TMZ Sports - Page 50

Shaquille O'Neal is looking to fuel his 7'1", 320-pound body with NO meat -- the NBA legend says he's TRYING his best to go vegan!!

Shaq opened up about his health ambitions with comedian Rip Micheals at Slutty Vegan in Atlanta ... where he explained on the "Urban Eats and Treats" show how he's able to eat his favorite foods and still look out for his body at the same time.

"My friend introduced me to this place and it's healthy," the Big Aristotle said in the clip. "For example, I like cheeseburgers, right. But the way she cooks it, I can eat healthy, but still feel like I'm eating bad."

O'Neal -- who played over 20 years in the NBA -- says the "Slutty Vegan" joint in Atlanta allows him to eat his favorite foods without the guilt.

"Whenever I want to cheat, I come over here and cheat," Shaq added.

FYI -- 'Urban Eats & Treats' is a new food and travel series from Kevin Hart's Laugh Out Loud Studios ... where Micheals and his celebrity friends search for the best food and laughs in their respective cities.

Some of the show's featured guests include Shaq, DJ Envy, Bill Bellamy, Nick Cannon, Russell Peters, Deon Cole, Tamar Braxton and more.

The big fella says his healthy diet would usually consist of chicken salad, steak, and fish ... but now that he's trying to make changes, the S.V. restaurant helps him feel like he's pigging out.

Of course, Shaq is involved with multiple businesses as an owner -- Papa John's, Auntie Anne's, and Krispy Kreme to name a few ... but surprisingly, he says he doesn't go there for his junk food.

Floyd Mayweather helped a guy turn in his back into the biggest yearbook signature page ever -- etching his name right into his skin ... just one more out of hundreds already there.

The boxing great was on hand Saturday for The Parlor Games Celebrity Basketball Classic (presented by Celebrity Sports Entertainment), where he was one of many celebs in Vegas for star-studded game on the court.

At one point, though, it appears he was approached by social media influencer Funky Matas -- who's kinda famous for all the writing on his body ... specifically, his entire back.

Stars like Will Smith, Gerard Butler, Steve-O, Michael J. Fox, Elijah Wood, Christopher Lloyd, Chris Rock, Usain Bolt, Tara Reid, Mike Tyson, Tony Hawk, Rob Schneider, Travis Barker and even the guy who voiced SpongeBob SquarePants ... just to name a few.

All in all, he's got upwards of 300 signatures -- yes, he's world record holder -- and now ... Floyd's in the pantheon too. Dude did seem a little hesitant though, and we can't blame him.

Prince Harry might be far across the pond, but he's still a Brit -- just look at him galloping with a stick in hand as he tries to whack a ball ... all the way over here in sunny California!

The Duke of Sussex got his polo on Friday during a match at the Santa Barbara Polo and Racquets Club, where we're told he played on a team called Los Padres (the green jerseys, it seems) alongside a pal of his ... and apparently this happened last minute.

In any case, Hare clearly needed to stretch it out before getting on the horse to ride -- and he did exactly that ... with some mid-level squats, and extra effort to work out his glutes.

Of course ... his wife, Meghan Markle, was also there to watch her prince do his thing -- and once Harry was on the field ... it appears he saw some serious action. The dude's been playing a long time, BTW, dating back to his youth ... so the sport comes naturally.

This has gotta make him feel right at home ... which is nice, since he's sorta keeping London at arm's length at the moment -- this following his brief visit recently to see meemaw.

He told Hoda Kotb not too long ago that he misses his family ... but dodged the follow-up when his brother and father were specifically brought up -- alluding to the ongoing rift.

There were 2 fights connected to the boxing showdown between Katie Taylor and Amanda Serrano Saturday night -- the fight in the ring, and the fight between their supporters, Jake Paul and Conor McGregor.

Katie beat Serrano in a split decision at Madison Square Garden. Conor -- true to form -- who's in Katie's corner, zeroed in on Jake on social media, comparing him to deceased BBC personality Jimmy Savile ... a man who was suspected of sexual abuse.

McGregor wrote, "Who the f*** is this jackass in the pink Jimmy Savile glasses?"

