TMZ Sports - Page 37

A little kid was reduced to tears while watching pro tennis on Thursday ... and it's all because one of the competitors on the court nearly hit him with her racquet during an outburst.

The scene played out during Irina-Camelia Begu's match against Ekaterina Alexandrova at the French Open ... when Begu was so pissed over her performance in the third set, she tossed her racquet into the ground in frustration.

The star's piece of equipment, though, bounced off the clay surprisingly, and made a beeline toward a child who was sitting in the first few rows of the stands.

Somehow, the racquet just missed the boy -- according to spectators -- but the close-call scared the kid, who began crying so loudly, the match was actually put on pause.

Pictures from the event show the kid was terrified ... needing to be consoled by his parents and other fans.

But, to her credit, Begu -- who was given a code violation for the outburst -- went on to win the match and then did all she could to cheer the kid up.

She hugged him, and posed for a picture with him -- and it seems everyone was happy again after that.

Nick Diaz ain't done yet ... the UFC legend tells TMZ Sports he's gunning to return to the Octagon this year, and he's looking to challenge the very best in the world, Kamaru Usman.

We recently talked to 38-year-old Nick at Represent HQ in SoCal ... and asked the older Diaz bro -- who has fought once since the beginning of 2015 -- if, and when, he wanted to fight.

"We're working on the end of the year," Diaz says.

Nick told us he's "focused on my training right now" ... but made it clear he isn't interested in fighting his way up the rankings against fighters looking to make a name for themselves.

"I don't need to go in there and get my ass whooped by one of them young guys anyway, and it's not that I won't win," Nick says, admitting, "It's just I'm not motivated."

It makes sense ... Nick's been in the sport for over two decades, and has shared the Octagon with everyone from Georges St. Pierre, Anderson Silva, BJ Penn, Diego Sanchez, and Robbie Lawler.

FYI, Ruthless' was Nick's last fight ... a loss by TKO at UFC 266 in September 2021. Before and after the bout, Diaz talked about being unhappy with how the fight was scheduled. However, Nick made no excuses for the actual outcome.

As for who he does want to fight, Nick has someone in mind.

"I wanna fight for the title. I don't wanna do all this -- I'm 38 years old."

Of course, the titleholder is also the top pound-for-pound fighter in the MMA world ... Kamaru Usman. The Nigerian Nightmare hasn't lost since May 2013.

How would Nick fare against the world's top pound-for-pound fighter?

Canadian actor Jared Van Snellenberg was just 15-years-old when he was cast as the goofy local golf caddy -- before Happy took on the parking lot's homeless man as his tour caddy-- in the 1996 sports film "Happy Gilmore."

Snellenberg shared the big screen with the legend himself Adam Sandler as the loud, obnoxious and immature hockey player turned golfer trying to impress his crush and take care of his grandmother, Happy Gilmore, Christopher McDonald as the golf pro playing against Happy, Shooter McGavin and a young Julie Bowen as Happy's love interest and golf pro public relations director, Virginia Venit.

The love for Deontay Wilder in his Tuscaloosa hometown will last forever ... 'cause the city just immortalized the heavyweight boxer with a life-size statue!!

The 42-2 fighter was surrounded by his family and fans on Wednesday when he removed the sheets off the new "Bronze Bomber" figure that's located in front of Tuscaloosa Tourism and Sports offices on Jack Warner Parkway.

"It's me!" Wilder said while hugging the sculpture.

The statue -- designed by Caleb O'Connor -- looks exactly like the heavyweight boxer ... from his braided hair and mean grin all the way down to his shorts and shoes.

The 36-year-old knew the honor was coming ... and said in the days leading up to the event this week that it would be "a monumental moment" for him.

"For the first time in my life, I'm at a loss for words," Wilder said. "This is generational wealth. This is black excellence. This is greatness."

Wilder's boxing career started in Tuscaloosa when he turned 20 ... and he later went on to become the WBC heavyweight champ from 2015 to 2020.

Browns linebacker Anthony Walker's presser was interrupted in a very good AND expensive way -- Deshaun Watson came up and gifted him a brand new Rolex as a "thank you" for giving up his jersey number!!

#4 has belonged to Walker since he signed with the Browns in 2021 ... which is the same number Watson's been rockin' since his Clemson and Texans days.

When the quarterback was shipped to Cleveland in March, Walker gave up his jersey on the spot ... and Watson rewarded him by handing over a Rolex box during his press conference after OTAs on Wednesday.

