TMZ Sports - Page 50

LeBron James simply cannot believe his oldest son, Bronny, is just one year from becoming an adult ... wishing the young hoops star the happiest of birthdays and wondering, "What in the hell is going on. How are you 17??"

The Sierra Canyon baller is celebrating his birthday on Wednesday ... and King James honored him with a special tribute.

"My baby boy! Ight enough of soft 💩💩. 🤣🤣," James said on Instagram. "Proud of you Young 🤴🏾.

"Watching you grow into the young man you are today makes me so happy and proud! Love you kid!"

Remember, Bron was away in the NBA's Orlando bubble for Bronny's 16th, so we're sure the James Gang will be making up for lost time and going all out for his 17th.

FYI -- Bronny is one of the top hoops prospects in the Class of 2023 ... and could possibly end up at a big college basketball program.

LeBron reflected on Bronny's rising success on and off the court -- applauding his hard work at a young age.

"Keep going up above and beyond! I’m right here guiding and watching! ❤️❤️❤️❤️👑"

The New England Patriots lost to Tom Brady ... and now, they've lost one of their best players too.

Just days after a crushing defeat to their ex-QB and the Buccaneers ... the Pats have cut Stephon Gilmore -- arguably the best player on their team.

Gilmore -- who hasn't been eligible to play the first few weeks of this season due to a quad injury -- had been squabbling with Pats brass over his contract ... and when it became clear a deal wouldn't get done, New England simply released him Wednesday.

Gilmore confirmed the news on his social media, penning an emotional farewell statement.

"It is with mixed emotions that I announce my goodbye to this great fan base," Gilmore said. "We enjoyed so much success together and you have been an incredible inspiration for my individual achievements."

Gilmore also thanked Robert Kraft and added, "Most of all I want to thank my teammates who lined up next to me every Sunday with one goal in mind. Those moments on and off the field will never be forgotten."

Gilmore joined the Pats in 2017 after a 5-year career in Buffalo and was an immediate impact player -- helping the team win one Super Bowl and earning Defensive Player of the Year honors in 2019.

The 31-year-old is expected to be coveted now that he's a free agent ... and rumors are already swirling that he could re-join Brady, his former New England teammate, in Tampa Bay.

Decades after they won their first ring, the Showtime Lakers turnt up at a championship parade in Los Angeles -- and everyone from Kareem Abdul-Jabbar to Magic Johnson was in attendance -- sorta.

John C. Reilly and Jason Segel are starring in an upcoming HBO drama series showcasing the 1980s Showtime Lakers ... and we have video of the actors shooting a scene in L.A.

Reilly is playing team owner Jerry Buss and Segel, assistant coach Paul Westhead. In the scene, the team -- wearing "LOS ANGELES LAKERS WORLD CHAMPIONS 1980" t-shirts -- celebrate with the Walter A. Brown trophy (now the Larry O'Brien trophy, since 1984).

Also in the scene is actor Solomon Hughes ... who's playing Kareem. Actor Quincy Isaiah, who's from Magic's home state of Michigan, is portraying the legendary point guard.

The Showtime Lakers -- led by Johnson and Abdul-Jabbar -- were basically unstoppable ... winning 5 championships in the 1980s. ('80, '82, '85, '87, '88).

And, their impact wasn't just felt on the court ... when Buss bought the team in 1979, he made Lakers games the place to be -- and be seen.

He introduced the Lakers Girls and live music at The Forum ... and the crowds often featured A-list celebs sitting courtside.

The series -- inspired by Jeff Pearlman's book, Showtime: Magic, Kareem, Riley and the Los Angeles Lakers Dynasty of the 1980s -- will also feature Adrien Brody (Pat Riley), Michael Chiklis (Red Auerbach) and Sally Field (Jessie Buss).

More drama involving Terrelle Pryor and his ex-GF, Shalaya Briston ... TMZ Sports has learned the former NFL star was arrested Wednesday after he allegedly slapped her and threw pumpkins at her car.

According to police documents, Pryor got into an argument with Briston -- the woman accused of stabbing the wide receiver back in 2019 -- in Pennsylvania at around 1 AM following a night out drinking.

In the docs, cops say Pryor had been out with Briston, but returned home while Briston continued on to another bar.

While home, according to cops, Pryor got upset with Briston and blew up her phone ... calling her over 50 times and sending her more than 30 unanswered text messages.

Cops say Briston eventually returned to Pryor's residence, but stayed outside "out of fear of Pryor."

In the docs, police say Pryor came outside and confronted Briston, shoving her and then slapping her in the face with an open hand.

Cops say as Briston tried to flee ... Pryor threw a deck chair at her. Officers add that when she got into her Mercedes, Pryor then threw pumpkins at her car, causing damage to the windshield.

Police say Briston had "inflammation, redness and bruising under her left eye" ... and Pryor was ultimately arrested.