Now what a shock, we say jokingly, Jake responded ... "I'm the one who has done more for fighters than you ever have; the one who has won five fights in the past two years while you have lost five."

Jake wasn't done ... "The one who isn’t owned by Dana White, the one who made the fight you just watched happen, the one who got your hero Katie Taylor paid, that’s who."

McGregor's comeback ... a pic of Savile sporting pink glasses similar to the ones Jake wore at the Garden.

The 2 have been trash talking for months now, and ya gotta think a fight would line both their pockets with millions and millions of bucks. Problem for Conor -- Jake is 6'1" and 210 lbs, while Conor's 5'8", and now weighs about 175 lbs.

A youth softball umpire in Mississippi claims an irate parent assaulted her, allegedly punching her in the face, all 'cause the mom didn't like the way she was calling the game ... and now the parent has been arrested for assault.

Ump, Kristi Moore, tells TMZ Sports the alleged incident went down Saturday, April 9 ... when she was umpiring a 12 and under softball game between MVP and Southern Select in Laurel, MS.

Moore says the mother of a child on MVP named Kiara Thomas allegedly began yelling profanities at her, saying, "I will slap the f*** outta you bitch," as Kristi was calling the game.

Kristi tells us Thomas was asked to leave the field, but refused to, and told her she'd be waiting to confront her after the game was over.

And, according to Moore, the mom kept her word. The ump claims Thomas walked up to her and punched her square in the eye, causing a black eye, cuts and scratches under Kristi's eye.

Moore says she didn't immediately go to the hospital, but did seek medical attention the next day ... when she went to see a doctor for severe bruising she says she sustained during the altercation.

Thankfully for Kristi, she says a staff member at the softball field jotted down the license plate of the vehicle Thomas was driving after she left the field following the alleged attack.

And, according to police docs we obtained, 32-year-old Thomas was apprehended by authorities after they initiated a traffic stop ... and arrested for simple assault.

Moore bonded out the same night she was locked up, per the Laurel PD incident report.

The longtime ump also says the USFA softball organization has banned Thomas and the team, MVP, from the league.

USFA has not directly confirmed the banning of MVP and Thomas.

As for Moore ... she tells us she's rescheduled her upcoming games in order to take a much-needed break, saying she isn't mentally ready to call games.

Dez Bryant ain't done with football yet ... the former Dallas Cowboys superstar tells TMZ Sports he's not retired -- and still wants to catch passes from Kyler Murray in the desert.

We got Bryant out at Planet Hollywood in Las Vegas this week ... and he made it clear, despite not playing since the 2020 season, he's not callin' it a career yet.

In fact, Dez told us he's still gunnin' to get a contract with the Arizona Cardinals.

"Kyler, the coach -- I love the swagger over there," said the 33-year-old, who initially revealed to us back in 2021 that he wanted to be a Card. "I just love the guys, especially DeAndre Hopkins -- that's my boy. We real close."

Bryant said he'd be willing to take a bit of a backseat in order to play for Kliff Kingsbury -- explaining he wouldn't mind being a backup wideout and a locker room guy if needed.

Bryant told us being a mentor to young players is something that's important to him ... and, clearly, he believes he could be valuable in that role and beyond for the Cardinals.

As for if he's still in shape -- Bryant said not quite yet, but he told us he ain't too far off.

LeBron James is getting a ton of blame for the Lakers' failures this season, but Kent Bazemore is coming to his teammate's defense ... telling TMZ Sports the King did everything he could to help L.A. win.

A quick Google search of "LeBron Lakers" will show experts and analysts pointing the finger at the 4-time champ over the team's inability to make the playoffs ... especially after his reported influence on acquiring Russell Westbrook, an experiment that crashed and burned.

But, Bazemore wants to hear none of that talk -- sticking up for what James has done on-and-off the court.

"The dude was third in the league in scoring," Baze said at LAX this week. "What else do you want him to do? He put his body through a lot this year to be there for us."

37-year-old James finished with 30.3 points, 8.2 rebounds and 6.2 assists a game this season ... bringing him 1,325 points away from passing Kareem Abdul-Jabbar on the all-time list.

"He's chasing Kareem," Kent added. "He's done a lot for the game. He's given a platform to a lot of people. He's changing the world."

