TMZ Sports - Page 8

Victor Wembanyama's incredibly slight build won't stop the number one pick from kicking ass starting game one, according to former NBA star Gilbert Arenas, who flat-out says today's big men suck (with a couple of exceptions).

"If you can get buckets, you can get buckets. It doesn't matter how strong you are," Arenas told Babcock on the TMZ Sports TV show (airs weeknights on FS1).

"He only has two people in the position that he's going to be guarding, you got [Joel Embiid] and [Nikola Jokic]. That's six games a year. That's gonna be real tough for you. Other than that there's no one in your position. Everyone sucks. Everyone's trash."

"You have [Brook Lopez], undersized Al Horford, you got [Pascal Siakam,] they're playing him at center now. You don't have no one that's really gonna challenge you and your size. For the most part you should be fine. You should be perfectly fine."

Of course, the nearly 7'5" French phenom, who is listed at 230 lbs., was drafted with the first overall pick during last week's NBA Draft. Some people have questioned whether Wemby can be effective given his current frame.

Frankly, Gilbert thinks that's crap ... given the way the game is now played.

"From who, Siakam is gonna break him? Who's gonna break him at the center?" Arenas asked.

Ray Lewis gave a powerful speech at his son's funeral on Saturday ... fondly remembering his child less than two weeks after the 28-year-old's tragic death.

The Pro Football Hall of Famer, wearing all white, spoke for several minutes at the service inside of the Calvary Orlando Church in Florida ... as dozens of mourners listened on intently.

"We will see you again," the ex-Baltimore Ravens star said to his child, Ray Lewis III, during his speech.

Lewis also spoke about how he'd watched his son over the last 28 years ... adding, "The referees thought I was crazy running up and down the sideline."

Lewis' good friend, Dallas Cowboys legend Michael Irvin, was also in attendance ... and he said after the ceremony his "heart bleeds" for Ray and the Lewis family.

"NO FATHER should ever have to bury his son!" Irvin said on his social media page. "There is NOT anything, anyone can say to ease this depth of pain. Just know this MY BROTHER, we love you and God has you."

In his post, Irvin also shared a video from the funeral ... showing that a montage featuring clips and pictures of Ray and his son was displayed.

Following the ceremony, some of Lewis' family members and closest friends gathered at the repast at Lake Mary Preparatory School, where they posed for a smiling photo.

As we previously reported, Lewis III died on June 14 ... after cops say he accidentally overdosed.

Ray hadn't spoken publicly about the death until Saturday's service.

Kim Zolciak called the cops on her estranged husband, Kroy Biermann, earlier this month -- and it was all because he allegedly accused Kim's friend of kidnapping their young son.

TMZ obtained audio from the 911 call Kim placed on June 16 in Alpharetta, GA. In her chat with the dispatcher, Kim says she's stressed out about her husband flipping out ... claiming he accused her friend of trying to kidnap their son.

The backstory is a little murky ... but essentially, KZ explains that she'd signed off on her girlfriend to take her son on a playdate. However, based on Kim's description, it sounds like when Kroy caught wind of this, he lost it and threatened to file a kidnapping report against the woman who was picking up their son.

Kim says this caused not only her friend to freak out, but also left Kim's son in tears ... and Kim tells the dispatcher she's going to pick up her son. It's a strange call -- obviously, it doesn't seem to be an emergency -- something Kim acknowledges herself.

BTW ... Kim also accuses Kroy of stealing her bag, which she says is full of divorce docs.

Based on police records, it appears nothing came of this at the time. Kim ends the call by telling the operator she'd call them back if she needs further assistance -- but, on its face, she seems to have just wanted to put this on the cops' radar ... which is exactly how the police noted it in their write-up. They didn't follow up on this address in the aftermath.

Now, when it comes to Kroy's side of things ... sources tell us this was just a case of bad communication. We're told Kroy had no idea their son, KJ, had gotten the green light to go to a rodeo with his friend/their mom. Our sources tell us Kroy's deeply distrustful of the woman who took KJ -- for reasons unexplained -- which is why he was on edge.

We're told when Kroy learned KJ was under the supervision of this woman -- he called her up, but apparently felt like he wasn't getting his point across. At one point, our sources say Kroy demanded she brings KJ back ... she allegedly hung up on him -- which is what led to him threatening to file kidnapping charges over it. He never did, though.

Chael Sonnen was talking out the side of his neck when he claimed Mark Zuckerberg personally called him to reveal the Elon Musk fight would go down at UFC 300 ... so says a rep for the Meta CEO, who tells TMZ Sports no such phone conversation ever took place.

