TMZ Sports - Page 11

Kanye West is making a quick move to find a new home for his Yeezy shoes ... hitting Skechers headquarters to talk with the company's honchos, but immediately got turned away.

Sources familiar with Ye's visit tell us he was at the company's main office Wednesday morning in Manhattan Beach, CA ... but this was not a scheduled meeting with management.

Skechers says, Ye "arrived unannounced and without invitation at one of Skechers’ corporate offices in Los Angeles. Considering Ye was engaged in unauthorized filming, two Skechers executives escorted him and his party from the building after a brief conversation."

Now, we don't know if Kanye did his research or not, but Skechers is owned and operated by a Jewish family -- Robert Greenberg founded it, and his son Michael is currently the President. Considering his rampant anti-Semitism, you could say he barked up the wrong tree.

A spokesperson tells us, "Skechers is not considering and has no intention of working with West. We condemn his recent divisive remarks and do not tolerate antisemitism or any other form of hate speech. Again, West showed up unannounced and uninvited to Skechers corporate offices."

We're guessing Kanye's goal was for Skechers to be his new partner for the Yeezy shoe brand -- working both as a manufacturer and distributor, as Adidas did before it dropped him this week. Well, he struck out.

Still, Kanye was also spotted in good spirits at a local bagel shop before his meeting -- his smile certainly doesn't look like that of a man out $900 million -- a figure reported by Forbes.

As we reported, Kanye's anti-Semitic comments were the final straw for several business and professional relationships for Kanye -- including Balenciaga, his legal team and of course, Adidas who have all dropped him in the last few weeks.

Kanye West is persona non grata for Peloton -- the exercise company is banning his music from any new future classes.

Peloton took a stance Wednesday in a statement to Pelobuddy ... "We take this issue very seriously and can confirm Peloton indefinitely paused the use of Kanye West’s music on our platform. This means our instructors are no longer using his music in any newly produced classes and we are not suggesting any class that includes his music in our proactive recommendations to Members."

They add, "You should know this was a decision we made immediately following his remarks. Again, thank you for sharing your concerns and thank you for being a Member of our Peloton community."

The statement comes on the heels of Peloton's Alex Toussaint -- a popular cycling instructor -- declaring he would not be playing Ye's tunes during any of his classes. He said this on Monday during his Hip Hop Ride at 7 PM ET ... without ever naming the guy.

Toussaint said he doesn't tolerate hate speech and that he stands with the Jewish community -- going on to promise he would foster a safe space and not play "that artist." It seems his bosses felt that policy should apply across the board ... and it's a big deal.

There's been a lot of folks wondering what might happen to Kanye's music as he continues to fall from grace. Until now, there hadn't been many rumblings about censoring//muting his catalog -- but at this point, it appears the door's starting to be opened a bit.

Will Smith visited the Los Angeles Lakers to talk about staying strong in the face of adversity ... as the team tries to salvage its season after dropping its first three games.

Smith spent quality time with the Lake Show discussing themes that will be a part of his upcoming film, "Emancipation," such as the benefits of togetherness and practicing gratitude when difficult times arise.

WS got some facetime with Lakers owner Jeanie Buss and general manager Rob Pelinka, and the team presented the 'Fresh Prince of Bel-Air' star with a No. 14 Lakers jersey.

The message in Will's talk was profound ... and came at a time when the Lakers have been experiencing constant scrutiny, a feeling Smith experienced earlier this year.

Remember ... the 54-year-old Philadelphia native faced immense public backlash and consequences, including a 10-year ban from the Academy Awards, for slapping Chris Rock at the Oscars.

Smith seemingly became public enemy No. 1 for the viral moment -- but he eventually apologized to Rock and has been doing damage control ever since to repair his public image.

Ultimately, Smith wanted to instill in the Lakers that no matter how grim things look, the only way to overcome them is by sticking together and appreciating the struggle.

Chicago Bears linebacker Roquan Smith showed raw emotion over his friend, Robert Quinn, getting traded to the Philadelphia Eagles ... breaking down in tears and ending his press conference after hearing the news.

32-year-old Quinn -- who had 18.5 sacks in 2021 -- was shipped to Philly in exchange for a fourth-round pick on Wednesday ... and Smith was in the middle of his media availability when he got wind of the deal.

"It sucks," 25-year-old Smith said as he tried to compose himself. "I'm gonna take a second for a second, if you don't mind."

"I have a great deal of respect for that guy, you know ... damn. Crazy."

Smith waited several more moments before deciding to get up and leave the room.

