TMZ Sports - Page 50

The 2021 49ers' quarterback room will NOT be icy ... Jimmy Garoppolo just revealed he'll mentor his future replacement Trey Lance -- explaining he's got no beef at all with the rookie QB.

Garoppolo could be just months away from losing his job to the ex-North Dakota State signal-caller ... the Niners drafted Lance #3 overall last week, and it's only a matter of time before he takes over in SF.

But, Jimmy said on the Keyshawn, JWill & Zubin show on ESPN radio that won't impact their relationship one bit ... 'cause Garoppolo says he'll help out Trey any chance he gets.

As for why ... Garoppolo says the way Tom Brady helped him when he came in as the G.O.A.T.'s potential replacement in New England back in 2014 really changed his career, and he's now down to do the same for Trey.

"It's kind of coming full circle," Garoppolo said. "You go through this NFL career and you start as a young guy coming in. Tom kind of showed me the ropes. The competition between us was awesome. It really made me grow as a rookie and as a young player."

"So, that's kind of what me and Trey, we'll mold our relationship into that. But, it will happen naturally. It's one of those things you can't force anything. Just let it come as it may."

Garoppolo says he's already reached out to Trey to welcome him to the team ... and noted his own experience coming from an FCS school to the NFL will help him mentor Lance tremendously.

"It's a bit of an adjustment," Jimmy says, "the speed, whatever you want to call it, it's just different. So, whatever I can do to help him, I'll be more than happy."

It's all got to be music to the 49ers' ears ... 'cause it's certainly not always this way in the NFL.

You'll recall, Brett Favre and Aaron Rodgers didn't have the world's greatest relationship when Rodgers was a rookie -- and it doesn't seem Rodgers is handling Jordan Love's appearance on the Packers' roster very well either.

Caitlyn Jenner's first political ad in her attempt to recall and replace California Governor Gavin Newsom is heavy on her Olympic glory, but completely ignores her reality TV fame and her Kardashian daughters.

Candidate Caitlyn brands herself a "dreamer" and a "compassionate disruptor," in the 3-minute video in a clear attempt to distance herself from "career politicians" ... but also seems to distance herself from her own family.

Not only is there no mention of the TV show that made Caitlyn a household name for the younger generation of California voters, but she also chose to omit the name Jenner along with Kardashian ... her slogan is simply, "Caitlyn for California."

As we first reported, Caitlyn's kids aren't thrilled with her candidacy and her daughters are making it clear they won't campaign on her behalf -- so, using 'KUWTK' clips would have been awkward.

Of course, the ad is also chock full of typical political mudslinging despite her attempt to be viewed as a non-politician. Caitlyn includes the notorious clips of Rep. Nancy Pelosi at the hairdresser, and the shot of Newsom -- who she dubs an "elitist" -- at a French Laundry dinner party ... both events happening during pandemic lockdowns.

Remember when DK Metcalf ran 22.64 MPH to stop Arizona Cardinals' Budda Baker from a Pick 6 during the 2020 season?!

... well, the Seattle Seahawks receiver is now taking his speed to a real track -- signing up to sprint in the 100m race at the USTAF Golden Games and Distance Open on Sunday at Mt. SAC.

No joke! The 6'4", 229 pound Pro Bowler will put his speed to the test on May 9 against 16 experienced sprinters in Walnut, California.

And, we mean experienced -- Ronnie Baker is one of the 16 runners and that dude ran a 9.94 in the 100m earlier this year!!!

Keep in mind, Metcalf hasn't competed in a legit track competition since high school -- where his best event was the hurdles and the triple jump (though he also ran the 4x100 relay).

But clearly, DK has world-class speed -- which he put on display back in October when he sprinted 90 yards to chase down fleet-footed AZ Cardinals defensive back Budda Baker, one of the fastest guys in the league.

And, don't forget, he also clocked a 4.33 in the 40-yard dash at the 2019 NFL Combine -- which is insane for someone of DK's size.

The big question ... is DK fast enough to make the US Olympics team? Maybe!

DK would have to crack the 10.05 mark in the 100m race to qualify for the Olympic Trials, according to the USATF.

Yeah, he's a long shot but DK is confident -- even dropping a teaser clip on his social media page.

