TMZ Sports - Page 50

Luke Walton admits he did meet up with the woman accusing him of sexual assault in a Santa Monica hotel room ... but the Sacramento Kings head coach says she's lying about what went down.

In new legal docs obtained by TMZ Sports ... Walton claims his accuser, Kelli Tennant, was the person who initiated their meet-up, but he is adamant their encounter was "platonic" and nothing sexual even occurred.

In the docs, Walton claims when he was a Warriors coach, Tennant drove to meet him at a hotel the team was staying at while in town to play the Lakers, something she initiated.

TMZ Sports broke the story ... Kelli filed a lawsuit back in April claiming Walton sexually assaulted her and forced himself on her in his hotel room. 

Now, Walton is pushing back against many of her claims from her lawsuit ... he says he did NOT write a foreword for her book, says he was NOT her broadcasting mentor and says there was NO sexual assault when she dropped off her book at his hotel. 

In the docs, Walton claims Tennant never complained to him or anyone else, including law enforcement, about any aspect of the visit that she initiated ... and he points out she waited nearly 5 years to file her complaint.

The heat Nike is taking over the controversy surrounding Colin Kaepernick and the Betsy Ross Flag Shoe is having another effect ... enhancing the brand's appeal to investors. 

Nike shares are surging in the wake of the company's decision to recall its special Betsy Ross Flag Air Max 1 USA sneakers after Kaepernick complained the 13-star flag design was offensive because it's been co-opted by several white nationalist groups. 

Since Nike pulled the plug on the sneakers following Kaepernick's objections earlier this week, Nike shares have seen a 2 percent increase since Tuesday, adding nearly $3 BILLION to the shoe giant's market value. 

Friday afternoon, trading Nike shares were up slightly to $86.62 and the company's market value is now $136.38 billion.

The stock surge looks a lot like what Kevin O'Leary predicted a few days ago ... the "Shark Tank" investor told us Nike is taking advantage of the controversy with a firestorm of free marketing. 

Tedy Bruschi, a three-time Super Bowl champion and New England Patriots legend, is recovering after suffering a stroke ... according to the former-NFL player's family. 

Tedy's family shared a medical update Friday afternoon on the current ESPN analyst, saying he's recovering well after suffering a stroke on the Fourth of July. 

The statement from the Bruschi family says ... "Yesterday afternoon, Tedy had a stroke, known as a TIA. He recognized the warning signs immediately: arm weakness, face drooping and speech difficulties. Tedy is recovering well, and would like to thanks the nurses, doctors, and staff at Sturdy Memorial Hospital for all they have done."

The statement continues ... "Tedy and his family thank you for your ongoing encouragement, and kindly ask for privacy at this time."

Tedy, now 46, also suffered a mild stroke way back in 2005, when he was 31 and still playing linebacker for Bill Belichick's Patriots defense.

Bruschi recovered well enough from his 2005 stroke to return to the gridiron, playing pro football for another 4 seasons. All told, he played 13 seasons for the Pats, winning three Super Bowls as the heart and soul of the New England defense. 

USA soccer star Alex Morgan is upset that people are upset with her for daring to be brash after her team defeated England in the World Cup and she pretended to sip a cup of tea.

Morgan just said, "I feel that there is some sort of double standard for females in sports," adding, "to feel like we have to be humble in our successes and have to celebrate, but not too much or in a limited fashion. You see men celebrating all over the world in big tournaments, grabbing their sacks or whatever it is. And when I look at sipping a cup of tea, I am a little taken aback by the criticism." 

Alex went on to say her gesture was in-part an homage to "Game of Thrones" star Sophie Turner, who famously offers opinions on Instagram stories and ends with the phrase, "And that's the tea" as she sips from a cup.

The women's team -- which can we say is awesome -- is famous for their play and their after-play, notably Megan Rapinoe's comments that she's not at all interested in trekking to The White House to visit Donald Trump. 

A 70-year-old marathon runner who was just disqualified for cheating in the L.A. Marathon back in March was found dead in the Los Angeles River.

