TMZ Sports - Page 32

Mercy Miller, the high school hoops star of rap legend Master P, was convinced he wanted to be a Duke Blue Devil ... that is until he met with University of Houston coach Kelvin Sampson.

17-year-old Mercy, a star at Notre Dame High School (they won a state title last season), committed to play at Houston (a #1 seed in this year's NCAA Tourney) a few months back, in part because Sampson, one of the best coaches in college hoops, told the Miller family he saw something special in their son.

"[Coach Sampson] recognized Mercy's talent from 9th-grade summer and he said he's been around a lot of special players, some of the top players in the world and he said the way he felt about Mercy was only like three other players that he felt like that about when he seen him," P told Babcock.

Those players ... "It was Lebron James, Westbrook and then Derrick Rose," according to the mogul.

"It was between Houston and Duke for me when I was growing up. When I went to Houston, I really fell in love with it. When they offered me, Coach Kelvin Sampson -- he's a great guy and the connection was there so I just felt might as well just wrap it up and get this over with," Mercy told us.

"I was shocked because he always wanted to go to Duke but when the coach left Duke and then he was like 'Dad I'm ready, I made up my mind' and coach Kelvin Sampson, he's a straight guy," Mercy's dad said.

FYI, Mercy will go to Houston in 2024, after his senior high school season at the Sherman Oaks school.

We also talked to Mercy about the advantages (and possible disadvantages) of having a famous dad.

"I feel like there's really no disadvantage to it like that. I'm blessed to be in this position with the family I have, the dad I have. Sometimes, I guess, people can say I do this and I had the opportunity I had just because my dad is who he is, but I put the work in."

"Everything is not given. Nothing is given in this world so I take it for what it is," Mercy said.

Of course, players who come from famous families sometimes face unfair criticism. Just look at Bronny James, whose game is constantly picked apart online by people yelling nepotism!

The Vegas Golden Knights could finish their Stanley Cup victory celebration with a bang ... 'cause one Nevada sex worker is offering the champs one helluva party.

Licensed sex worker Alice Little tells TMZ Sports she and her coworkers want to thank the players for bringing home a championship in a very personal way.

Yes. We're talking about sex.

"We here in Sin City love the Golden Knights more than life itself," Little tells us.

"I cannot express in words the joy I feel now the team won their first-ever Stanley Cup, so I’m going to express it through my actions."

Little -- who claims to be the highest-grossing sex worker in Nevada history -- says she's offering the "most extravagant, orgiastic sex party" the champs will ever experience at the Chicken Ranch brothel's 40-acre campus and VIP Bungalows.

"Dozens of ladies, myself included, are ready and waiting at the Chicken Ranch to treat the Knights to any and every carnal delight, and there will be absolutely no penalties for misconduct," Little says.

"The brothel is all yours boys! Free of charge! It’s on me!"

Little also threw around the idea of creating VIP cards specifically for the VGK ... which will give them year-round complimentary access to the brothels' invite-only events and its "Eyes Wide Shut"-style sex sprees.

This isn't the first time Little has shown love to Vegas athletes ... earlier this year, she and fellow sex worker Caitlin Bell offered "free sex for life" to Jimmy Garoppolo who joined the Raiders in March.

Wood Harris is getting the stamp of approval from the guy he portrayed in LeBron James' new "Shooting Stars" movie ... 'cause St. Vincent-St. Mary head coach Dru Joyce says the actor was spectacular!!

TMZ Sports spoke with the Lakers superstar's longtime childhood coach about the new Peacock flick that documents the historic rise of LeBron and his teammates Sian Cotton, Romeo Travis, Willie McGee and Lil Dru en route to high school championships ... and he said he was pleased with the end result.

Joyce admits he was a bit nervous to watch the movie at first -- after all, Hollywood has its way with things -- but once he checked it out, all his worries went away.

"The thing that I was most concerned about, what I wanted to see portrayed most was the friendship and how the friendship was built," Joyce told us. "So, that came across very clear. So, I was happy."

Joyce believes Harris did a great job showing his real coaching skills ... which focused much more on raising good young men than simply basketball players.

In fact, Joyce told us Harris reached out and bounced ideas prior to shooting scenes ... but ultimately, "I just kind of let him run with it."

