TMZ Sports - Page 50

"I woke up and I realized that I wasn't dreaming. Saint Peter's did just knock off University of Kentucky on primetime TV and it was so, so many emotions running through my body."

That's St. Peter's College basketball legend Keydren Clark -- who twice led all Division 1 player's points scored in a season -- reacting to the shocking upset Thursday night. Clark starred at the school from 2002 to 2006.

Of course, #2 seed University of Kentucky, lead by Coach John Calipari and future NBA players, lost in overtime to the small Catholic school from Jersey City, NJ.

But, clearly, former Seton Hall University star Shaheen Holloway -- turned St. Peter's head coach -- wasn't intimidated ... and his Peacocks won 85-79 in one of the most shocking upsets in NCAA tourney history.

Even Clark could barely believe what he was seeing.

"Last night, I'm watching the game. Halftime, we in the game. I run downstairs, I put my jersey on. My kids supposed to be in bed, they hear me going crazy like 'Daddy what are you doing?' I said this right here is bigger than anything daddy could've ever done, they're on the brink of doing something special."

And, when the final horn sounded ... sending the 18-point favored Wildcats home, Keydren had all the feels.

"It was so many emotions. I was just so happy and it felt right and I was genuinely happy for the team because I watch them, I follow them, I've been up there, I talk to them before the tournament time and it was just an unreal feeling. I couldn't be prouder to be a Saint Peter's alum."

Now, St. Peter's advances to the second round, where they'll face #7 seed Murray State on Saturday with a trip to the Sweet 16 on the line, and Clark says he may fly out to Indiana to watch the game in-person.

Colin Kaepernick is adding to the list of NFL stars helping the quarterback train for his NFL comeback ... this time it's Justin Fields, Tyrod Taylor, and Josh Dobbs!

34-year-old Kap previously linked up with Seahawks receiver Tyler Lockett, and prominent WR coach David Robinson earlier this week ... as he pushes to return to the league after years away.

Now, it seems a few NFL QBs are getting in on the action. On Friday, Colin was with Fields (Bears, 11th overall pick last year), Taylor (Giants) and Dobbs (Steelers) at Morehouse College's football field.

The workout resembled a Pro Day ... with the QBs throwing passes downfield while receivers ran routes. The quarterbacks even helped each other out.

The ex-49ers signal caller has been broadcasting his training sessions on social media for over a week now ... seemingly showing his arm strength, footwork and overall skillset hasn't deteriorated since he last was on an NFL field in 2016.

Of course, the 34-year-old QB believes he's been blackballed because of his National Anthem protest ... but continues to fight to get back into the league.

Activist Shaun King -- who's been supportive of Kap -- caught a glimpse of his workout today and says it's obvious his athleticism is not the reason why he's not signed.

"Not one single expert could watch this and deny the skills and strength and health," King said.

Ben Stiller got dragged into a beef between tennis star Nick Kyrgios and a heckler at a famous tournament on Thursday -- and the scene was hilarious.

Here's the deal -- at one point during Kyrgios' match against Rafael Nadal at Indian Wells in California ... the Australian hit a serve that caused a fan to talk some trash.

Kyrgios fired back right away -- asking him straight-up, "Are you good at tennis!?"

When the fan responded, "No," Nick went off.

"Exactly!" he said. "So why are you speaking?!?"

Then, he brought Stiller -- who was sitting courtside with his wife, Christine -- into the equation.

"Do I tell him how to act!?!" he asked as he pointed his racket at the "Meet the Parents" actor. "No!"

Kyrgios went back to action on the court -- but broadcast cameras caught Stiller grinning over it all.

Kyrgios went on to lose to Nadal -- and then he continued his eventful day, by nearly nailing a ball boy with his racket in frustration.

Check out the clip -- Kyrgios shook hands with Nadal after the match, and then as he started to walk away, he wound up and threw his racket across the court -- nearly hitting the ball boy who was standing along the wall.

Fortunately for the guy, he wasn't hurt, but it was a close call and even drew gasps from the fans left in the stands.