Dr. Frank Meza, a retired physician, told his wife he was going for a run and that's the last time he was seen. His body was found Thursday morning in the River lying in shallow water.

Dr. Meza was distraught over the cheating allegation ... he had set a Marathon record for his age class -- 2 hours, 53 minutes, 10 seconds in the March Marathon, but officials became suspicious. Officials found video and eyewitnesses who said he had left the course and reentered from a different location.  

L.A. Marathon Officials officially disqualified Dr. Meza Monday ... 3 days before his death.

Dr. Meza acknowledged he left the course, but only to find a bathroom.

His wife said running was extremely important to Dr. Meza and he strongly denied the cheating allegation.

It wasn't the first time Meza was accused of cutting corners.  He had twice been disqualified from the Sacramento Marathon after authorities determined he cut the course.  He was banned from participating in that marathon.

A daredevil attempting to jump a motorcycle farther than anyone severely injured both his ankles in a super scary crash during a practice jump for HISTORY's live TV special ... and the video is gnarly. 

The rider, Axell Hodges, crashed hard while attempting to beat Robbie Maddison's world-record distance for a motorcycle jump -- 378 feet and 9 inches -- tumbling off his bike while trying to stick the landing. 

Ya gotta see the video ... Axell is flying through the air on his dirt bike, but when he finally comes down on the other side of the jump, he loses control of the bike and his body goes skidding down the pavement. 

You'll see more footage of Alex's crash Sunday night during HISTORY's live TV special, "Evel Live 2," when female rider and four-time X Games medalist Vicki Golden attempts to set a new world record in an epic live motorcycle firewall stunt.

TV legend Jimmie Walker is sick and tired of NBA stars complaining about life -- telling icons like LeBron James, KD and Kyrie Irving to keep quiet and just be happy to be making so much money. 

"The thing that upsets me the most about NBA players is they're so upset, they're so angry," the former "Good Times" star told TMZ Sports. 

"Kyrie Irving, Kevin Durant ... what are you upset about? I'm happy if I'm making that kind of money! They're always complaining."

72-year-old Walker says NBA stars have lost touch with reality -- "They don't understand what it's like to be in real life. Real life is getting your own bags off the [luggage carousel]. No charters, no limos waiting for you ... that's what real life is about."

Walker also went off on NBA stars for getting too political -- saying, "I think that when you're making $150 million a year, people don't want to hear your political views." 

He added, "They should have NO political views. They should be very happy to say, 'I'm doing good.' Donate to charity, do your basketball charity benefits or whatever, but don't put people down."

"Just say, 'I'm very fortunate to be here. I'm lucky and I'm very happy.'"

Malik McDowell -- a Seattle Seahawks' 2017 2nd-round pick -- turned pale, began to sweat profusely and began "breathing very heavily" when cops questioned him about a stolen vehicle that was parked in his garage, this according to police officers themselves.

The interaction is all in police docs obtained by TMZ Sports ... which give explicit detail into how the 23-year-old defensive lineman tried to explain how a stolen, $75,000 2019 Ford F-150 Raptor ended up at his home.

Cops say two 2019 Ford F-150s were stolen off a Ford Motor overflow lot in Michigan in late March or early April.

One of the stolen vehicles -- which you can see in pics obtained by TMZ Sports -- ended up sending a GPS signal that led cops to McDowell's Southfield, Michigan residence on April 8.

That's when officers say they found the truck in McDowell's garage ... and when they began questioning him about the vehicle, they say, "Malik was breathing very heavily, sweating and had a sallow look to his face."

Cops say Malik explained he purchased the vehicle in March for $5,000 from a random man on a local street in Detroit.

Cops say Malik didn't know the seller's name or phone number ... but said he was supposed to receive the proper paperwork from the guy for the car at a later date.

When cops asked how he would do that without the man's contact info or even name ... cops say McDowell "could not answer."

Then, cops say when they pressed McDowell about possibly lying about buying a brand new 2019 vehicle for $5,000 from a random person on the street ... they say McDowell changed his answer.

