TMZ Sports - Page 50

The celebrity relationship born on Twitter is still going strong for "iCarly" star Jennette McCurdy and Detroit Pistons star Andre Drummond ... 'cause last night the two went out for a romantic dinner in L.A. and TMZ has the footage.

In case you're unaware, 20-year-old Drummond revealed his longtime crush on 21-year-old McCurdy over the past couple of months during "Woman Crush Wednesdays" on Twitter ... posting several pics of the Nickelodeon star.

Once she got word of his interest, she reached out ... and the two hooked up in real life late last week.

Tuesday night ... it appeared their relationship was still going strong -- the two were spotted holding hands on their way out of Madeo in West Hollywood.

FYI -- Drummond ran the whole date in style ... using a driver to chauffeur the couple to and from the restaurant.

#realpimp.

UFC badass Miesha Tate says she won't rest until she BREAKS Ronda Rousey's face ... telling TMZ she doesn't just wanna win when they fight -- she wants to knock Ronda's ass out cold.

Tate -- who's currently a coach on Fox Sports 1's "The Ultimate Fighter 18" -- was out in NYC yesterday when she told us how she plans to defeat Rousey when they face off at UFC 168 in December.

"I'm just going to smash her," Tate told us ... "I want her to wake up and see the ceiling and the headlights and me standing over here with the belt on already."

It ain't gonna be easy ... Rousey's undefeated in the world of MMA ... and she's pretty handy with the arm bar.

Still, Tate's confident -- telling us, "I would love nothing more than to break her jaw."

Here's some video of Tate in action -- she's a BEAST!!!

NBA player Royce White -- who famously missed his rookie season with the Houston Rockets due to mental health issues -- is at the center of a criminal investigation in Texas after allegedly beating up his then-girlfriend ... TMZ has learned.

We know ... White's ex-girlfriend Tania Mehra -- a Maxim model -- filed a police report on August 30 to report an incident that went down at Royce's Houston-area home back in June.

According to law enforcement, records show someone called 911 on June 22, 2013 to report a laceration above Tania's right eye. Cops say at the time, Tania claimed she suffered the injury from an "accidental fall."

But Tania changed her tune last week ... and filed an incident report in which she claims she LIED on the night of the incident -- and says in reality, Royce is to blame for her injury.

Cops tell TMZ, "The victim said she had lied earlier because the suspect played for the NBA and did not want the incident to damage his career."

Law enforcement also tells us, "The victim stated that White had assaulted her after she became angered by his advances toward her friend."

Cops say the incident is "under investigation" -- and so far, no charges have been filed against the 22-year-old NBA player.

Sources connected to the investigation tell us ... Tania claims Royce also grabbed a candleholder and threw at at her during the altercation ... but it missed, instead smashing into a mirror and causing it to shatter.

We've reached out to White's reps for comment -- so far, no word back.

FYI -- White was famously profiled on an episode of HBO's "Real Sports" in a segment that chronicled his battles with OCD and anxiety disorder.

NBA star Steve Nash scored a huge legal victory over his ex-wife -- blocking her from moving their kids to L.A. -- and then promptly agreed, for some strange reason, to let the fam come to Cali after all ... TMZ has learned.

As we first reported, the Los Angeles Lakers point guard has been battling his ex, Alejandra Nash, for months over her desire to move their 3 kids from Phoenix to L.A. -- in part because Steve thinks L.A. is a horrible place to raise kids. He even said so in open court.

Steve also believed Alejandra only wanted to be in L.A. because California laws could result in her getting increased child support payments.

Ultimately, the court agreed -- according to documents the judge ruled Alejandra failed to prove the move was "in the children's best interests" -- and her relocation request was "motivated, at least in part, by issues surrounding child support, which is an inappropriate basis for relocation."

Now this is where it gets weird.

Sources connected with the case , tell us Alejandra and the kids are currently living in L.A.! Further, we're told the children have already enrolled in public school in the South Bay section of L.A.

It's a huge mystery -- Nash fought tooth and nail to stop Alejandra, won the case ... and then upped and forfeited the 'W.'

Calls to Nash's attorney haven't been returned.

JOEY CHESTNUT IS BACK!!!

The greatest competitive eater on the face of the planet returned to form this weekend at the rib cook-off in Reno, NV and took FIRST PLACE ... edging out the guy who beat him in the Gyoza championships last month.

Like Magic vs. Bird or Ali vs. Frazier ... Chestnut bellied up to the table next to rival Matt Stonie and put down 13.76 pounds of ribs in 12 minutes at the 8th Annual Nugget World Rib Eating Championship at John Ascuaga's Nugget Casino Resort.

