TMZ Sports - Page 22

No tools or cologne for Dejounte Murray's dad on Father's Day ... instead, the NBA baller surprised Dad with a brand new truck -- and Pops' reaction was priceless.

Murray's father was outside their family home this month when the San Antonio Spurs guard pulled up in the white ride ... and what happened next was super sweet.

Everyone had their phones out and shouted at Dejounte's dad, "That's you!"

"Happy Father's Day! That's you, man!"

Murray's dad was overwhelmed with emotion -- and he immediately gave his son a huge hug. Eventually, he began crying.

Murray shared the awesome father-son moment on his IG -- revealing he and his pops haven't always seen eye-to-eye, but they're working on their relationship.

"We had our differences for almost 7-8 years and I just want a relationship with my dad before it's too late," Murray said, "and not have one of us living with regrets of not being a man and fixing the problems we had."

Murray added that he loves his dad and he respects him "for taking ownership on why you wasn’t there as much as I wanted you to be as a kid."

"Happy birthday and happy early Father's Day," Dejounte said, "and I hope you love the truck."

If Michael Jordan memorabilia from his time in Chicago doesn't excite you, then check this out -- a ticket stub from his first-ever game as a UNC Tar Heel has just hit the auction block ... and, it's believed to be the only one in existence!

The extremely rare piece is from the November 1981 UNC vs. Kansas game -- which was Jordan's debut on Dean Smith's Tar Heels hoops team.

The ticket is tattered and torn and has been given a poor 1 grading ... but since it's believed to be the only surviving stub from the night -- it could net a small fortune.

In fact, experts at Heritage Auctions say it could go for over $10,000!!

Jordan ticket stubs have been hot on the auction block recently ... earlier this year, a Chicago Bulls stub from Jordan's 1984 debut (one of 23 available) sold for $99,000.

As for Jordan's career at UNC, it was legendary ... during his three seasons, he averaged 17.7 points per game and shot 54% from the field. He also won the Naismith and Wooden College Player of the Year awards in 1984.

Of course, MJ's most memorable Tar Heels moment was when he made the game-winning shot in the 1982 NCAA Championship against Patrick Ewing and the Georgetown Hoyas.

Lia Thomas' participation in women's swimming has reached a breaking point -- because the world's governing body for the sport has weighed in ... and their ruling is against her.

FINA -- French for the the International Swimming Federation -- came down with their decision this weekend regarding transgender athletes (specifically trans women) partaking in elite women's swimming ... and they say it's a no-go going forward, with caveats.

The org's new policy says male-to-female swimmers who transition before age of 12 or before the Tanner Stage 2 of puberty -- whichever comes later -- can compete in women's events. The reason ... they say there's no question a trans female athlete that has already gone through male puberty has an unfair physical advantage over cisgender females.

They reached this conclusion based on multiple studies, reports and presentations by 3 specialist groups, who offered their findings to FINA -- made up of members from 152 national federations -- which then voted ... with a 71% majority in favor of this decision.

In the wake of this coming down, a rep for the Prez of FINA told AP, "This is not saying that people are encouraged to transition by the age of 12. It’s what the scientists are saying, that if you transition after the start of puberty, you have an advantage, which is unfair."

The spox adds, "They’re not saying everyone should transition by age 11, that’s ridiculous. You can’t transition by that age in most countries and hopefully you wouldn’t be encouraged to. Basically, what they’re saying is that it is not feasible for people who have transitioned to compete without having an advantage." They clarified there are no trans women currently competing in elite levels of swimming ... presumably, meaning international competition.

One thing FINA is considering to be inclusive to trans swimmers ... an "open competition" category. It's ill-defined at this point, but they're tasking a team to investigate it further.

It's unclear if FINA's new rules are going to be adopted by agencies like the NCAA, which currently permits people like Lia to compete in collegiate swimming. She made history this year by winning a national title in women's swimming, the 500-meter freestyle.

In any case, some people are welcoming the news ... including Caitlyn Jenner, who's been advocating for such change for a while now -- saying trans female athletes have an undeniable physical advantage over their cisgender competition, as have many others.

She wrote, "It worked! I took a lot of heat - but what’s fair is fair! If you go through male puberty you should not be able to take medals away from females. Period."