"I thought he caught the essence of me."

Bill Simmons called Meghan Markle and Prince Harry de facto charlatans amid their Spotify exit -- and he clearly believes they brought little to nothing to the table there.

The longtime sports media personality and Ringer founder -- who made a boatload of cash in a mega-sale to Spotify a few years back, and who oversees a sea of podcasts under The Ringer brand there at Spotify as well -- trashed the Duke and Duchess of Sussex in one of his latest podcast episodes ... where he did not mince words on how he felt about 'em.

BS launched into a quick and mini tirade about the Royal couple ... jokingly saying he wished he was part of their deal to leave Spotify, and then proceeded to call them "grifters."

Check it out yourself ... not only does Bill call them virtual phonies in the podcast game, but he actually drops what sounds like an F-bomb too. Adding insult to injury, he teases a story he says he has about trying to pitch PH a podcast idea over Zoom once upon a time.

Doesn't sound like that went well ... 'cause Bill obviously isn't a fan of them or their content.

Speaking of that content, reports have suggested that Meg and co. simply weren't cranking out enough of it to meet their end of the $20 million bargain. As such, some media outlets are saying they won't get paid out in full on their contract -- which is ... not great.

BTW, Harry and Meghan aren't the only people at Spotify getting kicked to the curb. It appears there's a lot of fat-trimming going on for pods that aren't producing -- Jemele Hill's losing her Spotify deal, and the Obamas lost theirs as well in the not-too-distant past.

Bob Huggins was arrested for DUI in Pennsylvania -- and his bosses at West Virginia University are already well aware of it.

The WVU men's basketball HC was busted Friday night in Pittsburgh after cops observed a vehicle in the middle of a road with a flat tire -- which turned into a suspicious scene for Pittsburgh PD after they say they saw Huggins struggling mightily to get his car to the side of the road.

Suspecting he might be intoxicated, the officers initiated field sobriety tests ... which they say BH failed. At that point, they threw on the cuffs and hauled him to jail on suspicion of DUI.

WVU addressed his arrest, saying ... "West Virginia University is aware of an incident last night involving Head Men’s Basketball Coach Bob Huggins, for which he was charged with Driving Under the Influence (DUI) in the City of Pittsburgh."

They add, "We are gathering more information and will take appropriate action once the review is complete." BTW, reports say the SUV he was driving was a lease ... courtesy of West Virginia University.

True to their word, Catholic groups in the thousands rallied outside Dodger Stadium -- even blocking parking lot entrances -- due to the team's Pride Night plans to honor an LGBTQ group that satirizes nuns.

A sea of peaceful protesters seemed to nearly surround the entire venue Friday night, ahead of the Dodgers shining a spotlight on The Sisters of Perpetual Indulgence.

The Sisters are a charitable org, but one that features members in drag dressed as nuns and they've been known to perform "communion" with tequila. It's all done tongue-in-cheek, they would say, but that's what mobilized the protestors.

The level of turnout was insane -- one huge group chanted, "save our children" while marching near the stadium -- all indications of just how much of a national story this showdown over The Sisters had become.

The Dodgers had actually scrapped the plan to include the group in its Pride night after backlash from the Catholic League and Sen. Marco Rubio.

But, then LGBTQ groups threatened to boycott the team's Pride Night ... and The Sisters were re-invited to Dodger Stadium.

Even a few players, including Clayton Kershaw, were vocal about their opposition to the Dodgers honoring The Sisters. In a seeming bit of compromise, the team recently announced it would bring back Christian Faith and Family Day on July 30.

The Sisters of Perpetual Indulgence were honored inside Dodger Stadium -- but it went down about an hour before the game against the rival San Francisco Giants, so very few fans witnessed it.

The woman who accused Conor McGregor of rape was seen on video with the UFC star at a club table just minutes after she says the sexual assault happened.

The footage, obtained by TMZ Sports, was shot at around 12:40 a.m. on June 10 inside the Kaseya Center in Miami ... roughly half an hour or so after the woman claims he attacked her inside of a bathroom following Game 4 of the NBA Finals.

In the clips, you can see McGregor and the woman appearing to exchange words while holding drinks ... before Conor eventually leaves the area.