"Appreciate you, man," Walker said to Watson during his presser.

The two hugged it out and media members were left curious ... with one reporter asking, "You're not gonna open that here?"

Walker laughed it off ... saying, "Nah, I'm not. That's a good guy," ... but the media were determined to get to the bottom of things and asked if it was for about the number change.

"We'll keep that on the hush, but yeah."

Watson has been showing major love -- not to just Walker -- but to the whole team ... just last week, he took the Browns' offense on a trip to the Bahamas for some team bonding.

Colin Kaepernick could be back in the NFL as early as next month ... 'cause the quarterback has scheduled a workout with the Raiders -- and if it goes well, the team could sign him to a contract.

ESPN's Adam Schefter just broke the news ... reporting the tryout will go down in just a few days.

Kaepernick has been preparing like a madman for this for years -- but has recently ramped up his workouts in the last few months for this specific moment.

As we reported, the 34-year-old has toured the country since the end of winter a few months ago, throwing to wide receivers in various cities weekly.

And, at one of his most recent stops in Washington, he pleaded with NFL GMs to just give him a tryout ... explaining, "I think my talent, my skill set will speak for itself."

The Raiders' owner, Mark Davis, has always been open to giving Kaepernick that chance -- saying back in April he believed the guy could still play.

"If our coaches and general manager want to bring him in or want him to be the quarterback on this team," Davis said, "I would welcome him with open arms."

Jaromir Jagr -- one of the best NHL players ever -- says he's fortunate to be alive today ... after his car collided with a tram at a high rate of speed.

The Pittsburgh Penguins legend explained the terrifying accident in a post on his social media page Wednesday ... saying it was all his fault.

In his post, which was written in Czech, Jagr said he was trying to cross the road, and ultimately didn't see a tram that was coming at him at "high speed."

"I thought it was my end," the 50-year-old said.

In a photo of his car following the accident, you can see the tram hit Jagr's driver's side door -- leaving a huge dent. The hockey player, though, said he somehow escaped just fine.

"I climbed out without injury," he said.

According to Czech news website iSport.cz, authorities said Jagr's alcohol tests were negative.

"I thank everyone for their understanding," Jagr said, "and also for the help to those who intervened on the spot."

Snoop Dogg's done it all -- from Super Bowl performances to being Martha Stewart's BFF -- but there's another wild moment we're just hearing about, involving Michael Jordan and a pretty sweet offer.

Snoop says he once turned down a whopping $2 million dollars to DJ a Michael Jordan party. Apparently, money can't buy everything, as the Doggfather revealed on Jake Paul's "Impaulsive" Podcast ... and apparently, that includes scheduling conflicts. Even for his Airness.

He also ranked Magic Johnson as his favorite "MJ," so his Lakers fandom probably influenced his decision NOT to move things around to accommodate Michael.

Snoop occasionally moonlights as DJ Snoopadelic and has become nifty with the turntables over the years, but he's also far from hurting for bread.

Interestingly, he recently told the Nelk Boys he gets $250,000 per feature on other artists' songs.

Kawhi Leonard isn't getting a ring this season, but his girlfriend certainly did -- the NBA superstar's lady was spotted wearing a massive rock on THAT finger at the airport on Tuesday.

Which begs the question -- did the longtime couple get engaged?!?

TMZ Sports has obtained pictures of the Klaw and Kishele Shipley arriving at LAX ... and the mother of two had a shiny, new accessory on her left ring finger.

Leonard and Shipley have been dating forever -- they first met at San Diego State and have been inseparable ever since. They have two children together, born in 2016 and 2019.

In other words, if wedding bells are ringing ... it shouldn't come as a surprise.

What's interesting -- we caught up with Kawhi and Kishele shortly after the pics were taken ... and it appears she removed the ring from her hand.

Kawhi missed the whole 2021-22 season with an injury ... so if they are, in fact, engaged, it's nice to see he made the most of his time off the court.

Norman Powell was harassed by a white woman behaving erratically who berated the Clippers star and told him he was "not American" ... all while NP streamed the encounter on social media.

It got so serious, police were called ... and the woman was handcuffed and taken away by Las Vegas cops.

It's unclear if she was arrested ... and if so, on what charge.

The 28-year-old former 2nd-round draft pick out of UCLA was in Sin City working out at a local gym ... when Norman says the stranger stormed through the door, saying she'd gotten into a fight and needed help.