Khloe Kardashian has hard feelings for Tristan Thompson, at least when it comes to romance, but she's clearly not letting that stand in the way of co-parenting their child.

Khloe and Tristan got together Saturday with 4-year-old daughter True in tow for lunch after a dance recital.

Their destination -- the Sagebrush Cantina in Calabasas. They weren't alone either, which makes this even more interesting. Kris Jenner, Kylie and Travis Scott along with Khloe's nieces Dream, Chicago and nephew Psalm were all there, breaking bread or whatever at the table.

By surface glances, they all seemed to be getting along. Khloe eviscerated Tristan on a recent episode of the Kardashian's Hulu show, but she's able to somehow compartmentalize things --- they're not only co-parenting ... they also seem to be friendly. Remember, that episode was shot a while ago, so things had time to reset.

ICYMI, Khloe unloaded her feelings about Tristan on Kim during the show, first with Kim telling her sister, "If that were me and I was really trying to redeem myself and I was trying to be a better person, I would definitely keep my d*** in my pants." Khloe agrees, "You would think, you either wear a condom, get a vasectomy or you don't f*** random people that you meet in other states."

"Jeopardy!" champ Amy Schneider says she's gonna take Fox Sports at its word, that they did not intentionally cut out her first pitch at a Giants game celebrating Pride Day at the stadium.

Amy tells TMZ ... "They say the reason they misled their viewers was for cross-promotion, not anything to do with me, so I'll take them at their word." The director of the broadcast reached out to her personally to apologize and reiterate it had nothing to do with her identity. She believed him and accepted his apology.

ICYMI, Amy, the 1st openly transgender "Jeopardy!" champ, was invited to throw the ceremonial first pitch at the Dodgers/Giants game. Problem was ... Amy's pitch never made air. Instead, Fox Sports ran another first pitch from several days earlier ... at the hands of Kurt Busch.

Fox Sports said the video of that pitch was part of a promotional package for an upcoming NASCAR race in Northern California.

They made it clear ... the intention was not to disrespect Amy, adding first pitches are rarely aired on the Network during games.

There are doubters on social media who aren't buying the story, but Amy is taking the explanation at face value.

Despite getting into a physical altercation with an overzealous fan on a plane in April ... Mike Tyson is still flying commercial -- telling TMZ Sports he's got no worries about similar situations in the future.

We got the legendary boxer on his way to what appeared to be another commercial flight at LAX on Friday ... and had to ask -- is he at least somewhat concerned about flying with normies going forward just three months after he punched a man on a plane for annoying him.

Tyson, though, said it's absolutely not crossing his mind ... telling us, "No way!"

The 55-year-old former fighter insisted he's more zen now.

"You know about [my weed brand] Tyson 2.0?" Tyson said. "That's what I'm about now, man. I'm all about Tyson 2.0."

It's interesting ... because Tyson previously said his wife was urging him to strictly fly private now.

As for the advice he'd give to celebs who will deal with similar overly excited fans like the one he faced in April -- Iron Mike said there's only one solution ...

Roy Jones Jr. is clapping back at Wladimir Klitschko -- after the former 2x heavyweight champ from Ukraine questioned RJJ's "moral compass" for his close relationship with Russia -- with the Hall of Fame boxer saying he doesn't want to see anyone hurt ... Russian or Ukrainian.

And, Jones Jr. makes it clear ... if Wladimir continues to badmouth him, they can get in a ring and figure out their differences.

"I have people on both sides of the fence. I don't wanna see nobody die. Nobody fight like that because people die of war. I don't wanna see nobody on either side die. I have loved ones on both sides of the fence. You understand me? I got kids on this side, people on that side. I love both sides. I don't want to see nobody die," Roy said.

Of course, the issue couldn't be closer to Wladimir ... whose been on the ground in Ukraine throughout the entire Russian invasion, witnessing almost endless death and destruction.

In fact, Wladimir's brother Vitali Klitschko is the mayor of Kyiv ... the capital (and most populous city) of Ukraine.

During W. Klitschko's Hall of Fame induction last weekend, the now immortalized pugilist had some very strong words for Roy ... who was also inducted the same weekend.

"There's one person for whom I have a real question. One person broke Ukrainian law by going to the occupied peninsula of Crimea through Russian territory," Klitschko said.

"So, Roy, whose side are you on? On the side of the aggressor, or on the side of the defender of his right to live? I respect you as a fighter but I really question your moral compass."