According to the woman's attorney, Ariel Mitchell, the video shows her client and McGregor were "visibly awkwardly interacting with each other" -- something she alleges the two were not doing prior to their restroom encounter.

"My client has always stated that there would be video of before and after, and in those videos she emphasized that the difference in the interactions between them would be visibly noticeable," Mitchell said in a statement to TMZ Sports. "This again is another video that supports what my client has been saying and supports what she told the police since the inception of this incident."

McGregor's attorney, meanwhile, says the footage shows what he's been claiming all along ... that the allegations are false.

"While the claimant's story has changed yet again," Barbara R. Llanes said in a statement, "our account of the evening has never changed. This video only reinforces our position. We look forward to the swift conclusion of the investigation."

Previous video that we obtained showed McGregor and the woman had been interacting at the club throughout the evening. In one vid, he was seen flexing with her as music blared. In another, the 34-year-old was seen grabbing the woman by her hand and leading her into a bathroom.

The woman has claimed while inside of the restroom ... Conor kissed her without her consent, forced her to perform oral sex, and attempted to sodomize her.

McGregor has been adamant that the woman's claims are "no more than a shakedown."

Ja Morant filmed himself holding a toy gun back on May 14 in an effort to show his family and friends that he did not have a real firearm during his now-infamous Instagram Live sesh ... and TMZ Sports has just obtained the footage.

In the video, you can see Morant -- easily identified by his unique tattoos -- attempting to show the weapon was nothing more than a lighter.

Morant used the flames that came out of the phony gun to ignite some candles ... before he appeared to say in the clip, "You hold it, and everything comes out."

We're told Ja sent the video around to those close to him after they had questioned why he was seen brandishing a firearm in a social media video yet again.

You'll recall, Ja was initially suspended for the act in March ... though on May 13, he was filmed doing it once more while listening to NBA YoungBoy's album with a pal in a car.

Ja never publicly stated the gun was not a real one ... though Claudia Jordan said on "The Breakfast Club" earlier this month that some inside of the Grizzlies guard's camp had informed her it was fake.

Either way, Adam Silver punished Morant over it all regardless ... hitting him with a 25-game suspension on Friday morning.

Following news of the ban, Morant apologized ... and vowed to be "a better man than what I've been showing you."

Brittney Griner isn't going to let one bad interaction spoil things for her supporters ... 'cause TMZ Sports has obtained video showing she was super friendly with a man looking for a pic with her on Friday.

The scene played out in front of the Phoenix Mercury's team hotel in D.C. -- just six days after YouTube personality Alex Stein bothered her at Dallas-Fort Worth International Airport.

During the June 10 incident, the social media troll was seen on video pestering the WNBA star about the prisoner swap that freed her from Russian custody back in December.

But, Griner clearly isn't letting any of the sour encounter change her mentality ... because when a fan approached her about getting a photo right before the Mercury took on the Washington Mystics -- she was happy to oblige.

In fact, she did it twice!

You can see in our footage, the man tried to grab a shot with her as she was getting off the bus, but when it didn't come out well ... he asked her for another one, and she said OK, no problem.

Witnesses at the scene tell us she and her security were super friendly throughout the ordeal ... and seemed genuinely happy to be around BG/Mercury supporters.

UFC star Jared Cannonier is turning over a new leaf -- literally -- telling TMZ Sports he's quit smoking weed for his upcoming main event fight with Marvin Vettori.

We talked to the 39-year-old "Killa Gorilla" just days before his UFC Fight Night scrap, going down Saturday night in Las Vegas, when Jared revealed the change in his lifestyle.

"For this camp I have abstained from smoking marijuana, so the clarity is there," Cannonier told us, explaining ... "More mental clarity for me. There is a physical aspect to it. You are putting foreign substances into you [body], especially your lungs."

And, because it's potentially a 25-minute scrap, Jared wants to be ready in the event he doesn't get an early stoppage.

"This is a 5-round fight, so I want to be able to push the pace for 5 hard rounds, make it 5 hard rounds for him, but just another 5 rounds for me," Cannonier told us.

"I want to push the pace, be powerful throughout the whole thing, if it goes 5 rounds. That's a big if, 'cause I plan on putting it on him start to finish. I don't see him lasting long. Mentally,  physically, I feel like I'm in a much better place than I was in my last camp, so I'm ready to go!"

