process.

Shakira isn't looking to lock down a new man -- but what's interesting is that she seems open to banging casually ... this after being linked to a ton of famous dudes of late.

The singer talked about her dating life in her new cover story for Rolling Stone, where she declared she's "not thinking about [dating]" right now ... indicating she doesn't have the space or time for a new boyfriend in her life at the moment.

However, she isn't ruling out love forever, adding ... "What can I tell you, I like men. That’s the problem. I shouldn’t like them with everything that’s happened to me, but imagine how much I like men that I still like them."

Tom Brady was so strict with his diet during his playing days ... some of his cheat meals featured exactly ONE chicken wing!!!

... at least, that's according to Julian Edelman, who revealed this week that's how his former quarterback seriously got down at team dinners prior to Patriots game days.

The ex-New England wide receiver went in-depth on the topic with People ... saying he found out about Brady's weird eating quirk when the Pats would get the same food catered every night before games -- including chicken wings.

Teyana Taylor is earning nearly double what Iman Shumpert makes every month ... at least that's what he's telling the judge overseeing their divorce.

In new court documents, obtained by TMZ, Iman breaks down the estranged couple's finances ... and he says there's a big pay gap.

According to Iman's accounting, Teyana's gross monthly income before taxes is $93,885 ... nearly double the $47,981 he says he brings home every month.

Lakers legend James Worthy says he's heartbroken over Jerry West's death ... telling TMZ Sports he's going to miss his good friend dearly.

Worthy -- who West actually selected with the first pick of the 1982 NBA Draft when he was LA's general manager -- spoke with us just hours after Jerry's passing on Wednesday ... and reflected on his time with the Hall of Famer fondly.

James said he learned of the news at a place Jerry loved -- a golf course -- and initially, his heart hurt. But he said moments later, the memory bank of his time with West kicked into high gear.

A popular couple in the NFL is dunzo -- TikToker Tianna Robillard and her Bengals lineman fiancé Cody Ford have called off their relationship after getting engaged just this past April.

Fans started to speculate something was amiss after both Ford and Robillard deleted each other off their respective Instagram accounts this week.

The speculation only grew after the influencer posted a TikTok featuring Sabrina Carpenter's new song, "Please Please Please" -- which contains the lyrics "Heartbreak is one thing, my ego's another I beg you, don't embarrass me, motherf*****."

Brian Windhorst basically dropped a Kendrick Lamar-esque diss track on Luka Doncic following the Dallas Mavericks' Game 3 loss to the Boston Celtics on Wednesday ... going in on the NBA superstar for his "unacceptable" performance.

The Slovenian baller dropped 27 points before fouling out with four minutes left in the Finals matchup ... adding another chapter to his ongoing beef with officials as he visibly and audibly expressed his frustration with calls throughout the contest.

The ESPN analyst was clearly fed up with Doncic's on-court antics ... teeing off on the matter after the game.

Patrick Mahomes rocks a Kansas City Chiefs jersey on Sunday, but he's a Texas native at heart ... and that's why the 3x NFL MVP pulled up with his wife Brittany to cheer on the Dallas Mavericks for the pivotal third game vs. the Boston Celtics in the NBA Finals!

The 3x Super Bowl champ was spotted courtside (where else?!) with Britt at American Airlines Center ... where the couple was all smiles for the cameras.

It's not the first playoff game the Mahomeses have attended ... they were also in the building for a Western Conference Finals tilt between the Mavericks and Minnesota Timberwolves.

Tom Brady's getting a statue at Gillette Stadium ... Robert Kraft announced Wednesday night the Patriots are erecting a 12-foot bronze sculpture of the ex-quarterback this season!

The New England honcho revealed the big news at Brady's Hall of Fame induction ceremony in Foxborough ... when he told a packed house the former signal-caller will be the first player in franchise history to receive the honor.

Kraft also said Brady's No. 12 jersey will be retired -- the first Patriot since Bruce Armstrong in 2001 to garner that accolade.

The O.J. Simpson murder saga has direct connections to the house owned by then-KCBS TV reporter Harvey Levin, and one of the connections involves what O.J.'s best friend might know about the killings.

Harvey, who covered the trial for KCBS, bought the Hollywood Hills house in 1984 from Wayne Hughes, who owned Public Storage. It was Wayne's bachelor pad, and he threw lots of parties. Among the guests ... his good friends O.J. and Nicole Brown Simpson.

During the trial, prosecutors wanted to call Wayne to the stand to testify about several occasions where Nicole came to the house in the middle of the night and cried out for help. She told Wayne O.J. had beaten her and she was scared of him. Judge Ito would not allow Wayne to testify.

Don't expect to see Darren Waller on an NFL field ever again ... the former Giants star tells TMZ Sports he's thrilled with his decision to retire -- and is adamant he'll feel that way going forward.

The ex-tight end officially called it a career on Sunday ... but at 31 years old and still productive when healthy, many of his fans wondered if he really meant it.

But, when we spoke with him a couple days after he made the choice to hang up his spikes, he made it clear, he's done done.

Diddy is back in public, hot "rodent men" are taking over Hollywood and Joey Chestnut is in some hot dog water.

First up on "TMZ Live" Harvey and Charles dive into all things Diddy ... now that he's resurfaced amid the Cassie beatdown video and his various legal issues.

A middle school coach in Michigan is out of a job and facing criminal charges after cops say he used a shirt to choke a student in the hallway ... which was apparently caught on video.

Surveillance footage from Ypsilanti Middle School purportedly shows a coach -- an adult man, mind you -- approaching a teenage student from behind as the kid walks down the hallway towards the door, before the guy wraps a rolled-up shirt around the student's neck.

It looks like the coach -- who has yet to be ID'd --  yanks back on the shirt and a struggle ensues ... all while the shirt tightens around the kid's neck. Ultimately, the teen breaks free and the man lets up as the kid walks away.

Joey Chestnut and his longtime nemesis Takeru Kobayashi are going head-to-head in a hot dog eating contest once again -- but it won't be part of the usual Fourth of July event ... it's a Labor Day extravaganza!!

The showdown is 15 years in the making -- the two last went at it in 2009 at the traditional Nathan's competition in Coney Island ... when Jaws beat Kobayashi to defend his mustard belt.

The timing of the announcement is pretty interesting -- on Tuesday, Major League Eating announced Chestnut was OUT of the Independence Day contest due to an endorsement deal he inked with a rival food company.

Logan Paul's got a yuuuuuuge guest on his next podcast episode ... it's none other than President Donald Trump -- and TMZ Sports is told this may not be the WWE Superstar's only toe dip into politics.

Sources with direct knowledge tell us the Maverick sat down with The Donald at Mar-a-Lago on Tuesday for an interview on "Impaulsive" ... which came to be after No. 45's team reached out and requested the meet-up.

We're told Logan agreed to to the gig (who wouldn't want to interview a president??) ... but instead of just getting one side of the upcoming election, he's now hoping to get the same opportunity with Joe Biden.