The former UFC star made the wild declaration on "The MMA Hour" earlier Monday ... saying Zuck dialed him up to share a major update on his proposed fight with the Twitter honcho during his appearance on the show.

"Zuckerberg contacts me because he saw your tweet that I'm coming on," Sonnen said. "Zuckerberg has told me that he has agreed to fight Elon Musk at UFC 300 and it was a very big deal."

Sonnen swore up and down that he was 100% serious ... adding, "That just happened. [My producer] Ethan is my witness, my son, Thero, my dog, Duke. This is a shoot."

While a Zuck vs. Musk fight could very well happen at UFC 300 next year for all we know, a spokesperson for the Facebook co-founder was quick to shut down any talks of a phone chat with the former contender -- saying, "I have confirmed with Mark that he did not call Chael Sonnen."

Things have been picking up steam after the two billionaires traded public jabs all last week ... and UFC honcho Dana White told us both sides are dead serious about fighting.

In fact, Dana thinks it could be the most successful fight in history ... and has the potential to rake in three times the amount of Pay-Per-View buys than Floyd Mayweather and Conor McGregor.

Dennis Rodman pulled up to Houston's Pride parade on Sunday rockin' a skirt ... a move that apparently didn't sit right with some "fans," prompting the NBA legend to clap back online!

62-year-old Rodman shared several photos from the event along with the caption ... "Love will Always Win🌈Happy Pride #gaypride #loveislove #pridemonth"

The 5x NBA champ was wearing a green, pleated schoolgirl skirt, along with a black t-shirt, featuring a photo of Rodman's head, complete with his rainbow hair.

As you might expect given the current climate, some people weren't thrilled with Dennis' attire at the parade.

The Hall of Famer clearly heard some of the criticism ... and responded online, writing "Do your research guys #beenhim🦍," pointing to other times he's worn women's clothing, including the time he put on a wedding dress in 1996 to "marry himself."

While things were a little testy online, Dennis was all smiles at the Pride event ... taking pics and giving autographs to fans!

In what could pass as an outtake from "Jaws" -- a guy was bitten by a shark and dragged off his boat during a fishing trip in Florida last week ... and the video is wild.

The clip shows a group of fishermen in the Florida Everglades, anchored in a marsh. You see one guy's rod in the water, and another guy (who's on camera) bends down and starts to lean over the side of the small boat they're all in.

As the dude starts to consider putting his hand in the water, one of his buddies tells him it's probably not a good idea. He's incredulous though, saying nothing will happen.

However, as soon as his fingers hit the water, a shark comes up and takes a bite! The fisherman yelps out in pain, getting dragged in and desperately tries getting back on board.

Park rangers responded to the scene, and reports say the guy was airlifted to the hospital -- where he was treated for a hand injury.

Patrick Mahomes is clearly an All-Pro both in front of the camera and behind one ... showing this weekend he can play an elite photographer for his wife!!

Brittany Mahomes enlisted the NFL superstar for the gig when she wanted to grab some sexy bikini pics while out on vacation with the fam ... and check it out, Patrick dove headfirst into the role.

The 27-year-old quarterback made sure to get all of the angles for his bae ... even getting down in a little half crouch to get some shots.

Brittany was apparently a big fan of Patrick's work ... she posted two of his pics -- and called him a "10/10 Husband" for all the effort he put in.

The QB's supporters loved it all too -- gushing over the signal-caller's impromptu photo shoot enthusiasm in the comment section on Brittany's post.

Jake Paul isn't worried one bit about having to go 10 rounds with Nate Diaz in August ... and he made that crystal clear by smoking a heater during a recent training session!!

The Problem Child shared the funny footage to his Instagram page on Monday ... showing him hitting the bag and ripping a cigarette while training in Puerto Rico.

"Getting my lungs ready for 10 rounds," Paul said. "August 5th. #PaulDiaz"

The two sides recently agreed to make the fight longer than the initial eight-round agreement ... which will make it the longest bout in both Paul and Diaz's careers.

Now, it's likely the 6-1 boxer pulled a Bill Clinton and didn't inhale anything ... but the message was still pretty obvious -- he's ready to go all 10 rounds against the former UFC star.

One thing's for sure, though -- Jake's opponent is no stranger to smoking, and he's very open about his love for cannabis ... so it could very well be a shot at Diaz.