Quinn now joins an undefeated Eagles team that's sitting pretty at the top of the NFC East ... which is a much better situation than the 3-4 Bears.

Smith and his Chicago teammates will now try to improve their record without their star defensive end.

The Celtics will be without Grant Williams for one game -- the NBA just suspended the forward after making contact with a referee during Boston's matchup against the Bulls this week.

The call was made during the 4th quarter of the Celtics game on Oct. 24 ... after Williams was charged with a blocking foul against Zach LaVine.

The 6'6" baller disagreed with the call and unintentionally bumped into referee Cheryl Flores as he got up with frustration.

Williams was immediately ejected for making contact ... and he was so pissed, he had to be forced into the United Center tunnel by Celtics coaching staffers.

The NBA's Executive VP Joe Dumars announced Williams was suspended for one game without pay "for recklessly making contact with and directing inappropriate language toward a game official."

When Adidas decided to stop producing products for Kanye West, people from around the globe rushed to the Internet to check the temp of selling the popular Yeezy shoe.

Google searches for the phrase "sell Yeezy" skyrocketed a whopping 581% Wednesday -- according to data commissioned by Celeb Tattler -- after news broke that Adidas was dropping their contract with Ye and stopping production of his brand's products.

The numbers suggest folks are trying to figure out if it's a good idea to start selling their Yeezy gear now, or wait for prices to potentially increase in the future.

As we reported ... Adidas, Kanye's biggest corporate partner, announced Tuesday they were cutting ties with Ye in the wake of building public pressure following his antisemitic comments.

The German shoe company says a "thorough review" of the Yeezy partnership projects a $246 million loss in net income this year by ending the deal.

The two Ohio fishermen who left the sports world stunned after allegedly stuffing fish with weights during a tournament pled not guilty to multiple charges on Wednesday.

42-year-old Jacob Runyan and 35-year-old Chase Cominsky were indicted by a grand jury earlier this month on felony charges of cheating, attempted grand theft and possessing criminal tools ... as well as misdemeanor unlawful ownership of wild animals.

Both anglers appeared in a Cleveland court on Wednesday ... but neither spoke.

Runyan, a native of Ohio, and Cominsky, a native of Pennsylvania, were on the verge of winning $28,760 for the two seven-pound walleyes fish they caught during the Lake Erie event in September.

The problem ... officials were suspicious of Runyan's and Cominsky's haul -- and once they cut the fish open, they noticed they contained weights and other fish filets inside.

Both Runyan and Cominsky had been suspected of cheating in past tournaments, though there was never enough evidence to nab the two.

Fans at the event were frustrated ... and insisted that the honchos in charge file a police report against both men.

Deshaun Watson is adamant he NEVER pressured his latest accuser into giving him oral sex ... claiming he has a bevy of DMs from the massage therapist that contradict her story.

Watson was sued by the woman, ID'ed as Jane Doe, back on Oct. 13 over an alleged 2020 encounter with the QB ... but in a new court filing, obtained by TMZ Sports, the Cleveland Browns star is calling BS on her allegations.

In the documents, Watson and his attorneys showed several direct messages as well as texts that they say revealed the woman was experiencing "unrequited love" with the football player.

Watson and his team of lawyers claim some of the messages were sent in Sept. 2021, nearly one year after the 2020 meetup where Watson was accused of being inappropriate with the woman.

In one of the messages, which Watson's attorneys say he did not respond to, they say the woman told the 27-year-old, "do you want to meet?" In others, they claim she said, "I have the best head in all of Houston," and, "Let me know when your ready to make big deposits."

Watson and his attorneys also say the woman sent him texts just days after their 2020 meetup, where she told him, "I'd like to see you again we should hang out."

Watson's lawyers say in the documents the woman did go to authorities with her allegations ... but they "were considered -- and ultimately rejected -- by police, the Harris County District Attorney's Office and a Harris County Grand Jury."

They also claim the woman was interviewed by Watson's counsel in 2021 over the claims ... and she said at the time, "I wasn't scared, I wasn't intimidated. I didn't do anything I didn't want to do."

If Karl-Anthony Towns was trying to be a leader for publicly criticizing Anthony Edwards' diet, it had the complete opposite effect -- so says Chandler Parsons, who's calling the star's comments "super wack."

As we previously reported, KAT told reporters he wants to help change what the 2020 #1 overall pick is putting in his body after a bad loss on Monday ... saying, "I know y’all think it’s funny up here when he talks about Popeyes and all that s***. That doesn't make me happy to hear."