21-year-old Stonie -- who many consider the future of competitive eating -- came in a close 2nd with 11.2 pounds of rib meat.

Both men crushed the previous record of 9.8 pounds ... which was set in 2008 by, you guessed it, Joey Chestnut.

Thanks to our friends at Getaway Reno/Tahoe for the rib footage.

Someone else is finally gonna know what it's like to walk a mile in Warren Sapp's shoes ... 'cause some sneakerhead just bought 213 pairs of Warren's Nikes in a bankruptcy auction, TMZ has learned.

We broke the story ... Warren's shoes were seized by a court-appointed bankruptcy trustee when the NFL Hall of Famer filed for Chapter 7 back in 2012 after claiming he was millions of dollars in debt.

Now, as part of the deal Warren struck with his creditors, some of his items were sold at a bankruptcy auction ... including 213 pairs of Nikes, which sold to a guy from Connecticut for a whopping $6,390.

For the record, that breaks down to $30 a pair ... not bad for some pretty sick kicks (some appeared to have never been worn).

Now here's the rub -- Warren initially reported that he owned 240 PAIRS of Nikes ... so, there are 27 pairs of shoes that weren't included in the sale ... and it's possible, the remainders could be so valuable, they'll be auctioned off in a separate sale.

Then again, Warren was also given the opportunity to buy back some of his assets ... so it's possible he managed to hang on to his faves.

Blue II, the biggest celebrity to ever urinate on the hallowed grounds of Butler University's campus in Indianapolis, has died.

The English Bulldog mascot passed away Saturday of congestive heart failure, school officials announced today. “A tough day,” said head coach Brandon Miller.

Blue II was one of the most recognizable of all school mascots ... appearing at every Butler men's basketball game... and traveling like a rock star aboard the team's chartered jet during the Final Four basketball championships in 2010 and 2011.

Blue II retired from his mascot duties in May. He was succeeded by Butler Blue III, AKA "Trip."

Blue II was 9. Or 63 in dog years.

Blue II is survived by 4,700 Butler University students.

Fact: The most notorious Butler alumnus is Peoples Temple cult leader Jim Jones, who orchestrated the murder/suicide of 909 cult members in Jonestown, Guyana in 1978.

Kris Jenner quarterbacked the move to get attorney Robert Shapiro involved in representing Lamar Odom in his DUI case for one big reason ... and it's not about the criminal case.

Sources familiar with the situation tell TMZ ... Kris went to Shapiro because of his personal experience with drug addiction.

Shapiro's 24-year-old son Brent died of a drug overdose in 2005 -- and Shapiro has been involved with drug addiction foundations and charities ever since.

We're told Kris wants Shapiro to not just represent him in the DUI case -- which frankly is a case that will almost certainly end in probation and license suspension -- but she wants him to become a voice, urging Lamar to seek help.

As we previously reported, Khloe and the rest of the Kardashian clan have been unsuccessful in persuading Lamar to go to rehab.

We're told ... although Kris has asked Shapiro to represent Lamar -- and Shapiro has agreed -- Robert told her he would not take the case unless Lamar is open to treatment.

Khloe Kardashian's ultimatum to Lamar Odom -- get into rehab or get out of our home -- hasn't exactly forced him to take action ... in fact, Lamar's gone completely off the grid with his wife ... TMZ has learned.

We broke the story ... Khloe dropped the tough love on Lamar over the weekend. In the wake of his DUI arrest on Friday, sources tell us she made it clear to Lamar ... he needed to get help, or else the marriage is over.

But we're told since they spoke for 4 hours on Saturday ... Khloe's heard absolutely nothing from Lamar.

As one source put it ... right now Khloe is "totally in the dark" about Lamar's comings and goings -- and the prospects of saving their marriage are getting dimmer everyday.

But Khloe is refusing to let the drama with Lamar affect her social life ... and this weekend, she hit up a Labor Day BBQ fiesta at Katy Perry's house.

During the party, Khloe posed for sexy photos with her friends ... and later tweeted one of the shots to her Twitter page.

Just a few days before the party, Khloe tweeted (and later deleted) the words, "Smile and no one will notice” ... and after this weekend, it seems she's following her own advice.

Tommy Morrison -- a former heavyweight boxing champ and star of "Rocky V" -- died in a Nebraska hospital Sunday night ... after a long battle with AIDS.