"I actually only bought the vehicle for $3,000," he told them.

Cops ended up towing the car out of McDowell's garage, and eventually arrested the 6-foot-6, 299-pound NFL player for felony receiving and concealing stolen property.

It's the second time in the last few months McDowell was arrested in Michigan ... back on Feb. 18, a Lathrup Village police officer spotted him driving recklessly in a Jeep Grand Cherokee and tried to question him.

When Malik became combative, the two walked toward a nearby gas station and got into an altercation.

Per police records, McDowell and the officer wrestled -- with the cop hitting the NFL player with a taser.

Eventually, McDowell was subdued, arrested and charged with several serious offenses, including felony assault/resisting arrest.

Teyana Taylor's setting off her own kinda fireworks down in South Beach ... just ask Iman Shumpert.

The singer showed off her incredible bikini bod Thursday in Miami. She was there with her NBA hubby and her daughter. BTW .... that outfit she's wearing also pleased another man besides Shumpert ... singer J Balvin. And, that's because the top she's wearing comes from Balvin's Guess x J Balvin Vibras collection.

Check out the pics ... pretty sure your eyes are easily gonna be diverted elsewhere. Can't blame ya. Teyana's known for getting everyone riled up. Like ... who can forget her sexiest lap dance EVER?

Joey Chestnut got off to a STRONG start at Nathan's Hot Dog Eating Contest and never looked back ... securing his fourth straight victory but dude still looked a bit bummed.

The hot dog eating god wolfed down 71 hot dogs in 10 minutes to earn his 12th overall Mustard Belt at Coney Island. But Chestnut looked disappointed ... he said he'd been eyeing 75 hot dogs for the world record. He can hang his head high on this -- absolutely NO ONE was gonna ketchup to him. Darron Breeden ate 50 dogs to finish as the runner-up.

As we reported ... Chestnut broke the world record last year with a whopping 74 wieners. His previous record had been 72. 

BTW ... Japan's Takeru Kobayashi no longer takes part in the Super Bowl of eating competitions. He and Chestnut were featured in a "30 for 30" special earlier this week ... which prompted legendary sports reporter Peter King to rip the contest. Chestnut took serious issue with that.

Over on the women's side ... Miki Sudo devoured 31 hot dogs to earn her sixth straight win. She easily defeated the runner-up, Michelle Lesco, who gorged 26 hot dogs. Sudo couldn't beat her total from last year ... when she took down 37 hot dogs. The all-time women's record is 45 hot dogs in 10 minutes ... set by Sonya "The Black Widow" Thomas.

Kobe and Vanessa Bryant have just posted the first pic of their new baby girl ... and she's incredibly adorbs!!!

You know by now the baller fam named their daughter, Capri Kobe Bryant, and that the future Hall of Famer nicknamed her KoKo. But here she is in all her glory and she's literally a bundle of joy ... wrapped in a swaddle and looking angelic with a rosy headband.

As we reported ... Kobe and Vanessa welcomed their fourth daughter last month. She was born on June 20 but the family announced the birth the following day. The proud papa wrote, "We are beyond excited that our baby girl 'Koko' has arrived #BryantBunch #4princesses #blessed."

Vanessa was just as excited, obvi. She wrote, "So thankful for our newest baby blessing."

Miami Dolphins defensive tackle Kendrick Norton was in a horrific accident Thursday morning, and lost an arm in the crash.

The crash occurred just after 1 AM on State Road 836 in Miami. Kendrick was driving his Ford F-250 when it struck a concrete barrier wall and flipped over, coming to rest on its roof.

According to police dispatch audio, EMT personnel requested a Heavy 1 -- a tow truck that can lift a large vehicle.  It appears his arm was pinned underneath the truck.  Part of the police dispatch audio suggests the arm may have been severed at the scene ... you hear the operator say, "Cannot reach the amputator [or amputated] arm."

They canceled the Heavy 1 because fire and rescue personnel were able to free the arm.