Parsons got wind of KAT's statements ... and he's completely against how he went about it.

"It's just super corny for him to say that," Parsons said on FanDuel TV's "Run It Back."

"I don't know if it's his attempt of trying to be a leader, but leaders don't do that in public. Leaders privately pull their player or their teammate over there and they talk about that or they get with the training staff, they get with the chef, they get with whatever they have to get  to to address this issue."

He added ... "You do not air that out after a bad loss when emotions are already high. Doing that to another star player on the team, I just think that's completely out of bounds. That's not how you lead. That's not how you get things done and I just think that's super wack."

Jake Paul's bad luck could strike once again -- his fight against Anderson Silva might be in trouble ... after the former UFC champ claimed he was knocked out twice during his last sparring session.

47-year-old Spider made the shocking comments in a video posted to MMA Weekly on Tuesday ... saying his workouts leading up to Saturday's fight in Phoenix were so grueling, he was KO'd twice.

"I'm training hard for the win," Silva told Jim Grieshaber. "I'm training with the good boxers, high-level, and five guys come to help me. "And the last sparring with [my partner], he knocked me out two times, and when I finish my training, I talked to my coach and even said, 'Coach, let me tell you something, why the guys knock me out two times?' And the coach said, 'You need to prepare for war, and you prepare for war.'"

Silva's statement caught the attention of the Arizona Department of Gaming -- the organization that oversees professional bouts in the state -- which told MMA Fighting it is "looking into the matter."

Here's the issue -- due to Silva's age, he must undergo rigorous testing in order to be cleared to fight ... which includes disclosing his most recent knockouts and the amount of time he was unconscious.

Silva's coach, Luiz Carlos Dorea, adamantly denied the fighter's claims ... saying he is 100% ready for the fight.

No update has been provided so far ... but Paul is clearly expecting to scrap on Saturday -- tweeting out, "3 days" as he continues to count down to the big event.

If Silva's revelation ruins the fight, it'll be the third time Paul has been left without an opponent ... after Tommy Fury and Hasim Rahman Jr. were forced to back out.

Here's hoping it doesn't come to that.

La La Anthony is spillin' more tea on her marriage to Carmelo ... revealing this week that the Knicks trade for her former NBA superstar hubby led to the couple's "demise."

The T.V. personality went on Alex Cooper's "Call Her Daddy" podcast on Wednesday to talk about the difficulties of being a wife of a 10-time NBA All-Star ... and she unveiled that everything was good between the two -- until New York got involved.

La La -- who married Melo in July 2010 -- says their relationship was gravy when the basketball player was starring for the Denver Nuggets ... but got dicey when he was traded to the Knicks in February 2011.

“When we lived here [in New York] under all of that [attention], that's when things became complicated," La La said.

"I think that was kind of the start. Now that I look back, that was kind of the start of the demise of the marriage."

The NY native says the bright lights of the city weren't the only things that started the problems between her and Melo, but they were some of the hardest things to deal with.

"That's not the only reason things didn't work out, but things got tough with New York. Just constantly being under the spotlight and people watching every little thing."

La La ultimately filed for divorce from Melo in 2021, citing irreconcilable differences, but she told Cooper they're still friends ... and are co-parenting their 15-year-old son, Kiyan, without issues.

"It wasn't all bad," she said. "Like, we had great, great times."

La La says she is dating again ... but is not open to NBA players anymore.

Do you smell what The Rock's daughter is cookin'?!?

WWE fans finally do ... 'cause Dwayne Johnson's offspring just made her in-ring debut with the org. on Tuesday night -- and the crowd was feeling it!!

21-year-old Simone Johnson unveiled herself as "Ava Raine" during the WWE's NXT program ... crushing a promo where she was revealed to be the fourth member of wrestler Joe Gacy's stable, Schism.

Simone had made some appearances on the shows before -- but only as a hooded figure. When she finally lifted her mask, though, fans went nuts.

Simone -- who initially signed with WWE in Feb. 2020 -- told the crowd during her segment that she sees the Schism group as a family ... adding that they complete her.

She didn't compete in her debut, which is what most wrestling fans are waiting for ... but, seeing her in a WWE ring was still an awesome moment.

Of course, the road to the ring Tuesday didn't come without adversity -- in May, Simone faced backlash for revealing she'd wrestle under a moniker not related to Dwayne's "The Rock" character.

Simone took on her critics headfirst -- acknowledging that even if she caved to the pressure to build her career around her father and their family, she would still be criticized harshly.

J.J. Watt and Kealia Ohai are parents!!