The fight has title implications, too. JC is ranked 4, while Marvin is the 3rd ranked middleweight.

Alex Periera is ranked 1, but is moving up the light heavyweight, so he's out of the mix at 185 pounds. Robert Whittaker (who is fighting Dricus Du Plessis at UFC 290 next month) is ranked 2nd. Israel Adesanya is the reigning champ.

With a win, Cannonier believes this puts him "right at the doorstep" of a title fight.

We also talked to 29-year-old Vettori, who, you guessed it, isn't exactly on the same page when it comes to how he sees the fight going.

"Me being young, and me being hungrier, the more the fight goes on, the more [Jared's] gonna struggle. And, I might catch him early, too. I heard he wants to come out like crazy, I welcome that. Please, bring it, 'cause damn sure you're not gonna get me out of there!"

As for what happens after a win over Jared, Marvin tells us he isn't sweating the future.

"I always felt it inside, I always knew a trilogy with Adesanya is gonna happen. So, I'm not even stressing about it. My whole focus is to go out and look amazing in front of Cannonier and the rest will fall into place."

Former college football player Ray Lewis III -- the son of Hall of Fame linebacker Ray Lewis -- died from an overdose ... this according to police.

TMZ Sports obtained the overdose report from police in Florida ... and it says Lewis apparently died from an accidental overdose.

Police say they responded to a call for a medical emergency and found an unresponsive Lewis, who was getting CPR from a friend while another friend was screaming for Narcan (a drug used during overdoses).

Cops say Lewis was lying naked in a room, between a bed and a wall and he was not breathing. Police say they administered Narcan in his right nostril, but there was no response.

The report also says cops searched the room and found a blue pill near Lewis' body, which they unofficially identified as Alprazolam (the drug in brands like Xanax). Police also say there was a used needle at the scene, plus a small plastic bag found inside of an empty beer can.

As we reported ... Lewis was found dead earlier this week ... and the police report says the call came in at 5:29 PM on Wednesday.

LeBron James heard the Nuggets talkin' spit about the Lakers during their championship parade on Thursday ... and now, the NBA superstar is clapping back HARD.

In case you missed it, Michael Malone threw shade at reports of LBJ considering retirement after losing to Denver in the Western Conference Finals ... cracking jokes and claiming he was going to hang it up for good, too.

There was also a cringe moment at the rally, where Malone was referred to as "the Lakers' daddy."

James is now unloading on the Nuggets franchise ... saying he was minding his own business in Europe when he found out about the disses -- so he asked, "I'm on your mind that much huh???"

"I mean I guess I see why. 🤷🏾‍♂️," LeBron said on Instagram with a pic of him waving the starting flag at 24 Hours of Le Mans.

"But Wave the flag on these lames!! Please make being player cool again cause the lame machine is at an all-time high. Enjoy your light but just know I’m the SUN. I stay on forever!"

Here's a side of championship celebrations you don't see very often -- Nuggets hooper Bruce Brown revealed the aftermath of raging nonstop since Denver won the NBA Finals earlier this week ... admitting he's "hurting bad."

The 26-year-old posted some hungover content to his Instagram on Friday ... saying Nikola Jokic is to blame for his seat on the struggle bus.

"This is Nikola's fault," a clearly roughed-up Brown said from bed. "This is the Sombor Shuffle's fault that I'm down bad this bad ... and I want everyone to know that."

Brown admitted he had no idea what Jokic was handing him throughout the night ... but there's no doubt in his mind whatever it was was the source of his pain.

Brown -- who played a huge role in the Finals -- also begged for some "damn Pedialyte" to help him recover.

Of course, Brown was one of many Nuggets players letting loose during the team's parade and rally celebrations on Thursday ... which flowed into a night of raging at a Vegas nightclub.

TMZ Sports has obtained video that shows Conor McGregor taking his rape accuser by the hand and leading her into a bathroom ... where she says he sexually assaulted her.

The footage was shot inside the Kaseya Center in Miami at around midnight on June 10 ... just after the Nuggets had beaten the Heat in Game 4 of the NBA Finals on June 9.