FYI, a few years back, Roy became a citizen of Russia (he remains a U.S. citizen, too).

But, Roy says the last thing he wants to see is people die in a war.

"If it was up to me, we wouldn't even have a war. You understand where I'm coming from? So don't try to put me off in there like I'm some guy, 'Oh, he's happy this.' "I don't know enough about it to be happy about it. How could I tell you, I don't know that Russia wrong. I don't know that Ukraine wrong. I don't know who the hell might be right or wrong. And I don't care 'cause that's not my field."

Jones Jr. continued ... "If I was a president, senator or politician, then I'd be ready to argue with him, but I'm not. So, the only thing I can argue with him about is if he thinks he can whoop me, then we can have that argument."

Whether or not Jones Jr.'s response is enough to appease Wladimir is unclear. And, if it's not, Roy seems ready to take things to the ring.

It was June 4. The Warriors just blew a double-digit, 4th-quarter lead to the Celtics at home. Many people thought the championship was there for Boston to take. But, not rap legend E-40 ... who straight up told us Golden State "in 6."

And, that's exactly what happened.

TMZ Sports talked to E-40 Saturday morning about everything from his prediction, to Steph Curry's legacy, to Boston fans talking s***, and in what will be music to the Warriors fans' ears ... how the team isn't done winning 'chips.

"They definitely did [win in 6], and they did it in classy fashion. With all the trash-talking and slander, with all odds against them. Like I said it takes a strong team, mentally and physically. Strong individuals, to overcome what they overcame with so much doubt."

Of course, the Warriors won the series in 6 games.

On Steph's legacy, 40 believes he's one of the greatest players ever.

"Steph Curry my G.O.A.T., bro. I'm not saying that because I know him and he's such a good person."

He continued ... "I've never seen anybody get down like he gets down on the court, ever."

FYI, Curry now has 4 NBA titles, 2 NBA MVPs, and 8 All-Star appearances.

40 even weighed in on the Boston area bar who infamously wrote "Ayesha Curry Can't Cook" on a sign outside their restaurant ... something the diehard Warriors fan says was out of line.

"They're talking about folks wives. That's their livelihood. Even when they were talking about "Ayesha can't cook." They ain't never tasted her cooking, and it's somebody that's also a chef themself, or got a restaurant that said that, that's just straight hatin'," 40 says.

"That's her livelihood. She got all kinds of cooking shows, all kinds of cooking endorsements and all kinds of stuff, restaurants, she doing her thing. So, you don't do that. That's some sucker s*** if you ask me."

When we talked to 40 a few weeks ago, he said he had a special gift for the Finals MVP ... and true to his word, 40 says he's going to hook up Steph with a bunch of his Earl Stevens Selections next week.

Now, the part Warriors fans will really like ... 40's prognosis for the squad going forward. GSW has won 4 titles in the last 6 years ... and they've made 6 Finals in the last 8 seasons. But, 40 says they're nowhere near done yet.

"[Jack Del Rio] has the right to be wrong. In America, you have the right to be wrong. The team fined him $100K for this opinion. Fining people for an opinion, I am not down with that."

That was Bill Maher forcefully defending the Washington Commanders defensive coordinator's right to free speech on his show Friday night ... whether you believe the coach is right or wrong about his Capitol attack comments.

Of course, Del Rio was fined $100K for calling January 6th a "dust-up" ... and comparing violence at the Capitol to violence in the wake of George Floyd's murder.

"I see the images on TV, people's livelihoods are being destroyed," Del Rio said. "Businesses are being burned down. No problem, and then we have a dust-up at the Capitol, where nothing burned down. And we’re going to make that a major deal?"

When head coach Ron Rivera announced the big fine, he seemingly contradicted himself when he noted JDR had the "Constitutional right" to make the comments, confusing many people, including Maher. Rivera also said he "very strongly" believes in free speech.

[Rivera] said about the guy who got fined, "'He does have the right to voice his opinion, and it most certainly is his Constitutional right to do so.' Apparently not! This is the don't pee on my shoe and tell me it's raining. What the f*** are you talking about? He doesn't have the right to an opinion, and it's obviously not his right to do so."

Del Rio later apologized for the comments.

Aside from JDR, the Commanders organization has been plagued by controversy.