"With him being that upset shows me just how weak he is."

Terry Bradshaw is straight-up PISSED over the way Aaron Rodgers is handling his beef with the Packers ... and the Hall of Famer is growing so tired of seeing it, he's now urging the NFL MVP to just retire.

Bradshaw dropped the passionate criticism while appearing on WFAN's "Moose & Maggie" this week ... repeatedly calling Rodgers "weak" for beefing with the Pack.

"For him to be upset, my God, I don’t understand that," Bradshaw says.

"Who the hell cares who you draft?" Terry added. "He's a three-time MVP in the league and he’s worried about this guy they drafted last year [Jordan Love]?!"

Bradshaw says if he were running the Packers, he would NOT give into Rodgers' trade demands ... and would simply just let the quarterback walk if he's truly that upset.

"Here’s what I would do: I wouldn’t budge," Bradshaw said of how he'd handle running the Packers through this drama.

"Let him gripe. Let him cry. Retire. You are [37]. Go ahead and retire. See you later. I’m really strong about stuff like that. It just makes him look weak."

Bradshaw continued, "Probably he should just retire and go do 'Jeopardy!' That's the way I look at it. But, I wouldn't budge. I'm strong about stuff like that. I wouldn't budge a bit."

Bradshaw says back when he was with the Steelers ... he embraced when his team would draft other QBs to try to replace him -- explaining, "I wasn’t worried about those guys."

"They didn’t scare me a bit. So, I don’t understand why he is so upset at Green Bay.”

For his part, Rodgers has reportedly been mad at the Packers for months ... upset over his contract and some of the team's personnel decisions -- including when GB picked Love in the 1st round of the 2020 NFL Draft instead of selecting a top wide receiver.

Packers brass has said repeatedly it will not trade the disgruntled star ... with GM Brian Gutekunst saying last week, "I do think he'll play for us again."

All class from UFC star Dominick Reyes ... who's praising the man who knocked him out cold this weekend -- saying, "What an elbow!"

Reyes was in a war with Jiri Prochazka at UFC Vegas 25 on Saturday when the 28-year-old blasted Dominick in the jaw with a sensational spinning back elbow, ending the fight in the 2nd round.

There was serious concern for Reyes who crumbled to the ground and laid sprawled out on the Octagon for several minutes while he was tended to by a team of medical personnel.

But finally, some good news from the 31-year-old fighter ... who said Monday evening, "Finally home and surrounded by those I love."

Reyes didn't reveal too much about his condition -- but said, "I’m doing good healing up ... I’ll be OK."

As for the fight, Dom says he fought his heart out -- and is understandably upset he didn't get the result he wanted.

"I went out and fought and for that I can say I’m proud. I love this game and at times it does not love me back but that’s what we all have signed up for."

Reyes added, "Congrats to Jiri Prochazka ... hell of a fight and what an elbow! It’s the ones you don’t see coming to get you."

Reyes is currently the #5 ranked UFC light heavyweight. He began his career with a 12-0 run -- defeating guys like Chris Weidman, Jared Cannonier and Volkan Oezdemir.

He put up a hell of a fight against Jon Jones at UFC 247 -- but lost the fight in a unanimous decision. Since then, he's lost to Jan Błachowicz and now Jiri Prochazka.

But, don't sleep on Dom -- dude's legit and vows to get back to the top of the division.

Lamar Odom is mourning the death of his father, Joe -- explaining the two clashed at times, but ultimately loved each other dearly.

The ex-NBA star had announced his father's death back on April 20 -- and Monday night, he thanked everyone who had reached out.

"Thank you to everyone who extended love and prayers to me during my time of bereavement," Odom said ... "I appreciate every single one of you for sending me good energy."

Lamar continued, "Life is not promised. My pops and I had our differences but at the end of the day I knew he loved me and I loved him and that’s really all that matters."

Joe and Lamar had a rocky relationship for years -- in 2013, Lamar quit paying his dad's rent when Joe publicly criticized the Kardashian family.

In 2015, Joe rushed to the hospital to be with Lamar after the NBA star's drug overdose ... but claimed Khloe Kardashian was blocking him from visiting his son.

However, Lamar and Joe seemed to have reconciled over the past few years -- and Lamar is telling his followers to learn from their relationship.