In the video, you can see McGregor -- wearing a black tee -- leaving a restroom area to speak with a woman in a white shirt. After appearing to exchange words with the woman, Conor grabs her by her hand and makes a path for her to go with him inside of a bathroom.

A few seconds later -- the restroom door shuts, without anyone else appearing to go inside. The footage then ends.

TMZ Sports broke the story ... earlier this week the accuser's lawyer, Ariel Mitchell, sent a demand letter claiming NBA and Miami Heat security "physically forced" the accuser into the restroom, where McGregor proceeded to rape her while security refused to let her exit or allow her friend to come into the bathroom with her.

However, the video does not appear to show anyone forcing her into the restroom with Conor (he is instead leading her by the hand), but three men who seem like security guards do assemble in front of the door in a manner that would prevent anyone from entering or exiting.

According to Mitchell ... McGregor's accuser and the UFC star had been partying together at a club inside of the NBA arena just minutes before our video was taken.

At one point during their nightclub celebration, Mitchell tells us her client took a selfie video with Conor.

Mitchell says, though, their partying was halted when McGregor said he had to use the restroom -- but shortly after he got up, a man in a Denver Nuggets jersey walked up to her and told her, "Conor told me to come get you."

"My client was under the belief they were leaving and going to the Four Seasons Hotel, as Conor had previously asked her to join him at his hotel room," Mitchell said in a statement.

"The man with the braids then stopped at the door of the bathroom, when Conor grabbed my client (as seen in the video). My client believed they were leaving, but instead Conor took her into the restroom."

It's alleged McGregor then sexually assaulted the woman.

"My client remembers having no less than six drinks that night and has admitted the parts she recalls," Mitchell said. "My client did not even recall who led her into the restroom until seeing this video."

McGregor has denied the accusations against him ... with his reps saying in a statement on Thursday, "The allegations are false. Mr. McGregor will not be intimidated."

We reached out for further comment from McGregor regarding the new video, but have not heard back yet.

Cops, meanwhile, told TMZ Sports on Thursday ... they have been investigating the allegations since June 11 -- and a probe remains ongoing.

McGregor had been at the arena earlier in the night participating in some of the game's entertainment -- punching a mascot as part of a break-in-the-action skit.

New video shows McGregor was also partying in the venue's nightclub with other patrons at halftime of the game as well ... looking like he was having a great time with a drink in his hand.

A second gun video and yet another suspension won't cost Ja Morant his deal with Nike after all ... the Swoosh just announced it's still backing the NBA superstar.

In a statement released just minutes after Adam Silver banned Morant 25 games for waving a firearm on Instagram Live for the second time this year ... Nike announced it will not be severing its ties with the Grizzlies hooper.

"We are pleased that Ja is taking accountability and prioritizing his well-being," the shoe giant said. "We will continue to support him on and off the court."

For a while following the second gun video, it appeared the relationship was in jeopardy ... as the co. had wiped all of his signature athletic shoes from its app and website. But now, it's clear -- the two are moving forward in lockstep.

Of course, Ja has had a relationship with Nike dating back to 2019 ... and he's become one of the faces of the company -- releasing his first-ever Ja 1 shoe a few months back.

It all clearly makes a ton of dollars and sense for both sides regardless ... as even with all of the controversy surrounding him, Morant's Ja 1 "Hunger" colorway drop sold out in a matter of minutes back in late May.

Longtime NBA player Tony Snell is opening up on a recent health discovery ... revealing he was diagnosed with autism last year.

The 31-year-old shared the news with "Today" on Friday ... saying his son's own diagnosis gave him the courage to get checked out as well.

As it turns out, Snell says the signs were there throughout his life ... explaining he was often independent and alone, and struggled to connect with people on a personal level.

"I was not surprised because I always felt different," Snell said. "I was just relieved like, 'Oh, this is why I am the way I am.' And it just made my whole life, everything about my life make so much sense."

"It was like a clarity, like putting some 3-D glasses on."

Snell believes if he knew his diagnosis earlier, he would have not made it in the NBA ... because people would have "put a limit or cap on my abilities."

The former 20th overall pick in the 2013 NBA Draft has played 9 seasons in the league ... suiting up for the Bulls, Bucks, Pistons, Hawks, Trail Blazers and Pelicans.

He currently plays for the G League's Maine Celtics.