When asked if LeBron deserves more respect for what he's done over the years, Bazemore replied, "100%."

Charles Cross is unsure what to get his mom when the cash starts to roll in from his new Seahawks contract ... but she tells TMZ Sports she knows exactly what she wants -- a new home!

The former Mississippi State offensive tackle was taken by Seattle with the #9 overall pick in Thursday's NFL draft -- and with that slotting, he's set to make a whole lot of money.

So, a few hours after he got picked, we had to ask him -- what's the first purchase going to be?!

"I'ma do something for my mom," the 21-year-old said.

Charles, though, didn't know exactly what to get her ... but when we asked her, she made it pretty clear!

"A home," Cross' mother said. "Just a nice home."

Cross' mom told us she's very proud of her son -- who went from being a redshirt freshman to being named First Team All-SEC in 2021 ... adding that she and him are "very excited" to be the newest members of the 12s.

Adele is close to finalizing a deal to bring her Vegas residency to a new home ... with her sights set on a premiere date in a few months.

Sources with direct knowledge of the singer's plans tell TMZ ... she and her team are in serious talks with the people over at Planet Hollywood, and will do the show at Zappos Theater -- barring any unforeseen setbacks.

As we reported, Adele was supposed to do a residency at The Colosseum at Caesars Palace earlier this year -- but the show was derailed and canceled after what she first claimed was a COVID outbreak, but then it came out the postponement was really over creative issues.

Our sources say there'll be some major perks for Adele at Zappos ... she'll have full creative control over the show. And, get this, we're told Adele will also rake in a large cut of ticket sales -- a significant enhancement considering Zappos holds 7,000 people compared to The Colosseum's 4,100.

As for the dates, the official schedule is still being worked out, but the aim is for a late summer start that will run through the end of 2022 -- makes sense considering she recently revealed she wants to have a baby in 2023.

You'd think there might be some bad blood between The Colosseum and Zappos with Adele -- but both venues fall under the Caesars Entertainment family -- so all is good.

Adele's been spending the last few months with her bf Rich Paul, taking in NBA games and even dropping in at a London gay bar for some fun.

It'll either be the couch or Tampa Bay for Rob Gronkowski in 2022 ... 'cause the tight end tells TMZ Sports the only team he'd come back to the NFL for is the Buccaneers.

We got Gronk just before he partied his face off at his "Gronk Beach" fiesta in Las Vegas on Friday ... and he told us he's down to just two options for his immediate future.

The first, retirement. The second, the Bucs. And, that's it.

"It's just the Bucs," Gronkowski said. "Love that organization, man. Love the guys there. It's family over there."

Gronk had appeared to flirt with the idea of playing for another team earlier this offseason ... at one point, praising Joe Burrow so heavily, some wondered if he could end up in Cincinnati.

But, the 32-year-old future Hall of Famer made it clear this week, if he does come back, "it'll be the Bucs."

Gronk still appears to be a ways away from making any final decision, though ... instead, he's focused solely on getting after it in Sin City this weekend.

X-Pac tells TMZ Sports there's no way in hell he'd step inside the ring to fight WWE Smackdown women's champion, Charlotte Flair ... saying, "She'd f***ing kill me."

We spoke with the WWE Hall of Famer about Charlotte, daughter of "Nature Boy" Ric Flair, this week ... and asked him if the "Nature Girl" should compete against men on a regular basis.

"You know, I'm open-minded about all that," Pac said. "I mean, obviously, I come from an older school of thought, so it's weird for some of us older cats to see that, but I think we should be open to that, man."

"Plus, she's incredible. She's an alpha female if there ever was one."

Intergender wrestling, commonly referred to as mixed wrestling, is not uncommon in WWE. Women wrestle men all the time in tag-team matches, but as far as 1-on-1s, they very rarely happen.

Pac tells us, though, if there's any woman capable of holding her own in singles matches with men, it's the champ, Charlotte.

"You see it in movies," the former DX member said. "Women are strong now, they beat the s*** out of dudes these days."

Pac, who started his wrestling career in the late '80s, admits that some of the guys he came up with in the industry might not support Charlotte fighting men full-time ... but he's "all for it."