"She came here the first time and was saying she got in a fight," Powell said during the live stream. "We told her to leave out the back. She left, she was gone for about 15, 20 minutes, came back, staying in the gym calling us un-American, saying we need to go back, calling us p***y, a whole bunch of s**t."

Norman and his group warned the woman that police were on the way, but she called their bluff -- a mistake.

Multiple cops eventually arrived and the woman -- her identity is currently unknown -- was placed in cuffs.

In fact, Norman says the woman yelled "I can't breathe" while police had her pressed against the squad car.

"That is crazy to me, man. That s**t is not funny, man," Powell said, exasperated.

Powell told officers the woman was acting incredibly strange.

"We was trying to get her to leave," he added, "and then she was trying to take her pants off and take a s**t or piss on the floor. And that's when we pulled her out like, we can't have that."

Norman is a solid player in the NBA -- he averaged 21 points a game in 2022.

Story developing ...

Call Ricky Williams Errick Miron now ... the former Miami Dolphins star announced he's legally changed his name -- saying he made the move, in part, to try to fix an "imbalance" in his marriage with his wife.

Williams -- whose birth name is Errick -- joined “The Dan Le Batard Show with Stugotz” last week ... where he confirmed that he's assumed the last name of his wife, Linnea Miron, following their marriage.

The 45-year-old told the show he made the name change official about a year-and-a-half ago ... saying it was something he had been strongly considering once he and Linnea tied the knot.

"Something I've been thinking about and talking about, and I finally went through the steps and I went to the social security office with my marriage certificate and I went through the process," the aforementioned Williams said.

"It was quick and easy and it felt meaningful," he added. "It felt really meaningful."

Errick -- who spent 11 seasons in the NFL, rushing for over 10,000 yards -- said the motive for him making the drastic change was after he felt his wife was being overshadowed by him.

Errick said his wife -- who's an attorney -- can hold her own in social circles, but he acknowledged that when she's around him, she found herself neglected due to his fame.

As a result, Errick said he started brainstorming ways he could address it all ... and came up with the idea to take her last name.

"I've found that that's been really powerful in creating ease, intimacy, and trust in my relationship," he said.

Errick added that Williams “is not even really” his last name.

"My grandma, obviously, back then you don't say anything," Errick explained. "And so, Williams was her husband's name, but wasn't my dad's father. So, Williams is not even really my last name."

J. Cole's latest pro-basketball venture tips off Thursday and it might not have happened without his run-in with Drake during a party in Los Angeles.

Founding member of Drake's October's Very Own brand, Nicholas "OVO Niko" Corino, also co-owns the Scarborough Shooting Stars ... the Canadian Elite Basketball League team J. Cole is suiting up for -- and he told Complex how Cole approached Drizzy about being on the Shooting Stars team.

Niko said, "You know, Dreamville and OVO are family," and added, “Drake had a birthday party in L.A. last year. The conversation was, ‘I heard you have your team.’ It organically grew from there.”

If it sounds like a game of rapper nepotism, Shooting Stars forward Olu Famutimi assured fans Cole was putting in extra effort just to be seen as a "guy who can hoop."

He'll also be coached by former NBA All-Star Jamaal Magloire, who happens to hail from Scarborough ... a Toronto neighborhood.

Cole's already gotten the respect of fellow hip hop ballers Fivio Foreign and Dave East, and Kawhi Leonard's Culture Jam recently shared footage of how far Cole's game has involved.

Two of Deshaun Watson's 22 accusers are voicing their disgust over the quarterback's new $230 million contract with the Cleveland Browns ... claiming the team only cares about his talents, not the disturbing claims made against him.

Massage therapists Ashley Solis and Kyla Hayes are set to appear on HBO's "Real Sports with Bryant Gumbel" on Tuesday ... and will detail their alleged experiences with the Pro Bowl quarterback while also reacting to the guaranteed deal he signed with the Browns in March.

"It’s just like a big screw you," Solis told Soledad O'Brien in a preview of the show. "That's what it feels like. That, 'We don't care. He can run and throw, and that's what we care about.'"

Hayes added, "It was sick to me ... I felt like he's being rewarded for bad behavior."

As we previously reported, Solis addressed media members in April, speaking about her alleged experiences with the QB ... and saying she is a "survivor."

Tony Buzbee -- the attorney for all 22 accusers -- said he believes the Browns and the NFL simply do not care about what Watson allegedly did during massage sessions.