Alex Graham -- a pro hockey player in England -- tragically died over the weekend ... his team, the Sheffield Steelers, announced. He was just 20 years old.

Graham's org. revealed the sad news in a statement on Monday -- saying it's "devastated" over the passing.

Further details surrounding his death, however, were not released.

"Everyone at the club is heartbroken by the news," team officials said, "and wish to pass on our thoughts and condolences to Alex’s family, friends and teammates."

"It would be appreciated if Alex's family could be provided time and space to take in the enormity of this tragic situation in the days ahead."

Graham first debuted for the Steelers back in 2019 ... and had just signed his first pro contract with the team in May. He was considered by many to be one of the franchise's future stars.

Graham had also played for Great Britain's Under-18s and Under-20s teams ... and in a statement Monday, Ice Hockey UK officials also mourned his passing.

"The news has come as a huge shock to everyone in UK ice hockey, including all of his team-mates," the organization said. "This is a difficult time for so many people and our thoughts are with everyone affected by this devastating news."

The paddock just got a bit more crowded -- Ryan Reynolds, Michael B. Jordan and Rob McElhenney are hopping on Formula One's massive rise in popularity and investing in the Alpine Racing team!!

Renault, Alpine's parent company, announced the news on Monday ... saying Otro Capital, RedBird Capital Partners and Maximum Effort Investments (which includes the trio of actors) are taking a 24% equity stake in the organization ... which is worth $218 million.

Otro Capital's Alec Scheiner will get a seat on Alpine's board of directors as part of the deal.

This is yet another sports venture for RR and RM, who famously bought Welsh soccer team Wrexham AFC back in 2020. Reynolds was also recently interested in purchasing the Ottawa Senators, although his bid did not move forward.

Alpine couldn't be more thrilled with the deal ... saying the partnership "will bring successful sports & media experience and operational expertise in building high-growth companies."

Alpine is currently fifth in the Constructor standings this season with drivers Pierre Gasly and Esteban Ocon ... who are notably covered in the hit Netflix series, "Drive To Survive."

F1 has reached new heights in America in recent years ... with the sport adding races in Miami and Las Vegas.

Angel Reese just keeps stackin' up trophies ... the LSU hoop star and 2023 NCAA champ just won a BET Award -- and she was hyped!

The annual ceremony went down Sunday at the Microsoft Theatre in downtown Los Angeles ... where some of the top rappers, singers, and entertainers won awards.

That included 21-year-old Reese, whose squad won the 2023 NCAA championship, beat out female stars like Serena Williams, Naomi Osaka, and Candace Parker, for the Sportswoman of the Year award.

"Thank you BET!" Reese said on Twitter after the announcement. "So sad I couldn’t be there but I really appreciate this! This means a lot!"

The 21-year-old forward couldn't be in L.A. to receive her award in person ... 'cause what else -- she was hooping.

"I’m at USA basketball right now trying to win a gold medal when I could be at the BET awards," Reese tweeted to a fan.

Reese was named to the Team USA roster for the 2023 women's FIBA AmeriCup, a tournament held every two years with top female players from around the globe.

The US women's first game is against Venezuela on July 1.

When it comes to male athletes, Philadelphia Eagles quarterback Jalen Hurts took home BET's Sportsman of the Year award, beating LeBron James, Patrick Mahomes, Steph Curry, Aaron Judge, Gervonta Davis, and Bubba Wallace.

Paige Spiranac says the reaction a pair of shirtless baseball players got for a viral video over the weekend showed off a sexist double standard ... and she wasn't one bit pleased to see it.

The golf star -- who's gained fame for both her swing and her looks -- unloaded on the situation in a fiery tweet on Saturday morning.

She reposted footage of the Savannah Bananas players dancing on the diamond without their tops on ... and said female commenters who praised the men in the clip but bash her when she wears revealing clothing are nothing more than hypocrites.

"Interesting how different the reaction is online when men choose to show off their bodies," the 30-year-old said.

"Not one comment on this video calling them attention whores or sluts. Just a ton of women saying baseball is now their favorite sport but those same women harshly judge me."

"The hypocrisy," she added. "lol."

In her meteoric rise to becoming the most-followed golfer on Instagram -- Spiranac has had to deal with trolls in her comments regularly. They often go after her for the low-cut tops she wears -- and the photos that she posts in them.

But, she's made it a point to call them out frequently -- usually taking to Twitter to defend herself.

Daniel Jones apparently can't go to a concert without getting crap from Eagles fans ... 'cause the New York Giants star got trolled by country star Zach Bryan -- all while he was onstage in front of thousands of fans!!