Terrell Davis is issuing a stern warning to Saquon Barkley ... saying if the injured running back returns too early from his ACL injury, it could have DIRE consequences.

The Hall of Famer explained it all to TMZ Sports ... with Davis telling us when he rushed back early from a knee injury following the 1999 season -- it cost him A LOT.

"For me, I tell players coming back from an injury is sometimes you have to protect yourself from yourself," Davis says. "And, what I mean by that is we're very competitive and we want to come back and beat the timeframe."

"So, if the doctor says it's a six-week or six-month recovery -- whatever it is -- our minds is, 'I'm coming back in half that time. I'm coming back in three weeks or three months.'"

Davis continued, "I remember coming back and I thought I was ready to play and I was really trying to get back on the field but I think long term it hurt me."

Davis says if he had just taken the extra time to ensure he was 100 percent, the ending of his career could have gone MUCH differently.

"I always tell players," Davis says, "'Listen, I understand you feel like you're ready to come back, make sure you're sure. Make sure that you're ready to come back because you can do more damage if you come back prematurely than if you wait.'"

Barkley tore up his knee back on Sept. 20, 2020 ... and he's been rehabbing and training like a mad man to get back on the field ASAP.

In fact, the 24-year-old just posted video of some of his workout sessions last month ... showing he's already jumping off his injured leg.

It's all a great indicator that Barkley should be ready for the Giants' season opener in September ... but Davis is making it clear, Saquon NEEDS to listen to his body fully before he straps on the pads again.

KISS THE BABY!!

Ex-NFL superstar Chad Ochocinco has signed a deal to fight in an exhibition boxing match on the Floyd Mayweather vs. Logan Paul undercard  -- the very first fight of his career.

In other words, Chad is making his boxing debut at 43 YEARS OLD!

The former Cincinnati Bengals WR has been training his ass off in boxing gyms for years -- but never really expressed serious interest in taking a fight.

But, Chad says he was approached by Mayweather Promotions CEO Leonard Ellerbe recently ... and offered a spot on the undercard for the big June 6 event at the Hard Rock Stadium in Miami.

Chad says he immediately asked his family for their thoughts -- and when they gave their blessing, Ochocinco told Ellerbe he would do it!

Ochocinco -- formally known as Chad Johnson -- broke the news on the "I AM ATHLETE" podcast.

So far, no opponent has been locked in -- but we're hearing promoters are looking to match Chad up against another former non-boxing athlete.

The obvious choice would be ex-NFL wideout Brandon Marshall, who's been putting in serious work in the boxing gym for years ... and has openly talked about wanting a big-time fight.

In fact, Brandon spent some time training with Evander Holyfield who compared Marshall to heavyweight knockout artist Deontay Wilder.

As for Chad, he's already got a new nickname -- calling himself, "Sweet Feet Johnson!"

The uniform Wilt Chamberlain rocked during his DOMINANT '59-'60 rookie season is about to hit a sports memorabilia stock market ... but don't stress if ya ain't rich, 'cause you don't need a milli in the bank to own a piece of the threads.

It's a new way for people to own a piece of history without breaking the bank -- with the same kinds of risks and rewards as buying stock.

Here's the deal ... the person who currently owns the Chamberlain uniform is David Kohler, who runs the wildly successful SCP Auctions company, which specializes in high-value collectibles.

Kohler tells TMZ Sports ... Wilt rocked the items for every home game during his rookie season with the Philadelphia Warriors.

The items have been authenticated by the widely respected MEARS evaluation company and photo matched by the folks at MeiGray Authentication, Kohler says.

Kohler has owned the piece for years and has decided the time is right to sell -- so he teamed with the app Collectable to make it happen.

The Chamberlain uniform will hit the market on Tuesday -- with an Initial Public Offering (IPO) backed by the Security and Exchange Commission.

We're told there will be 95,620 shares available for purchase at $10 a pop -- and from there, you can monitor the value like you would a typical stock.

Kohler says he's retaining 25% of the jersey -- which would bring the value of the item to $1.275 mil.

Collectors can buy as many shares as they want ... and resell them (hopefully for a profit) on the Collectable app.