Kyrgios, however, did make amends for his mistake ... and apologized for almost striking the guy.

"Hey bro! Sorry about my racket incident at the end! Complete accident, you all ok from it?" Kyrgios wrote in an apology he posted on Twitter.

Nick then offered to give the guy a tennis racket over it all ... saying he'd track him down if need be at the courts, so he could personally deliver him the gift.

"Sound all G?" Kyrgios asked the guy, to which he replied, "Perfect. Thank you so much!"

Of course, this isn't the first time we've seen Nick have a temper tantrum almost result in someone getting hurt.

Brittney Griner was in a Russian court on Thursday ... and will remain in custody for AT LEAST another two months after they extended the arrest of the WNBA star, who's accused of bringing drugs into the country.

Video was released showing the Phoenix Mercury center walking, presumably outside the Moscow-area courtroom, flanked by two female guards. The footage is the first we've seen of 31-year-old Griner since she was taken into custody weeks ago.

Russian news agency TASS says the Moscow court granted more time to investigate the alleged crimes ... and "extended the period of detention of the U.S. citizen Griner until May 19."

Griner has been in custody since February after Russian customs officials claim they found hashish oil (vape cartridges) in her carry-on luggage at an airport.

As for the conditions of her "detainment," TASS reports she's sharing a cell with two other women who have no prior convictions. They also reported the 6'7" athlete was issued a bed too short for her frame.

After her arrest, Russian officials said they opened up a drug trafficking investigation into Griner.

Everyone from NBA and WNBA stars, actors and actresses, to Griner's wife has called on the country to release Griner ... to no avail.

"There are no words to express this pain," Griner's wife, Cherelle, said earlier this month.

"I'm hurting, we're hurting. We await the day to love on you as a family."

Several prominent politicians have spoken out about Griner's arrest -- including Hillary Clinton, who recently wrote "Free Brittney" on social media.

U.S. Congressman Colin Allred -- who also happened to attend Baylor U. -- recently told us he hopes Griner doesn't become a political pawn during the Russian invasion of Ukraine.

Many fear Griner -- who has played pro basketball in Russia for years -- could be used as a bargaining chip against America ... as the west has levied very stiff sanctions against the country.

It's been months since LeBron James shaded Kyle Rittenhouse for crying in a courtroom ... but he is clearly nowhere near ready to let it go, 'cause he trolled the Lakers star's diss while sharing an anti-Joe Biden meme Thursday.

The 19-year-old posted the short video on his Twitter page ... taking a shot at LeBron's famous "lemon heads" comment while going after Biden over America's high gas prices.

The meme featured footage of a tearful Rittenhouse from his day on the stand ... edited onto an arm holding a gas pump.

"No, it's not Lemon Heads ...," Rittenhouse captioned the video, jabbing at Lebron, "it's the burning hole in my pocket thanks to a Joe Biden presidency."

Rittenhouse went on to thank the "mememaster" who created the piece in another tweet for sending it his way.

You'll recall, LeBron blasted Rittenhouse back in November after he believed the teenager was fake-crying while on the stand during his murder trial.

"What tears?????" LeBron said after watching Rittenhouse's reaction in court. "I didn’t see one. Man knock it off! That boy ate some lemon heads before walking into court."

Rittenhouse -- who was eventually found not guilty on all charges -- has fired away at LBJ ever since ... saying in December "f***" him."

An Indiana University cheerleader saved the day at an NCAA Tournament game Thursday night -- soaring high above a backboard to retrieve a basketball for players ... and the improbable rebound was EPIC.

The woman, Cassidy Cerny, jumped into action after a ball got stuck during the Hoosiers' opening-round game against St. Mary's.

At the beginning of the second half, a player missed a shot -- and as the ball rattled around the rim, it somehow got caught above the hoop and didn't come down.

Several players and a ref tried to get the thing to shake loose -- using a chair and a broomstick -- but nobody could knock out the ball.

That's when Cassidy sprang into action with Nathan Paris -- using a cheerleading stunt to get up to the top of the hoop. And, eventually, she got the ball down!!

