TMZ Sports - Page 50

Carmelo Anthony wanted to play for Team USA in the FIBA World Cup ... but team organizers REJECTED the NBA superstar out of fear he could be a "distraction."

Yeah ... Jerry Colangelo seriously said that about the 3-time gold medalist and all-time leading scorer in Team USA history.

The Team USA hoops managing director says Melo expressed interest in playing in the upcoming international tourney (set to begin later this month) but Jerry says he wanted the team to go in a different direction.

“I love Carmelo,” Colangelo told Sports Illustrated. “He made a great contribution. He was a very good international player."

"But for where we are and what we’re doing, that conceivably could have been a distraction. I understand why the request was made. He’s trying to reestablish himself. I think that has to be done in the [NBA].”

It's a questionable decision to turn Melo away ... considering the biggest names on the USA roster -- from Kawhi Leonard and Kevin Love to James Harden and Dame Lillard -- have opted to sit this one out.

USA will be repped by young stars like Donovan Mitchell, Jayson Tatum and De'Aaron Fox ...as well as Celtics superstar Kemba Walker who tells us he will NOT be dropping out.

Imagine if Draymond Green, Boogie Cousins, John Wall and other NBA stars rolled up on your pickup game and asked to play ...

That's EXACTLY what happened in the Bahamas on Wednesday -- when a group of young ballers got one helluva surprise ... and the whole thing was captured on video.

Cousins was the first guy to walk over ... and despite the fact he was in flip-flops, he grabbed the ball and challenged some of the men to a 1-on-1.

Draymond -- sporting a fanny pack -- followed suit ... along with fellow NBAers Wall and Eric Bledsoe.

Wall is currently nursing a ruptured Achilles tendon he injured back in January -- we should mention that we never see him actually competing in the footage from the Bahamas.

We're told the guys stuck around for about 30 to 45 minutes and couldn't have been nicer to everyone.

Unclear why the group is in the Bahamas -- but word in Nassau is someone is getting married.

These guys have all been friends for years -- with Boogie, Bledsoe and Wall playing college ball together at Kentucky before making it to the NBA.

Shawn Rhoden isn't letting his rape case get in the way of his training ... the 2018 Mr. Olympia hit the legendary Gold's Gym in L.A. this week -- and thanked all his fans for their support.

The 44-year-old bodybuilder is accused of raping a female bodybuilder at a Utah hotel back in October 2018 ... but he's adamantly denied the allegations, pleading not guilty in court and releasing several denial statements.

But, the guys that run the Mr. Olympia contest have barred Rhoden from competing in the 2019 tournament regardless, saying they were breaking off their relationship with the superstar until his case played out in the court system.

Rhoden fans have started a change.org petition to get the Mr. Olympia honchos to change their mind, and more than 17,000 people have already signed it.

Rhoden clearly appreciates the love ... because after we got him getting in a lift in at The Mecca in Venice -- he shouted out his supporters and gave us a bunch of thumbs ups.

Rhoden also says he has yet to hear from the Mr. Olympia competition since the petition has gained traction.

By the way, the gym we spotted Rhoden at is one of the most legendary in the country ... some of the greatest bodybuilders ever -- including Arnold Schwarzenegger in his prime -- have pumped iron there.

Good news for Anthony Davis ... Devean George says you have his FULL PERMISSION to shine in his old #3 Lakers jersey!

"I am not half the player AD is! He can take my number! He can have #3. He can have whatever number he wants," George told TMZ Sports.

Obviously, George is MORE THAN OKAY with the move -- and seems happy the Lakers' newest superstar will be rockin' his old number when he takes the floor with LeBron James this season.

Of course, George had a pretty solid career with the Lakers back in the day -- winning 3 NBA championships during his 7-season run in L.A. from 1999 to 2006.

George couldn't be more humble about the situation -- saying he was a scrappy role player back in the day ... and Davis is obviously a superstar.

DG is clearly still a Lakers fan -- and told us why he thinks AD and LeBron could be the most dangerous duo in the NBA.

WHAT A CATCH ... by the dad in the stands!!!

A Philadelphia Phillies fan made an AMAZING 1-handed grab at Citizens Bank Park on Wednesday ... snagging a foul ball while HOLDING HIS BABY!!

The Phillies were playing the Arizona Diamondbacks when Nick Ahmed fouled a pitch off into the right field stands ... where a dude clutching an infant got under the ball.

With his kid on his hip, the dad reached up and CAUGHT IT WITH 1 HAND -- without dropping the baby!!

The crowd went wild. The Phillies went wild. It was ... WILD!