Chamberlain -- who won Rookie of the Year -- averaged nearly 38 points and 27 rebounds per game. No, not a typo ... the man averaged 38 and 27 as a ROOKIE ... in what's likely the greatest 1st season in hoops history.

Blocked shots weren't calculated at that time ... but you can bet Wilt's blocked shots per night would've been absurd, too.

Kohler tells us he believes the Chamberlain uniform is one of the most coveted in sports history.

"This is one of the finest game-worn uniforms known to exist in the basketball memorabilia industry. His rookie uniform, supported by photo documentation that is unprecedented for its era, ranks not only as the finest basketball uniform in the world, but one of the finest uniforms from any sport, period."

Wilt went on to have an absolutely remarkable career ... making 13 All-Star teams and winning 4 league MVP's before being inducted into the Hall of Fame in 2006.

Forget champagne and fancy steak dinners ... Ohio State star Jonathon Cooper found a much better way to celebrate his NFL draft selection -- by being mobbed by neighborhood kids!!

The linebacker was picked Saturday in the 7th round of the annual selection show by the Denver Broncos -- and it didn't take long for a block party to ensue.

Once word got out that Cooper was headed to the Mile High City ... a bunch of neighborhood kids showed up at his house in Columbus, Ohio on Sunday to congratulate him -- and video from the scene is adorable.

There were hugs, high fives and cheers ... and the party didn't stop there -- 'cause they all ended up sitting around later and grubbin' on some food!!

And then, of course, they got in some good ol' fashion football in the backyard!!!

23-year-old Cooper was a beast at OSU -- he logged 77 total tackles and 10 sacks in his 5-year career ... and he played a key role in this past season's journey to the National Championship game.

And, even though he's moving on to Denver now ... it's clear there will always be a neighborhood in Columbus watching him closely going forward!!

Caitlyn Jenner's take on banning trans girls from competing in girls' sports is unfounded and unjust ... so says Dr. Veronica Ivy whose view is the polar opposite.

Veronica, a trans activist, athlete and associate professor of philosophy at the College of Charleston, appeared Monday on "TMZ Live" and said there's no evidence trans girls perform better in sports than cisgender girls.

Dr. Ivy says the whole thing about biologically-born boys having a competitive advantage over biologically-born girls has been disproven ... she says there is no evidence normal testosterone levels have any impact on performance.

The Doc does say there is undeniably a difference in performance between biologically-born boys and girls in the world of sports, but she says the reason is unknown ... it's either biological, sociological or a combination of both. She goes on to say the data that's available actually doesn't show trans girls have any real advantage over cisgender girls, but until there's proof to the contrary the default should be inclusion rather than exclusion.

Dr. Ivy points out, Caitlyn had a different take last year ... when she told the Outsports podcast "The Trans Sporter Room," "I think every trans person, if they’re into athletics, should have an opportunity to compete and to improve themselves."

Madonna's just like any regular soccer mom ... attending a game to cheer on her son, accompanied by her boyfriend, who's a lot closer in age to the players on the field than he is to Madge.

The Material Girl and her family hit up the pitch Sunday in Hidden Hills, CA to support her 15-year-old son, David Banda ... and her 27-year-old beau, Ahlamalik Williams, appeared to revel in the role of soccer "parent."

It was a pretty rare public outing for Madonna, but she arrived in style with a black-and-white getup complete with a cowboy hat with a whale on it ... and it looks like they all had a whale of a good time.

At one point David came over to the sideline and shared a hug with Ahlamalik, so it's pretty clear they're cool too.

If ya didn't know ... Madonna began dating the professional dancer -- 35 years her junior -- about 2 years ago, and hasn't been shy about expressing her affection for him.

Just a week ago for his 27th bday, Madonna wrote ... "Happy Birthday My Love...... Thank you for opening my eyes. How can I explain how I feel? Let's get Unconscious........" referring to lyrics in her 1994 hit "Bedtime Story."

An Asian teenage basketball player was socked in the face during a game this weekend after allegedly being called a racial slur -- and video of the violence was all captured on video.

The altercation went down on Saturday in Oakland, Calif. during an AAU game between the South Bay Snipers and the San Francisco Generals.