Morrison's longtime boxing promoter, Tony Holden, confirmed the death. He tells TMZ, Morrison had been in the hospital for several months battling an illness ... he wouldn't specify what. He died peacefully, his wife by his side.

Back in 1996 Morrison tested positive for HIV, thus ending his boxing career. He later denied having the disease or that it even existed.

In 1990 Morrison starred in "Rocky V" with Sylvester Stallone, playing a rookie boxer training under Rocky Balboa. In 1993 he took home a real title, defeating George Foreman for the heavyweight championship.

He was 44.

Tommy in "Rocky V":

Lamar Odom needs some legal firepower after his DUI arrest, and its OJ Simpson's lawyer Robert Shapiro to the rescue ... TMZ has learned.

Lamar has hired Shapiro in what promises to be a sticky situation. TMZ broke the story ... Lamar was popped early Friday AM on the 101 Freeway ... and cops believe he was under the influence of both drugs and booze.

Shapiro is known for plea bargaining. These cases are pretty standard -- he'll probably plead no contest to one count of DUI and get probation. He'll also be required to attend an alcohol ed class. And, since he refused to submit to a blood-alcohol test, he'll automatically get his driver's license yanked for 1 year. No getting around that.

This has Kris Jenner's paw prints all over it. She's used Shapiro for other legal messes in the past -- most recently Robert Kardashian Jr.'s criminal battery and theft case.

Enough is enough ... Russian President and alleged Super Bowl ring snatcher Vladimir Putin needs to get that ring back on U.S. soil ASAP ... so says Senator John McCain.

Our photog caught up with Sen. McCain in Georgetown Sunday and broke down President Obama's chances of resolving the greatest threat to US-Russian relations since that thing in Cuba.

McCain -- a true American war hero (just sayin') -- says he's outraged and makes it clear ... the SB bling Putin took from New England Patriots owner Robert Kraft ... belongs back in the U.S. of A.

FYI --- Putin denies stealing the ring in 2005, his people say it was a gift. Riiiight.

So, can Prez O -- who's heading to Russia this week -- get it back? Check out JMC's take.

Rose's tax problems are legendary -- just last year, the federal government smacked Pete with a tax bill of $120k for 2009 and 2010.

And before that, Pete racked up a $973k debt with Uncle Sam for stiffing the govt. from 1997 to 2002, though he ultimately paid off that debt.

Dear Tony Parker's rap career ...

You were only 6 years old ... but Tony has decided to put you out of your misery.

You were cheesy ... you were part French ... and you were terrible.

You also inspired YouTube comments like, "Tony, what the f*ck is this?" and "Bad bad bad."

Maybe it's a good thing Tony decided to pull the plug ... at least according to L.A. Lakers player Nick Young ... because, as we said before, you were really, really bad.

But we're not too sad, 'cause as long as YouTube exists, you'll never really die.

Au revoir for now ...

R.I.P. Tony Parker's rap career
2007 - 2013

Khloe Kardashian has given Lamar Odom an ultimatum -- get help or get an apartment.

Our well-placed sources say Khloe has laid down the law -- Lamar can't live at home until he completes rehab -- which he's been unwilling to do since his addiction spun out of control.

Khloe has kicked Lamar out before, but we're told this time she's vowing not to fold ... and Friday's DUI bust was the last straw. Our sources say Lamar didn't call Khloe or his lawyers after the arrest. They found out when TMZ broke the story hours later. Khloe was pissed.

Khloe and Lamar did spend time together Saturday at their home -- but Lamar was sent on his merry way after 4 hours of jawboning about his addiction to crack and other drugs.

Dodgers Stadium could be renamed Beamish Waterproofing Stadium unless the team antes up more than $4 million ... TMZ has learned.

TMZ has obtained liens that have been filed against the Stadium, for services that have gone unpaid. Here's the breakdown:

-- Raymond-Southern California, Inc. ... $2,037,689 for improvements of IDF rooms, clubhouse, press box, concessions and retail

-- Mark Beamish Waterproofing, Inc. ... $129,014 for caulking and sealants

-- ValleyCrest Landscape Development, Inc. ... $443,609.50 for tree location, landscaping and irrigation

-- Safe Scaffolding ... $63,808.02 for erecting and dismantling scaffolding

-- Muir-Chase Plumbing, Inc. ... $1,180,684.94 for plumbing materials and labor

Total delinquency: $3.854,985.46 ... plus interest.

A spokesman for the Dodgers tells TMZ ... this is a big misunderstanding, "It is not uncommon to have liens while the process of verifying bills goes on," adding, "all payments are now being processed." The rep expects the liens to be removed shortly.