"I know some of my friends might not dig it," the 49-year-old told us. "But, I'm all for it."

As for if he'd get in the ring with her ... the KING of the "Bronco Buster" returned to the squared circle a few months ago and looked damn impressive -- but he said don't expect to see him fight Charlotte any time soon.

It ain't ranch, blue cheese or honey mustard ... no, the best sauce in the world, according to New York Jets top pick Ahmad "Sauce" Gardner, is BBQ!!!

Gardner dubbed the sweet, tangy dip #1 to TMZ Sports shortly after he was selected with the fourth overall pick in Thursday night's NFL draft ... but he insisted that he does like "all" of the sauces.

When it comes to the heat category ... Ahmad tells us he loves hot sauces, too -- and watch the clip, he revealed his favorite one to us as well.

As for why he's so closely associated with sauces ... Gardner, widely considered the best cornerback prospect in this weekend's draft, said he got the nickname "Sauce" from a youth football coach back in the day.

The 21-year-old said that he was so smooth and quick, his coach called him "A1 Sauce Sweet Feet Gardner." It was later shortened to just "Sauce."

Turns out, Ahmad is a huge fan of dipping sauces too -- and thus, the nickname has stuck for over a decade.

Rob Font will absolutely take the fight, but the UFC contender tells TMZ Sports he doesn't believe a win over Chito Vera on Saturday will propel him to a title shot ... he thinks he still has work to do.

We talked to the 34-year-old, #5 ranked bantamweight as he began to cut weight earlier this week (Note: Font ended up missing weight, and will lose 20% of his purse) for his fight with Vera at UFC Fight Night -- and we asked if he believed a win sets him up for title shot against Aljamain Sterling.

"It's a great opportunity to get back out there, get some exposure, get another main event. I appreciate that. But, it's not like I go out there and put this guy away, 'I'm getting a title shot,'" Font says.

"But, that's cool, too. I'm coming off a loss. I'm not in denial. Like 'Oh yeah, I deserve a title.' That's why I'm saying one or two away. My main focus is obviously Chito."

It's not the typical response.

In fact, we also talked to Chito ... and although the 29-year-old is ranked a few spots lower than RF at #8, when we asked if a win would put him within one fight of the belt, Vera says the dub over Font could catapult him into the Octagon with Sterling.

"Or, I can fight straight for the belt. You never know what's gonna happen."

Chito continued ... "Winning is everything. You go in there and put on a good performance, you probably get what you wish for."

And, Vera's logic isn't crazy ... "I get in there, put on a great performance, go through him and I become number 5 by next week. And, we go from there. Once you're in the top 5 you're a title contender."

The UFC's bantamweight division is competitive. Aljo just defeated #1 contender, Petr Yan, at UFC 273 a few weeks ago. T.J. Dillashaw, former champion, recovering from ligament injuries he had fixed last summer, is ranked #2. The legend Jose Aldo, #3. Cory Sandhagen, #4. Then Font at 5# ... followed by Merab Dvalishvili, Dominick Cruz, and Marlon at #8.

No easy fights in the top 10 ... but both these men are badasses.

Chito's beaten Sean O'Malley (we know, "still undefeated") and Frankie Edgar. Meanwhile, Font's racked-up wins over Cody Garbrandt, Sergio Pettis and Marlon Moraes.

Check out the clips ... there's more talk about the actual fight.

Even Shakur Stevenson -- one of the most talented boxers in the world -- is admittedly surprised he's a big favorite over undefeated opponent, Oscar Valdez, straight-up telling TMZ Sports he doesn't get it.

"I actually don't understand it. I'm thinking like the odds are gonna be closer. I was willing to go put my whole fight check up for this fight, but you gotta give him the respect he deserves ... but I don't think the fans are," Stevenson says.

"Well, not the fans but the betting odds and the people and all that, I don't think they giving him a fair shake which I understand 'cause it's me but at the end of the day, I don't understand it either."

But, don't mistake Shakur's honesty for a lack of confidence in his ability ... he's just keeping it a buck, saying what educated fans know -- Valdez has hands.

FYI, 31-year-old Valdez, who has been working with Canelo Alvarez, has never lost a professional fight ... he's 30-0 with 23 knockouts.