The Arizona Cardinals star and pro soccer player made the announcement Tuesday evening ... saying their baby boy arrived on Oct. 23.

The couple -- who got married in February 2020 -- shared a photo with their bundle of joy in the hospital bed on Instagram.

"Love and happiness have reached heights we never even knew existed," Watt said in the caption.

The couple also revealed their son's name -- Koa James Watt.

The great news had their post swarmed with comments from fans and NFL players ... including Watt's little brother and Pittsburgh Steelers linebacker, T.J.

"Welcome to the family Koa!!!" T.J. said on the post.

The Arizona Cardinals and the NFL also congratulated the 3-time Defensive Player of the Year ... with the league account saying, "KJ Watt! Congrats JJ and Kealia!"

This kid definitely has sports in his blood ... besides his dad being a 5-time Pro Bowler, his mom is a Chicago Red Stars midfielder. Plus his uncles are pros as well.

Safe to say the kid will have a future as an athlete if he wants.

An NBA fan didn't keep her head on a swivel while she was trying to take her courtside seat at a game on Tuesday night -- and she paid for it ... getting drilled in the noggin by an errant pass.

The painful moment happened just a few minutes into the Mavericks vs. Pelicans game in New Orleans ... when a woman had her back turned to the court as Dallas was trying to get a bucket on the floor.

Luka Doncic threw up a shot, missed, and when Dorian Finney-Smith grabbed the rebound -- he looked to kick the basketball out to one of his teammates.

The problem? His pass was tipped out of his hand -- and then it made a beeline for the unsuspecting woman's head.

The ball clanked off the back of her dome with some force ... but, fortunately, she appeared to be OK. Also, like a true champ, she didn't spill any of the water she was holding -- and laughed it all off.

Later in the game, retired NFL head coach Sean Payton showed off exactly how fans are supposed to handle themselves while courtside ... using some cat-like reflexes to nab a tipped ball that came his way before it did any harm.

The star players on Kanye West's Donda Academy basketball team will not be able to showcase their talents on one of H.S. hoops' biggest stages this year ... and it's all because of Ye's controversial antisemitic comments.

The Scholastic Play-By-Play Classics announced Donda has been scrapped from this season's schedule ... claiming West's "words and actions violate our values as a company and a country, and what we seek to ensure at all of our events -- a spirit of diversity, sportsmanship, inclusion, equity and mutual respect."

The tournament -- which has five national locations -- is a huge deal at the high school level ... and has hosted future NBA superstars like LeBron James, Kobe Bryant and Kevin Durant in the past.

Donda was originally slated to compete at the December 11 event in Louisville.

It's a huge bummer for the whole roster of kids -- including five-star guards Robert Dillingham (who's committed to Kentucky) and AJ Johnson ... as well as the other players on the squad who are also ranked nationally.

Scholastic Play-By-Play feels for the young athletes ... adding, "While we are firm in our reasoning for this decision, it does not diminish our heartache and regret for Donda's hardworking athletes who will lose out the most as a result of Kanye's actions."

"Unfortunately, we cannot in good conscience host an organization founded and directed by Mr. West at our events."

Kurt Warner clearly believes the finish line is here for both Tom Brady and Aaron Rodgers ... saying this week that he believes both dudes need to seriously consider retiring after struggling to start this year.

"I think both of those guys look like they're exhausted," the Hall of Famer told PEOPLE ... before adding, "Maybe it is time to walk away."

38-year-old Rodgers and 45-year-old Brady are off to some of the worst starts of their careers in 2022 ... with the duo combining for a sad 6-8 record so far.

The legends also haven't been wowing anybody with their arms on the field ... Rodgers has no games with over 255 passing yards, and Brady has only crossed the 300-yard passing mark twice this season.

Warner seemingly believes it's all due to the wear and tear finally catching up to the grey beards ... and he's now urging the duo to take a long look at hanging up their cleats for good.

"It's okay to go, 'You know what? It's not how it used to be,'" Warner said, "'I may not be who I used to be,' or, 'It's just too hard overall to get everybody up to the standard.'"

He added that pressures of off-the-field lives for both guys might be playing into the subpar performances as well.

Warner, of course, knows a thing or two about the ending of a legendary football career ... he was one of the best to ever do it, before he finally called it quits following the 2009 season.

He said it wasn't easy to get to the end, but he eventually made peace with it -- and he appears to be advising the guys to follow a similar path.

"As I was going through the last couple years, it was becoming more and more prevalent that, 'Okay, this is taking too much from me and it's not just about enjoying the game anymore,'" Warner said.