At one point during the action, Snipers player Evan dove to the floor to try to take a loose ball from one of the Generals' players, but that's when things turned ugly.

Evan was pushed by the Generals' player on the ground, and then he was shoved to the floor by another Generals' player.

That Generals' player then took a swing at Evan, barely missing ... before he threw a second haymaker just seconds later that landed flush on Evan's jaw.

You can see in the clip, Evan was visibly wobbled ... and to make matters even more disturbing, Evan's parents allege that just before the melee, Generals players had called him and his teammate's anti-Asian slurs.

"They did use the 'C' word -- c***k word," Evan's mom, Lennie, told KPIX -- not revealing their last name out of fear of retaliation.

"Two-thirds of the team are Asian," Evan's dad, Eduardo, added.

The parents say Evan sustained a concussion from the punch.

Tournament officials banned the attacker from the Generals' game on Sunday, but Evan's father said, "The worst part is no one apologized."

Evan's parents say they are planning to go to police over the incident.

Bobby Unser -- who won the Indianapolis 500 race THREE TIMES during his illustrious career -- died Sunday at his home in New Mexico.

He was 87.

Officials at Indianapolis Motor Speedway say Unser died of natural causes -- but did not get into specifics.

Unser -- brother of fellow Indy 500 champ Al Unser -- is survived by his wife, Lisa, along with 2 sons Bobby Jr. and Robby and 2 daughters Cindy and Jeri.

Bobby Unser was a titan of the sport -- winning The Greatest Spectacle in Racing in 3 consecutive decades ... first in 1968, again in 1975 and finally in 1981.

Unser retired from racing in 1983 but went on to become a pretty successful TV analyst -- working for NBC, ABC, ESPN and more.

In fact, Unser was part of the broadcast team that won a Sports Award Emmy in 1989 and 1990 for coverage of the Indy 500.

In 1990, Unser was inducted into both the Indianapolis Motor Speedway Hall of Fame and the International Motorsports HOF.

Unser was a proud military veteran who served 2 years in the U.S. Air Force in the 1950s.

The 2021 Indy 500 is set for May 30 -- and you can bet your ass there will be a massive tribute to Unser at the event.

Blake Snell lost his mind after seeing his video game rating in this year's version of "MLB The Show" -- straight-up calling his ranking "crap" ... and the hilarious rant was all caught on video!!

The San Diego Padres star pitcher was breaking into the baseball game on a live Twitch stream ... when he found his rating was nothing more than an 82 gold.

You can see in the footage ... the former Cy Young winner was NOT happy about it -- immediately asking his followers, "How the heck am I 82 gold?!"

"What kind of crap is that?!" Snell continued. "82 gold?! Bro, the disrespect!"

The 28-year-old kind of has a point ... he went 4-2 last year for the Rays with a 3.24 ERA -- and he's been good in his first season with the Padres so far this year.

But, Snell still asked his followers if he deserved better ... and when one troll said no, that's when Blake's rant got even better!

"I appreciate your opinion," Snell said. "But, that's a weak-ass opinion!"

We're sure Snell's card will get an upgrade soon ... but in the meantime, maybe best to just stick with Yu Darvish on the Padres' virtual mound.

Robert Kraft riding Space Mountain is gonna draw a lot of attention -- which is why a lot of folks at Disney World noticed his mission to help a mournful little girl and her mother smile over the weekend.

Sources inside the Magic Kingdom tell us the Patriots owner and his GF, Dana Blumberg, were all over the park with a woman and her 8-year-old daughter -- the four of them were seen taking snapshots ... one of which caught the attention of a Patriots great.

Hall of Fame linebacker Andre Tippett actually posted one of the group's pics Sunday, saying how proud he was of Kraft and the Patriots organization -- and now we know why.

Our sources at the park tell us the woman they were with is a frontline worker from Long Island whose husband -- himself an essential worker -- caught COVID and died in recent months. The little girl had been struggling with the loss, and we're told Dana and Robert wanted to do something special for her.

From what we're told, they succeeded ... as the group spent 2 days at Disney World and they all stayed at the Grand Floridian -- all on Kraft's dime, we're assuming.

We hear the group got the full VIP treatment ... Fast Passing it on about 20 different rides. We've reached out to Kraft's camp, but haven't heard back.