The moment went down during the "Something In The Orange" crooner's big show at Forest Hills Stadium in NYC over the weekend ... when Jones hopped on the mic and lent his own vocals during Bryan's hit song, "Revival."

But, little did Jones know, it ended up being a setup ... 'cause right in the middle of the tune, Bryan yelled out, "Go Birds!!"

As it turns out, Bryan started backing the Giants' big rivals when he started dating a girl from Philly. They've since broken up, but the musician reportedly still lives in the City of Brotherly Love.

It's gotta sting for Danny Dimes -- after all, Bryan's Eagles got the best of the G-Men in 2022 ... taking three wins, including a postseason victory.

Marshawn Lynch and Lance Armstrong turned the heat all the WAY up while out on "Mars" ... wielding some massive flamethrowers -- and the video of them chucking fireballs is awesome!!!

The dudes got armed with the weapons for a challenge on the latest episode of the Fox show, "Stars on Mars" ... and the former athletes sure seemed to love being fungus-killing pyros for a few minutes.

Check out the clip ... as Lynch went to extinguish his foe with a massive blaze, he channeled his inner Al Pacino -- screaming out, "Say hello to my little friend!"

Armstrong, too, handled the big gun well ... though he did note the thing was hot as hell!!

It was a cool change of pace for the guys ... because in last week's episode, some of the show's contestants were seen really feeling their separation from the real world.

In fact, Ronda Rousey actually broke down in tears while FaceTiming with her fam.

But, everyone seemed to enjoy the most recent hot challenge ... especially Lynch!!

Ice Cube says he is not part of the elite Hollywood "club" that so many others apparently are -- and he's airing some grievances about challenges he says he faces because of it.

The rapper posted an ominous video Sunday where he's talking directly to the camera ... and the dude goes on this long rant about being on the outs with the elites and "gatekeepers" in showbiz and sports ... at least that's what it sounds like he's referring to.

Ice says flatly ... he's not part of that crowd, nor does he want to be -- and goes on to say that that fact actually makes folk on the inside angry, 'cause he's resisting a mainstream thing for someone in his position.

It also seems Cube might be talking politics here too ... 'cause he references his contract with Black America -- something he put forth ahead of the 2020 presidential race, and which he said he felt Donald Trump actually appeared to take more seriously than Joe Biden.

In the wake of that, IC says certain groups have been "f***ing" with him -- and the way he's describing it ... it sounds like he believes certain hurdles have been thrown up around as backlash to his stance. Cube says he doesn't care though, 'cause he vows to overcome.

He mentions his Big3 league ... and says it's grown prosperous despite what he characterizes as getting the cold shoulder from powerful institutions -- like the NBA, for example.

Cube also says he's planning to do a massive podcast tour in the near future where he talks to "everybody" -- and he makes it seem like that itself is going to ruffle feathers as well.

Lance Armstrong wants to have his say on the transgender sports debate -- and he's partnering with Caitlyn Jenner to do it ... but people online are telling him to shut it.

The former champion cyclist -- whose accolades were, by and large, rescinded after he was found to have been doping through a decent amount of his career -- teased a new project he appears to have in the works ... one in which he's getting into the polarizing topic.

His key subject, it seems, is going to be Caitlyn ... who's been very outspoken on having trans women competing in women's sports, and who's obviously transgender herself.

Right off the bat, LA's tone to this whole thing has turned people off. He writes, "Have we really come to a time and place where spirited debate is not only frowned upon but feared? Where people’s greatest concern is being fired, shamed, or canceled? As someone all too familiar with this phenomenon, I feel I'm uniquely positioned to have these conversations."

He followed up with more tweets, sorta answering his own Q ... and plugging this new series he's got coming out. One tweet that's got a lot of reaction reads, "Is there, not a world in which one can be supportive of the transgender community and curious about the fairness of Trans athletes in sport yet not be labeled a transphobe or a bigot as we ask questions?

He continues, "Do we yet know the answers? And do we even want to know the answers?"

Now, Lance is trending on the Bird app ... for all the wrong reasons. You can hop into the trend to see what people are saying for yourself -- but it essentially boils down to ... dude, you're the last person who should be commenting on fairness in sports. Like, c'mon.

Of course, they're referring to his PED scandal in the early 2010s ... which he denied for a long time -- but ultimately confessed to. As most of us know, a majority of his titles between '99 and 2005 were stripped ... and his legacy as an inspirational winner was dinged.