The broadcasters on NBC Sports Philadelphia were impressed too -- "With a baby in hand, he was able to make the grab," one of the guys said ... "Oh man, what a baller!"

After the catch, the man told reporters he played high school and college baseball ... so he's got a little experience.

Nice grab, dude!

Bad news, Raiders fans ... Justin Gatlin says he suffered a similar cryotherapy injury as star receiver Antonio Brown -- and the U.S. sprinter says it took him MONTHS to get healthy.

The superstar Olympian famously got frostbite on both his feet and ankles after a mishap in the cryogenic chamber back in 2011 -- and the guy says the injury hurt like hell.

In fact, when Gatlin joined "TMZ Sports" (weeknights on FS1) on Wednesday, he said of the frostbite, "It was a disaster. I had, like, boils and blisters all over my ankles."

Gatlin says the injuries were similar to the ones Brown posted on social media a couple weeks ago ... and says he thinks it could be a while before AB is healthy again.

"He's not going to be able to run those routes properly without healing his feet totally."

Gatlin says the recovery process for the injury was brutal, telling the guys, "Every day I had to get those blisters popped by hand by a therapist ... It just got really, really bad."

Good news for Brown ... Gatlin says AB should still be able to resume cryotherapy treatments once he's all healed up by using a more localized form of the cold stuff.

As for AB, the Raiders have been mum on a timeline for the stud wideout ... only calling him day-to-day.

Gatlin says he's friendly with Brown and would be more than willing to offer the WR advice on how to treat the injury.

FYI, Gatlin is 37 years old and still one of the TOP sprinters in the world ... so, AB might wanna give him a buzz.

Kendrick Norton -- bionic man!??!

The former NFL lineman -- who lost half of his left arm in a July car crash -- says doctors told him he's a prime candidate for a state-of-the art prosthetic limb ... one he can control with HIS MIND!

"I had a good case where they preserved a lot of my nerves from my arm, so I'll be able to get a prosthetic I'll be able to control with my mind."

SERIOUSLY!!!

The 22-year-old joined the guys on the "TMZ Sports" TV show (weeknights on FS1) -- and told us how he's adjusting to life after losing his arm from the elbow down.

The good news ... technology in the prosthetic limb industry is CRAZY GOOD right now and Norton says he's a top candidate for a bionic limb that will allow him to control robotic fingers as easily as he controlled his old ones.

We did some research and the science is fascinating -- there are limbs that harness signals transmitted from the brain and essentially tell a robotic hand how to function. It's amazing.

Norton still has some healing to do before he gets fitted ... but he's learning all about his options in the meantime.

"In the medical field, there's a lot of new technology out here I'm just now finding out about."

As for his future, we asked Norton if he's considering finding a new sport where he can compete with one hand ... and while he hasn't ruled it out, it's just not his priority at the moment.

Instead, Norton says he's focusing on starting a non-profit charity and wants to use his platform to inspire kids who are living without limbs.

Kevin Durant wants to make it crystal clear his old team deserves ZERO blame for his NBA Finals injury ... saying the Warriors didn't mishandle his calf injury and no one forced him to play.

KD is finally addressing the ruptured Achilles he suffered during game 5 against the Toronto Raptors ... saying Golden State didn't pressure him to come back early from a calf strain he sustained earlier in the playoffs.

“Hell, no. How can you blame [the Warriors]? Hell, no,” Durant told Chris Haynes of Yahoo Sports.

"Nobody never said a word to me during rehab as I was coming back ... Right when the series started, I targeted Game 5."

"Hell, nah. It just happened. It’s basketball. Sh*t happens. Nobody was responsible for it. It was just the game. We just need to move on from that sh*t because I’m going to be back playing.”

There ya go, critics ... straight from KD's mouth.

Durant also addressed the claims that Raps fans were applauding his injury ... saying he was in a daze and didn't hear anything, but added, "It will probably be the last time they will be in the Finals."

Of course ... the 30-year-old is slowly recovering from the injury ... and TMZ Sports even spotted him walking without crutches last week.

As for his decision to leave the Dubs for Kyrie Irving and the Brooklyn Nets ... KD's reason is very simple.

Pete Carroll might have to find a new LB less than a quarter of the way into the Seahawks' season ... TMZ Sports has learned Mychal Kendricks' insider trading sentencing has been set for Sept. 25.

The 28-year-old confessed and pled guilty to insider trading back in September 2018 ... and he was slated to be punished for the crime last April.

But, the Seahawks stud had his hearing postponed for unknown reasons ... and according to new court docs obtained by TMZ Sports, that date has finally been set for Week 4 of the NFL season.