Kendrick and a female companion were rushed to a nearby hospital. We do not know the status of their condition, but we're told it's "non life-threatening."

Here's the best pitch Michael Kopech's ever made ... the Chicago White Sox prized prospect proposed to "Riverdale" star Vanessa Morgan -- AND SHE SAID YES!!!

23-year-old Kopech -- who's rehabbin' after a Tommy John surgery last year -- was vacationing with his GF near the Grand Canyon on Wednesday ... when he got on a knee and proposed.

Morgan said yes, calling the stud pitcher afterward, "My Forever."

Kopech and Morgan have been dating for over a year now -- and the two have all the makings of a huge A-list couple.

Kopech, who was previously in a high profile relationship with reality star Brielle Biermann, is the White Sox's top prospect ... and is expected to be a future ace when his right arm heals up.

As for Morgan, she appeared on a couple episodes of Degrassi: The Next Generation back in 2013 ... and she's been blowing up as "Toni" on "Riverdale" the past couple years.

Kopech said of her after the proposal, "I'll never have enough words to tell you how much I love you, but I promise to always you show you."

UFC legend B.J. Penn tried to get into a scrap with a strip club DJ before he ultimately got into a street brawl with the bouncer ... this according to 911 calls obtained by TMZ Sports.

Penn was involved in a melee at Club Femme Nu in Honolulu last week ... with the UFC Hall of Famer mounting a man and shoving his elbow into the guy's throat.

Cops were called to the scene ... but since no victim came forward -- Penn was never arrested, and charges haven't been filed.

But, now, we're learning more about the incident ... with a 911 caller telling dispatch Penn had tried to fight the club's DJ before he got into the street fight outside.

"So B.J. Penn is here causing a fight with the DJ," a woman tells dispatch.

The woman is clearly annoyed with Penn ... and goes on to say he had been stirring up problems throughout the night, saying, "It's really pissing me off."

"He's just running around with shorts and no shirt on. Screaming and yelling and trying to cause problems again."

In another 911 call obtained by TMZ Sports ... you can hear a man clearly concerned about the fight Penn was in outside, with the guy telling dispatch they need help separating the two.

Rap mogul Irv Gotti is a hardcore New York Knicks fan -- and he didn't hold back when we asked how he felt about the Knicks striking out in free agency ... 

"Man, F*ck Dolan!"

Yeah, he ain't happy. 

Gotti -- along with a bunch of other Knicks fans -- are furious with owner James Dolan for not signing any of the marquee free agents up for grabs over the past few days. 

He's especially upset about Kevin Durant -- who not only didn't sign with the Knicks, but inked a deal just down the way with the Brooklyn Nets. 

Ditto for Kyrie Irving and DeAndre Jordan. 

"Yay for the Nets," Gotti told TMZ Sports sarcastically the other day ... "I feel like Stephen A. Smith. I'm disgusted."

Dolan has been having a rough 2019 -- back in March, he took a lot of heat after he was caught on video ejecting a Knicks fan from Madison Square Garden after the fan heckled Dolan to sell the team. 

Can size and strength overcome decades of hardcore MMA training if a UFC fighter and an NFL lineman threw down in a real life street fight?!

It's a debate we've been having in the office for months ... so we brought in 2 guys who would know a little something about it to hash it out on the "TMZ Sports" TV show. 

Bryant McKinnie is a 6'8", 375 pound former NFL lineman with crazy athletic ability -- and played pro for 11 seasons. 

Tyron Woodley is 5'9" and fights at 170 pounds -- and is considered one of the greatest UFC welterweight champs of all time. 

So, who wins if they fight in the street???

"Somebody's gotta get the business," Woodley said ... "I can't be on the receiving end!"

You gotta listen to the two superstars go back and forth and state their cases about why they would emerge victorious ... it's actually really interesting. 

But, the bottom line here ... DON'T FIGHT WITH EITHER ONE OF THESE GUYS IF YOU VALUE YOUR LIFE!!!