Stevenson is younger ... just 24 years old, and is also undefeated at 24-0 with 9 KO's.

Despite the career accolades, Oscar is a sizeable underdog ... especially for a champion. In fact, many sportsbooks require you to lay down (-)$800 simply to win $100. Believe Valdez will win (like Canelo)? You'll only have to risk $100 to win (+)$500.

Obviously, Shakur's not overlooking Valdez ... and when we asked him if it was the toughest fight of his career, Stevenson was inclined to agree.

"On paper. On paper when they look at the records and what Valdez has done in the sport of boxing already, it looks like it's the hardest fight of my career but we never know until we get into the ring."

"Stylistically, it might be one of the easiest fights or it may be the hardest fight at the end of the day. You never know until you get in the ring."

A third woman has come forward and accused Trevor Bauer of crossing the line during sex ... claiming the pitcher choked her unconscious and slapped her in the face without consent back in 2013 and 2014.

The accusations were published just hours after MLB handed Bauer a 2-year ban for violating the league's domestic violence and sexual assault policy. The woman claims she spoke with league investigators during its 10-month-long probe.

The woman claims she met Bauer on a dating app in April 2013 ... back when he was a member of Cleveland's minor league team in Columbus.

The woman makes it clear the sex during their relationship was always consensual -- but claims during intercourse, "things happened outside of my consent," according to the Washington Post.

Among the allegations, the woman claims Bauer choked her during sex, which she agreed to "to a certain point." However, she says in ensuing encounters, he grabbed her throat until she passed out, which she says she was against.

She claims Bauer choked her unconscious dozens of times ... and he would only stop if she "got pissed and was like desperate about it" or if she passed out.

The woman says on one of the occasions, after she regained consciousness, Bauer was anally penetrating her without her consent.

The woman says she actually has video of at least one of the alleged choking incidents ... 'cause Bauer allegedly recorded their sexual encounters with a GoPro camera either mounted on a tripod or strapped to his head.

The accuser is represented by high-powered attorney Joe Tacopina, who claims he has seen the video -- "She’s clearly struggling to breathe and tapping his arm to let go, and you see her skin color darkening," the attorney told the Post.

The allegations are similar in nature to that of Bauer's other accusers ... who say their sexual encounters all started consensually, but went to a place that was beyond their approval.

Bauer -- who hasn't pitched since June 2021 -- has vehemently denied any wrongdoing since the first accusations were made public ... and has vowed to appeal his 2-year ban from MLB.

Police and the district attorney investigated claims made by Bauer's first accuser in California ... but officials opted not to file charges. This week, Bauer filed a lawsuit against her, claiming she tried to ruin his career.

Future NY Giants star Kayvon Thibodeaux was shinin' brighter than the Las Vegas lights -- with this insane 40-carat diamond pendant the DE rocked while being drafted 5th overall by the G-Men.

Jeweler Saki Diamonds tells TMZ Sports he made KT the iced out chain to honor his "Jream" (pronounced dream) foundation ... where Kayvon helps underprivileged kids.

"It meant a lot to me," Saki, a former football coach (before he switch professions), told us.

The pendant looks just like the Jream logo ... with a little boy reaching for the stars in the cloudy sky. It's filled with 40 carats of canary yellow, black and white VVS diamonds.

And, if the piece wasn't cool enough ... the chain and pendant are both reversible!

"He can have 4 different looks in one chain and pendant," Saki said.

Saki says it also glows in the dark ... "when the lights go off on the pendant, you still see the clouds and the stars."

The Jacksonville jeweler says the 1st round pick came up with the idea and it took two weeks to get the piece ready for his big night.

Kayvon wasn't the only athlete wearing Saki's work at the draft ... former Georgia Bulldog Nakobe Dean copped an iced-out rose gold Cuban link chain and a two-tone Cuban bracelet.

Garrett Wilson -- who went 10th overall to the NY Jets -- was also seen rockin' a Saltwater Akoya pearl necklace and Cartier shades.

Saki -- whose client list ranges from NFL's Marlon Mack to Za'Darius Smith -- says it's an honor they chose him to put something together for a life-changing moment.