Check out the footage of the fun moment, the crowd went absolutely nuts following her retrieval.

A short time later, she and Paris were interviewed about the heroic effort ... and she was cool as a cucumber about it all.

"That was nothing, really," she said.

Tony Hawk -- who suffered a career-threatening broken femur just last week -- is already up and walking without crutches ... further proving the skateboarding legend is simply built different.

The 53-year-old posted the update on Thursday ... showing a slow and steady walking pace with only a slight hobble.

It's pure insanity -- given how gnarly the break was -- but it shouldn't come as a surprise ... after all, Hawk was putting weight on the busted leg just one day after his skating accident.

Tony seems to be having some fun during his recovery ... playing Run-D.M.C.'s "Walk This Way" as he takes his steps.

As we previously reported, Hawk feared the injury could keep him from ever returning to 100% ... but with this kind of progress, it seems like he'll be on the board again in no time.

"I've said many times that I won't stop skating until I am physically unable," Hawk said last week. "A broken leg -- with plenty of hardware -- will probably be the biggest test of that creed. I'll be back ... maybe not at full capacity but I resigned to that notion years ago as I approached 'mid-life.'"

"The Challenge" star Johnny Bananas is overseas helping as many Ukrainian refugees as he can, and says the heartbreaking effort is shining a light on just how good we have it here in the U.S. of A.

Right now, Johnny's splitting his time between Poland and Ukraine -- he's joined a humanitarian convoy with the Humanosh Foundation, and earlier this week helped deliver 3 ambulances and 3 vans loaded with food, military gear and medical equipment.

He says the mission's made him realize American issues pale in comparison to what Ukrainians are facing.

With people in the U.S. currently upset about soaring gas prices and inflation at the supermarket -- Johnny thinks we should imagine a world where there is no gas to be found!

Johnny says Americans have gotten "too comfortable," and coming to a war-torn country like Ukraine really put things into perspective for him.

BTW ... the Humanosh Foundation is a nonprofit that provides shelter and aid to refugees and soldiers.

Last week Johnny's friend called asking if anyone he knew with a big platform would be willing to help show the world the good the nonprofit is trying to accomplish.

Chris Johnson is opening up on the shooting that took his friend's life -- and severely injured the NFL star -- explaining he feared his professional football career was over.

The 36-year-old former All-Pro sat down with journalist Omar Kelly and Brandon Marshall for an episode of the ex-Pro Bowlers' "I Am Athlete" show ... and detailed the March 2015 morning where CJ2K's was shot in the shoulder, and his friend was murdered.

"We're at the red light, just happened so quick. Just hear windows shattering, next thing you know I'm in the car, one of my other friends in the back seat, my other friend driving," Chris says.

"So I'm sitting there and the next thing you know, I look to the left, I see one of my friends, he's leaning on the horn. He gone. I shake him like wake up, wake up. Outta there. I call my homeboy in the back seat, he's talking to me whatever. So whatever, we go to the hospital."

Chris' friend Rollie died in the shooting.

Johnson, who played 10 seasons in the NFL, and was one of the best running backs of his era, was badly injured as a result of the shooting ... and feared it'd end his football career.

"When I got shot, it went collarbone, shoulder bone, rib, all that. So at this time, now I'm on bed rest. So probably like three weeks after I get shot, my nerves start messing with me. Now my hand goes out like, so painful. I can't use it. If I touch something, it's burning sensational."

"So now I can't use my hand, my right hand is my dominant hand. I can't use my hand so I'm like damn, my career over with."

Chris tells Brandon he was only in Florida to attend a concert put on by a friend who was about to head to prison for several years ... so CJ wanted to hang and say goodbye to his buddy.

However, the night took a turn for the worst ... and Chris nearly paid with his life.

Deshaun Watson would be welcomed with open arms in Atlanta ... 'cause rap legend T.I. says his beloved Falcons "could definitely use" the star Texans quarterback.

TMZ Sports spoke with Tip amid rumors Watson could be traded to the Falcons this week ... and he certainly seemed receptive to the thought.