While Watson declined to appear on the show, one of his attorneys, Leah Graham, explained why the public should believe her client over 22 women.

"It's 22 women," Graham said. "It's one lawyer. There's only one lawyer who was willing to take these cases. And, as we know from Ashley Solis' deposition, Mr. Buzbee was not the first, probably not the second or third lawyer she went to, but he was the only one to take her case."

"Why?" she added. "Not because it had merit, but because he would use these cases to increase his social media following and quite frankly to get on shows like this one."

Watson has adamantly denied any wrongdoing -- in his introductory presser with Cleveland media, he stated he "never assaulted any woman, I never disrespected any woman."

The whole episode will air Tuesday night.

Josh Allen clearly doesn't believe Tom Brady really sank a hole-in-one on a golf course recently ... sayin' the Buccaneers star's video of the alleged ace was "bulls***."

The Buffalo Bills quarterback made his feelings clear with an Adam Sandler meme just minutes after Brady dropped a video of him apparently sinking the long shot.

In the GIF, Sandler stutters ... before spittin' out, "BULLS***!" -- a clear sign Allen believes Brady photoshopped it all.

TB12, though, sure did a good job sellin' the clip if it was indeed fake -- 'cause he captioned the video by saying, "This is why you film every shot on the course…"

He also celebrated his face off in the vid -- jumpin' around as if he had just won (another) Super Bowl.

Patrick Mahomes, meanwhile, seems to be on the side of believing Tom's footage was real -- tweeting, "Not going to lie pretty impressive…"

Of course, all three NFL superstars are talkin' golf this week because they're now just days away from taking on each other -- along with Aaron Rodgers -- at this year's The Match tournament in Las Vegas.

Mahomes and Allen will face Rodgers and Brady -- and the guys have already trash-talked each other a bunch leading up to the event.

Charles Leclerc and Carlos Sainz are taking their talents to infinity and beyond -- the Formula 1 stars have voiceover gigs in Disney's new "Lightyear" movie!!

The Scuderia Ferrari drivers teamed up with the Mouse for cameos in the Buzz Lightyear origin story ... with Charles slated to be featured in the Italian version of the flick, and Carlos joining the Spanish version.

Unclear what role they have in the movie ... but Ferrari said in an announcement they are playing the same character.

The duo appeared in promos for the project ... with Leclerc saying this was his first time getting in the booth.

"It was a completely different experience from what I have done in the past," Leclerc said Wednesday.

Leclerc says the partnership is a perfect fit -- he says he has a lot of similarities with the "Toy Story" spaceman ... pointing out they both love to go fast and have supportive families and teams behind them.

This isn't the first Formula 1/Disney crossover -- Lewis Hamilton and Michael Schumacher have had guest spots in the "Cars" franchise.

49ers defensive lineman Javon Kinlaw -- a former first-round draft pick -- went ballistic on a reporter on Tuesday night ... calling the man a "lil d*** n****" and telling him to "stop f***ing playing with me."

The heated confrontation all went down on Grant Cohn's YouTube channel -- after the two had gotten into a spat at San Francisco's organized team activity earlier in the day.

According to Cohn, at the workout, Kinlaw sought him out on the field, cursed at him and then knocked the hat off of his head.

When Cohn was breaking down the altercation -- and other aspects of the Niners' practice -- during a YouTube live stream hours later ... Kinlaw called in, and began cussing out the media member.

With a mouthful of food, Kinlaw berated Cohn repeatedly ... clearly upset with the way Cohn has criticized him and his teammates in the past.

"I'm a man just like you," Kinlaw told him on the stream. "My nuts is bigger than yours, brother. Put some respect on my name. My balls is bigger than yours, brother. Put some respect on my name."

Kinlaw swore at Cohn for roughly six minutes ... and during the rant, he vulgarly addressed the run-in he had with the reporter hours earlier.

"All I know is when I walked up on you, your f***ing body temperature was f***ing cold as ice," Kinlaw said. "Straight bitch. Your f***ing balls shriveled up. Lil d*** n****. Stop f***ing playing with me, bruh."

Kinlaw added, "You don't f***ing know me like that. None of y'all mother f***ers know me like that, bruh. Stop playing with me. I'm not the one. I'm f***ing not the one, bruh. My whole family know what you look like."

Cohn later said on Twitter he took that line as a threat.

Kinlaw eventually left the stream without further incident. We've reached out to the 49ers for comment, but so far, no word back yet.