Just a few weeks ago, the heads of two Congressional committees (United States House Committee on Oversight and Reform and Subcommittee on Economic and Consumer Policy) blasted the team, accusing Washington and the NFL of obstructing the committees "at every turn" as they investigate claims of rampant sexual harassment within the Commanders.

The NFL, in a separate investigation, looked into several of the claims, and fined Washington $10 million.

Utah Jazz superstar Rudy Gobert tells TMZ Sports that after a fourth NBA title ... Steph Curry is now entrenched in the conversation when it comes to greatest players of all-time.

"He's definitely in the very rarified air," Gobert said out at LAX just one day after Curry and the Warriors beat the Celtics in the NBA Finals.

"He's at the top of the list, for sure."

Curry had always been considered one of the game's GOATs -- he is, after all, the most prolific 3-point shooter ever -- but Gobert (a three-time NBA Defensive Player of the Year) clearly believes the win Thursday night moves him into whole 'nother legendary category.

"I'm happy for him," Gobert said. "I think he changed the game."

Rudy told us one of his favorite parts about the Warriors beating the Celtics was seeing the other Splash Brother, Klay Thompson, getting to hoist the trophy.

"It's inspiring," the 29-year-old said.

Doc Rivers says James Harden will sign a "huge deal" with the 76ers ... telling TMZ Sports he enjoys coaching the star guard and loves having him on the team.

We caught up with the Philadelphia head coach as he was leaving E Baldi in Bev Hills this week ... and he told us he's sure Harden, who the 76ers acquired this past season, has a massive new contract coming his way.

"Huge deal," Rivers said.

Doc added that he's "excited" about coaching JH, explaining, "I love him."

The Miami Heat bounced the Sixers from the NBA playoffs this year in the second round -- a series in which Harden didn't play his best -- which left many to question if the org. should give the 32-year-old a new, lucrative deal.

Seems Doc, though, is convinced that's going to happen.

Harden, meanwhile, has until June 29 to opt into the final year of his contract -- which will pay him $47.4 million next season.

Calvin Kattar's looking forward to Saturday night -- not just because he's headlining a major UFC card -- the MMA star's planning to hit up a delicious BBQ restaurant right after his fight.

"Excited to be out here. Texas is awesome," Kattar told TMZ Sports ... "Looking forward to getting some barbeque after the fight."

Kattar, the 34-year-old, #4 ranked UFC featherweight is one half of the Fight Night card Saturday night in Austin ... where he'll take on 37-year-old title contender Josh Emmett.

The featherweight weight limit is 145 pounds ... very light for a muscular, 5'11" fighter like Calvin.

So, no brisket before the weigh-in and fight (easier said than done in a place like Texas) -- but that doesn't mean his friends aren't indulging in the local fare -- something you'd think Kattar would NOT want his boys to do in front of him while he's cutting weight.

But, Calvin -- who has wins over Giga Chikadze, Dan Ige, and Jeremy Stephens -- isn't just a savage in Octagon.

"I have them bring [BBQ] home, eat it in front of me, I like to smell it. I'm sick, man. I like to watch them enjoy themselves. You know, we're only out here for so long, so if I can't take it in, I want them to."

(Calvin's clearly an awesome friend)

As for where a win leaves him in the division, Kattar isn't sure ... but he knows a win continues the momentum in the right direction.

"It's always one step closer with a win, that's all I know."

CK added ... "That's out of my control. Only thing that is in my control is the fight Saturday night and that's where my focus will be."

We also talked to Emmett (more fighting talk, less food). Josh is ranked 7 in the division ... and believes an (impressive) win could set him up for a title shot against either Alex Volkanovski or Max Holloway.

Vanessa Bryant wants a jury to know that the sheriff's deputy accused of taking helicopter crash scene photos of Kobe Bryant was involved in another scandal involving excessive force where a handcuffed inmate's head was allegedly knelt on.

But, L.A. County is fighting back, insisting the other incident is irrelevant, and would seriously prejudice the jury.

About a year after Kobe, Gigi, and seven others tragically died in a helicopter crash, there was an incident inside a county jail involving a deputy named Doug Johnson ... who's accused of kneeling on the head of a handcuffed inmate for several minutes. The March 2021 incident received national news attention.