The 'Hawks are scheduled to play the Arizona Cardinals that week ... but there's a chance Kendricks might not be with the team -- and instead, be behind bars.

Mychal is facing up to 25 YEARS in prison for the offense.

As we previously reported, Kendricks pled guilty to an insider trading scheme where he allegedly made more than $1.2 MILLION by plying a Goldman Sachs analyst with perks like cash and NFL tickets in exchange for private information.

Mychal was cut by the Cleveland Browns shortly after his guilty plea, but he was later picked up by Seattle -- where he served an 8-game suspension from the NFL for violating the league's personal conduct policy.

Jacksonville Jaguars cornerback Jalen Ramsey had the most millennial way of messing with opponents back at Florida State ... he'd make WRs think he was trying to bang their GFs.

"Say I was playing a big receiver at whatever school, I would look up his Instagram and slide in his girlfriend's DMs before the game," Ramsey said on the Bussin' with the Boys podcast with Titans lineman Taylor Lewan and NFLer Will Compton.

And, would it work? Hell yeah it did -- "People get hot about that."

Ramsey -- who played at FSU from 2013 to 2015 -- didn't name any of the WRs he messed with ... but he lined up against future NFL players like Mike Williams and Hunter Renfrow. 

So, did the attempted home-wrecking continue when he got to the League? Ramsey addressed that too.

"I'll say when I got to the league, though, I stopped that 'cause now people got wives and stuff. Somebody get shot over talking about somebody's wives."

Colin Kaepernick is still busting his ass to get back in the NFL ... the ex-49ers superstar just posted a workout video -- and it's INTENSE.

The video shows Kap getting after it in the weight room -- there's push-ups, bench presses, rows, tricep pull-downs and dips ... the guy is CLEARLY still in fantastic shape.

And, with the NFL season starting ... it's obvious Kaepernick wants people to know that despite a settlement in his collusion case with the NFL -- he's still working to make a roster.

In fact, the video starts with the number 889 -- the amount of days Kaepernick says he has been "denied" a job in the league.

Of course, the 31-year-old last played in the NFL in 2016 when he was San Francisco's quarterback ... but he claims controversial kneeling protests during the national anthem forced him to be blackballed from the league.

By the way, Houston Texans backup quarterback AJ McCarron suffered a thumb injury this week and the team is reportedly looking to sign a quarterback for camp ASAP.

Clearly, Kap is hoping to get the call.

Rich Paul's peers are coming to his defense in the wake of a new NCAA rule that seems to be aimed at him ... with NBA agent Daniel Hazan saying the NCAA is making a terrible mistake.

The NCAA's new rule -- dubbed the "Rich Paul Rule" -- is geared toward dissuading players from working with agents who don't have a bachelor's degree, among other requirements.

Long story short ... the NCAA says it will not allow players with remaining eligibility to return to college to play IF they establish a professional relationship with a non-degree holding agent.

The most famous NBA agent without a degree is Rich Paul, who represents everyone from LeBron James to Anthony Davis, Ben Simmons, John Wall ... you get the point.

Enter Hazan -- who at the beginning of his career was the youngest NBA agent to sign a client -- and currently reps a slate of pro ballers.

Not only does Hazan explain why the rule is bad for young agents, but says it will ultimately hurt the NCAA by driving players out of college basketball.

Hazan thinks young players will be more motivated to find other avenues to the NBA -- whether it's playing overseas or other semi-pro leagues in the U.S.

Remember, we just spoke with Al Harrington -- who's a part-owner of a pro team in Australia -- and he says he's gunning to recruit guys to plays for him INSTEAD of playing college ball because he'll cut fat ass checks that the NCAA refuses to do.

Hazan says he doesn't think the rule will last more than a year before the NCAA realizes its mistake.

Kendrick Norton -- the NFL player who lost most of his left arm in a horrific car crash -- wants to SHOW what life is like as an amputee ... and he's keeping it all the way real in an inspiring new video.

As we previously reported, Norton (a 7th-round pick in the 2018 NFL Draft) was battling for a roster spot with the Miami Dolphins when he crashed his truck on July 4 with his girlfriend, Kira, in the vehicle.

Now, more than a month after the accident, the 22-year-old is showing his daily cleaning regimen -- and talking extremely candidly about how his life has changed.

The funniest part of the video (yes, he mixes in humor) is that he's nicknamed his left arm, "Little Kenny" ... and considers it a "mini-arm" instead of a total loss.