"We could use him," T.I. said on Thursday. "We could definitely use him. I don't know who they talking about giving up, but we could definitely use his talent on the field."

Of course, bringing in a new Pro Bowl QB would mean it's curtains for Matt Ryan's time in Atlanta ... but T.I. says his comments about Watson speak for themselves when asked about the 2016 MVP.

Several NFL teams have reportedly expressed interest in the former Clemson standout -- with the Saints and Falcons appearing to emerge as the favorites to land the 26-year-old.

The Falcons would need to trade for Watson ... as he's currently still under contract with the Texans. But T.I. hints he's not too worried about what Atlanta would have to give up to get him.

We also asked T.I. what he thought about the Tennessee Titans cutting former Falcons superstar wide receiver, Julio Jones ... and he'd love a reunion.

Tennis star Genie Bouchard and NFL quarterback Mason Rudolph are done ... TMZ Sports has learned the couple has broken up after nearly two years of dating.

Bouchard and Rudolph initially hooked up in 2020 -- and in the ensuing months, the two became inseparable.

Genie attended a bunch of Rudolph's Steelers games -- and even took time out of her Mexico vacation in November to make sure she caught his start against the Detroit Lions.

Rudolph, meanwhile, posted her on his social media page often ... and the two weren't shy about using heart emojis and the "L" word.

But, we've learned the couple has just recently split ... with one source telling us it was an "amicable" end.

The source added the two are remaining friends in the breakup.

Mark Cuban is adamant that a Mavericks exec did not sexually assault Donnie Nelson's nephew ... saying in a statement that the former Dallas GM's claims are a lie.

Cuban issued the strongly-worded response after 59-year-old Nelson made the allegations in a lawsuit filed in Dallas County.

In the suit, Nelson said his nephew was interested in getting a job in sports and entertainment -- and went to interview with Jason Lutin, Cuban's chief of staff with the Mavericks, about openings in the NBA team's org in 2020.

Nelson claims the two talked while out at lunch during a work trip in Chicago -- when Nelson says Lutin asked Nelson's nephew to go back to his hotel room to talk further.

In the docs, Nelson claims that's where Lutin sexually harassed and sexually assaulted his nephew.

Nelson says his nephew notified the Mavs of the incident ... but claims Cuban swept it all under the rug, insisting Cuban bought "his way out of the problem."

Nelson added that when he learned of the alleged incident months later and brought it up to Cuban and others in the org., Cuban and the Mavericks asked him to sign a confidentiality agreement and remain quiet about it all.

Nelson claimed Cuban wanted to silence him "so the Mavericks could hide from the public and the Mavericks' employees that the Mavericks were allowing a sexual predator to continue working for the Mavericks." He added that he believes he was eventually wrongly fired over it all.

In a statement to ESPN on Thursday, Cuban insisted none of Nelson's claims were true, saying, "Everything in that filing is a lie."

"We did multiple complete investigations and the only person that did not live up to the standards of the Dallas Mavericks was Mr. Nelson," Cuban said. "He was fired as a result. He was well aware of the investigation. He refused to fully participate. I will say it again, everything he said is a lie."

Lutin also denied the claims in a statement.

Logan Paul's wrestling Rey Mysterio and his WWE Superstar son Dominik in less than 3 weeks ... but WrestleMania might not be the last time you see Paul in a squared circle 'cause he tells TMZ Sports he's down to wrestle on a regular basis.

... but, only if the WWE fans want him.

We talked to the 26-year-old YouTuber and combat sports star ahead of his WrestleMania 38 tag team match (more on that later) ... and asked Logan how training was going with his tag team partner, The Miz.

"Bro, I am so ready, it's ridiculous. I'm not kidding, I'm very good at this sport. It comes so natural to me. I've been training but honestly bro, it's light work," Paul told us.

FYI, The Miz told us a few weeks ago Logan was an "Absolute natural."

We asked Logan if he'd consider signing with WWE ... and wrestle on a regular basis.

"To be honest, I don't think it's up to me. I think it's up to the fans. I think it's up to the fans to see if they agree with me thinking I'm good," Paul said.