The L.A. County Sheriff's Department allegedly attempted to prevent the details of the incident from going public ... believing it'd be a black eye for the department.

It's not the first scandal Doug Johnson's allegedly been involved in ... 'cause he's accused of being one of the deputies who took photographs of Kobe's remains at the crash site.

Photos were then allegedly shown to civilians -- without authorization -- in places like bars.

Now, lawyers for L.A. County are asking a judge to prevent Vanessa's attorney's from raising the issue during the defamation and negligence trial -- filed by the Bryant family in 2020 -- and set to begin in July.

The county, in documents filed on Friday, argues the jail incident is "entirely unrelated" to Vanessa's case. They argue bringing up such a hot button issue like excessive force could have a huge effect on the outcome of the trial.

Lawyers for the county reportedly asked Vanessa's legal team if they'd agree not to bring up the other incident ... but VB's attorney refused, according to the L.A. Times. That's when L.A. County filed the motion.

A judge is yet to make a decision on L.A. County's request.

As for the jail incident ... Johnson was captured on camera leading an inmate through a hallway, before the man, awaiting a murder charge, punched him in the face several times. Once Johnson got the 24-year-old inmate under control and handcuffed, he allegedly knelt on the inmates head for around 3 minutes.

Ayesha Curry is turning Celtics fans' famous diss into a great cause ... creating a  line of "Ayesha Curry Can Cook" shirts that'll benefit charity.

If you missed it, a bar in Boston took a shot at Steph Curry's wife -- a chef and a cookbook author -- before Game 4 of the Warriors vs. Celtics NBA Finals series last week ... writing on a sign outside of their business, "Ayesha Curry Can't Cook".

Steph later clapped back at the diss by wearing an "Ayesha Curry CAN Cook" shirt to his postgame press conference following Golden State's win over the Cs in Game 5.

The back and forth between Curry and the bar went viral -- and, when Steph ended up winning the title, he made sure to let Boston know he didn't forget about it.

Seems Ayesha didn't either ... 'cause she's now launched a line of "Ayesha Curry Can Cook" shirts through her brand Sweet July.

In announcing the sale of the tees -- which are going for $28 apiece -- Ayesha said all proceeds will benefit @nokidhungry, an org dedicated to helping end childhood hunger.

An event at a New Jersey speedway this past weekend looked more like a WWE match ... because, at one point during the race, fans in the stands got into a WILD brawl.

The chaotic scene went down Saturday during a Formula Drift race at Old Bridge Township Raceway Park in Englishtown ... when witnesses say fans grew annoyed with a couple that had been roaming around the bleachers.

According to the witnesses, the man in yellow and the woman in the small black T-shirt had been, among other things, grabbing and touching people ... and, eventually, it led to a physical confrontation.

You can see in the footage, the woman in the black tee seemed to lunge at another woman ... kicking off a huge skirmish.

The man in yellow jumped in -- as did another man ... while the two women whaled on each other and wrestled on the ground.

The parties were separated after a few moments ... but the confrontation didn't end there.

When the man in yellow pulled out his phone and appeared to begin filming, another man came over and attempted to smack it out of his hand, which ignited a verbal confrontation.

In a twist, the couple then began making out -- all while cars drifted just feet away -- before security officials finally arrived and appeared to boot them from the area.

Apparently, however, the couple didn't leave the track quietly ... because bystanders filmed them seemingly getting into another dispute outside of the venue with officials.

In the footage, you can see the two appeared to be very aggressive with guards who were trying to get them to leave.

BREAKING!!!! DEVASTATING HAIR NEWS!!!!

UFC light heavyweight champion Jiri Prochazka has chopped off his AWESOME hair in favor of a .... buzz cut.

It's hard to describe the hairstyle pre-cut ... but it was long, high, and pretty damn cool. Sometimes he wore it in a bun.

Why'd he do it?! Jiri told Ariel Helwani it was about a new beginning.

“I cut my hair because I needed to end one chapter of my life. So now I can start with new energy, new wave. Honestly.”

Of course, Jiri just beat then-LHW champ Glover Teixeira at UFC 275 ... forcing the 42-year-old future Hall of Famer to tap with less than 30 seconds left in the fight.

Prochazka was losing the fight ... but none of that mattered after the rear-naked choke.

Asked if he'd grow back the luscious locks, Jiri was indecisive.