Kendrick says he refuses to cry about the accident and the subsequent loss of his NFL career -- explaining, "Ain't no point in crying every day and being sad and stuff. Still got stuff to be done."

The good news ... Kendrick says his other injuries (mostly road rash wounds) are healing nicely and doesn't seem to be in pain.

His girlfriend, Kira, says she suffered internal bleeding from the crash -- but insists she's doing well now.

Kendrick says some of his daily tasks take longer to perform due to his amputated arm -- and admits it's frustrating -- but his attitude is remarkably positive.

"Don't worry about me too much," Kendrick says ... noting he's going to be okay and he's not suicidal.

He even gave a message to some of his fellow amputees who are looking up to him as a role model ...

The perfect complement to Ty Law's Hall of Fame gold jacket -- custom Air Jordans -- featured 12,000 crystals ... and TMZ Sports has learned the insane kicks took 40 HOURS to customize!!!

The New England Patriots legend hit up Leah Miller at Bella Artistry to make sure his footwear was right for the biggest day of his post-football life ... and the results were incredible.

The shoes feature 12,000 black, gold and New England Patriot-colored Swarovski crystals ... and we're told they were all HAND-PLACED one by one.

The kicks -- which took nearly two FULL days to complete -- have Law's famous No. 24 on them ... as well as the No. 323 to represent his spot in the Pro Football Hall of Fame.

The shoes also have the letters "H.O.F." on the back with the Patriots logo on the front ... and Law clearly loved them, wearing them during his induction speech.

In fact, 45-year-old Law thought so highly of them, he placed them on his grandparents' graves just 2 days after the ceremony, saying, "The journey is now complete!!"

Support is flooding in for 'Mr. Olympia' Shawn Rhoden ... as more than 12,000 fans are petitioning to allow him to defend his title in 2019 ... despite his ongoing rape case.

As we previously reported, Rhoden -- who goes by Flexatron -- has been charged with multiple felonies for allegedly raping a female bodybuilder during a hotel encounter back in Oct. 2018.

Rhoden has lawyered up and pled not guilty to all charges -- vowing to prove his innocence in court.

The honchos behind Mr. Olympia (American Media Inc.) announced that Rhoden will NOT be allowed to compete in any Mr. Olympia competitions (including Mr. Olympia 2019) until his case is resolved.

But, a large number of fans believe the decision is simply not fair -- claiming he should be considered innocent until proven guilty ... and allowed to defend his title.

In fact, more than 12,000 people signed a Change.org petition in the hopes of getting the Mr. Olympia competition to ALLOW Rhoden to compete.

The petition argues that the temporary ban is "absolutely unfair" and "would cost him a consequent loss of income."

"Even worst [sic], this decision from AMI (American Media Inc) goes against Human Rights and the presumption of Innocence which should consider Shawn Rhoden innocent until proven otherwise."

Rhoden is a superstar in the bodybuilding world ... with more than 1.6 million followers on Instagram.

Dave Bautista is PISSED -- claiming he was denied entry into a New Mexico movie theater because he arrived a few minutes late ... a violation of the place's strict no late arrival policy.

The "Guardians of the Galaxy" star hit up the Flix Brewhouse in Albuquerque ... a movie theater and brewery all in one. The place also has a policy DENYING entry to ticket holders if they arrive late to their scheduled movie.

Bautista bought tickets to a 3:15 PM showing of "Once Upon a Time In Hollywood" -- but arrived to the theater at 3:30 and was subsequently turned away. Dave claims the feature hadn't started playing when he arrived, they were still showing trailers for other flicks.

Bautista called the place out on social media ... saying, "Worse experience at a novie theater in my life. Yourr manager Tiffany needs some serious help with her people skills. You’re welcome for taking pictures with all your customers while Tiffany was treating me & @OmariHardwick just like 💩 #badbusiness"

The Flix Brewhouse responded to Dave ... saying, "We do try to protect the movie experience for our guests which is why we don't allow late arrivals. We'd welcome the opportunity to chat with you and try to make it right."

Bautista responded again ... "Policies are policies but how about treating people with some sense of courtesy!"

BUT THERE'S A TWIST -- Dave suggested the reason he was late was because he was taking pictures with fans in the lobby who recognized him.

"Maybe you can protect your guests novie experience by not allowing a photo session in your lobby while being turned away for being a minute late from the theater doors closing. I didn’t mind because I like to treat people with courtesy. But that’s just me."

Seems like a pretty valid excuse ... and guess what -- the movie theater agreed!!!

"You’re right, we could have done better. We’d like to make it right now. Is there a way we can follow up directly to do that?"