"I think I'm good, I'm f**king biased though because I'm me. If they like my performance and they like what I can bring to the table, then maybe I'll entertain that convo."

And, if the fans want him?

"Yeah, absolutely. It's fun, dude. It's really, really fun. I just got done with training this morning and I come back like 'Yo!' Yeah dude, it's awesome."

Logan -- who boxed Floyd Mayweather last year in an exhibition bout -- says he's been training with The Miz leading up to the Mania matchup.

"He's an awesome partner and mentor. Obviously, he's been in this business forever and is a star himself, so having him by my side to kind of like handle me through the basics is fantastic. I'm learning quick and the more I learn, the quicker I'm learning. It takes me one attempt at a thing before I got it and once I know the ins and outs of the sport, I mean sky's the limit, to be honest."

As much as he loves The Miz, we asked Logan if he'd ever team up with his brother Jake.

"That's a fantastic idea. I never thought about it. That's a great idea, oh my God. Yeah, man I could definitely see that happen. Sheesh, that'd be nutty!"

WM 38 goes down April 2 and 3!

Big E might be the most positive person on the planet -- the WWE Superstar was in amazing spirits while walking around and wearing a brace on Thursday ... just days after breaking his neck in a match.

E -- whose real name is Ettore Ewen -- shared how well his recovery is going in a video posted to social media ... saying, "I'm just here to provide a brief life update. I got breath in my lungs. It's a beautiful day. That's what's going on in my life."

The former champ said half-jokingly, although his neck may be broken, his heart is still intact ... or at least he hopes.

Of course, Big E is working his way back after Ridge Holland delivered a belly-to-belly suplex and dropped E incorrectly ... causing him to break his neck.

The spot in the match obviously wasn't planned, and Ridge clearly knew he completely botched the move ... expressing concern for Big E, who appeared to be seriously hurt.

Big E was ultimately taken out of the arena on a stretcher and rushed to the nearest hospital, where he posted a video thanking his fans for the concern and support they expressed for him.

The injury comes at a bad time for one of WWE's most athletic and charismatic superstars ... as the Super Bowl of wrestling -- WrestleMania 38 -- is fast approaching.

But you wouldn't be able to tell by Big E's enthusiasm in the vid ... so his return to the ring could come sooner than later!!

Some of Hollywood's biggest names are in the spirit -- rockin' green to celebrate St. Patrick's Day. Warning: Images may contain green beer and Guinness.

Olympic athlete Simone Biles shared green bikini shots while on vacation in Turks and Caicos -- while Danny Trejo, made special holiday donuts at his L.A. restaurant ... rainbows and Lucky Charms included!!!

Of course, we can't forget "Too Hot To Handle" star Francesca Farago, who did an entire shamrock photo shoot for the occasion.

Other celebs went out all for the holiday ... John C. Reilly was the international guest of honor at the St Patrick's Day parade in Dublin, Ireland.

Pretty special moment for John and all of Ireland, really. This year marks the first time in 2 years they've had the celebration there ... due to COVID.

Other notable mentions include Jeff Ross ... sharing a throwback photo with his late pal Donny Davis dressed as a leprechaun.

Move over, Tom Brady ... TMZ Sports has learned Russell Wilson's Broncos jersey has now supplanted the GOAT's Buccaneers uni as the NFL's top-seller this week.

A rep for Fanatics tells us after Wilson was introduced as the new QB in Denver on Wednesday -- sales for his new jersey skyrocketed, and ultimately leap-frogged over Brady for the #1 spot across their network of sites.

We're told that's quite the feat, considering that Brady's jersey had previously had a stranglehold on the pole position after he announced on Sunday he was unretiring.

No word on how much money was spent on the digital sports platform for the new orange and blue #3 to get it to the top spot ... but it's safe to say it was a lot of coin.

Russ, meanwhile, said this week he's fired up to be playing in Denver in the new uni ... telling reporters Wednesday, "It's an honor, it's a gift."

His head coach, Nathaniel Hackett, clearly felt the same ... nearly dropping an S-bomb with excitement at the Wilson press conference.