Officers noted in the docs that Pryor denied hitting the woman ... but did admit to throwing the pumpkins.

Court records show the 32-year-old has been charged with simple assault, harassment and criminal mischief. The records show his bail has been set at $100K.

Of course, this is far from the first wild incident involving Pryor and Briston ... you'll recall, in Nov. 2019, Briston was arrested after she was accused of nearly stabbing Pryor to death following a night out partying.

Both Pryor and Briston were hit with charges over the incident ... but both cut plea deals in 2020 and were sentenced to probation.

Pryor has since recovered from the stab wounds and had been trying to make a comeback in the NFL.

Urban Meyer is still doing damage control -- the Jacksonville Jaguars coach addressed his controversial bar appearance in a full team meeting on Wednesday, where he reportedly showed "remorse and responsibility."

Meyer is on the hottest of seats after video surfaced of the coach cozying up with a young woman -- not his wife -- at an Ohio bar last weekend ... with Jaguars owner Shad Khan calling his actions straight-up "inexcusable."

The 0-4 coach reportedly brought up the whole crap storm in front of the entire team again just minutes ago ... where he said he only cares about two things -- his family and his players -- and he let both down.

"I embarrassed them both," coach said, according to NFL reporter Aditi Kinkhabwala.

No word on how the players and staff reacted to Urban's mea culpa, but reports claimed players didn't take his previous apologies too seriously earlier this week ... cracking up and laughing once Meyer left the locker room.

There are rumblings the distraction may not be worth it to a winless team looking to get its bearings ... but as of right now, Meyer's still the guy in Jacksonville.

Coach is set to meet with local reporters on Wednesday ... and we expect them to throw down the gauntlet.

One of the biggest stars in the National Women's Soccer League is calling out the organization's failures to address serious allegations of sexual harassment ... with Alex Morgan demanding major changes.

As we previously reported, the North Carolina Courage fired coach Paul Riley amid allegations of sexual coercion spanning multiple teams and leagues dating back to 2010.

Two of Riley’s former players -- Meleana "Mana" Shim and Sinead Farrelly -- were among some of the players who came forward to detail their alleged experiences with Riley over the years ... and on Tuesday, Morgan joined them on "Today" to discuss the toxic culture within the league.

"I'm here to support Mana and Sinead and to continue to amplify their voices, and just show the systemic failure from the league and how wrong they did in handling Mana's case and complaint and investigation and where they failed Mana and Sinead, and probably many other women," Morgan said.

Morgan claims there were times when the league didn't even have an anti-harassment policy, human resources department, anonymous hotline or any other way to report alleged incidents ... which made it challenging for players to speak up.

Shim also detailed her experiences with Riley, saying ... "He's a predator. He sexually harassed me, he sexually coerced Sinead, and he took away our careers."

"From early on, there was a possession not just from Paul, but from the team that I was playing for. They silenced me for multiple issues, my sexuality being the most important one, and I was just very, very uncomfortable the whole time."

She added ... "And, every day I showed up to work, every day I practiced, every game I played, I didn't have confidence and I was scared. The only thing that got me through was my teammates."

Riley is now out of the job ... and so is NWSL commissioner Lisa Baird, who resigned amid the backlash.

A Brazilian soccer player has been charged with attempted murder after he disgustingly kicked a referee in the head during a game, appearing to knock the man out cold.

The insane incident all went down on Monday in São Paulo de Rio Grande's match vs. Guarani de Venancio Aires ... when William Ribeiro lost his mind after not getting a call.

Video from the game shows Ribeiro was so livid over the ref's decision ... he shoved the man to the ground and then violently kicked him in the temple.

The ref laid motionless on the turf for several moments ... and was eventually transported to a local hospital.

Ribeiro, meanwhile, was arrested just minutes later at the stadium ... and ultimately charged by prosecutors.

"His attack was very strong and violent," local authorities told reporters following the incident, "kicking the referee in the head and making him pass out."

"The referee had no chance of defending himself."

The play was called "revolting" by Ribeiro's team president, Delvid Goulart Pereira, who announced shortly after the game that Ribeiro had been cut over the kick.

"Rest assured, we are sorry and deeply ashamed," the club exec said. "We send all the apologies in the world to the injured referee and his family as well as apologizing to the public in general for the lamentable scene seen today."

"The contract of the offending player is terminated. Furthermore, all possible legal measures in relation to the incident will be taken."

It's unclear whether Ribeiro will be allowed to be released from jail or if he'll remain under custody while an investigation unfolds.

Terrifying scene on the NHL ice Tuesday ... a referee needed to be taken away on a stretcher after he was hit in the head in an accidental collision with a player.

The scary moment all went down just before the Kings vs. Coyotes preseason game in L.A. ... when Arizona center Liam O'Brien ran into linesman Ryan Gibbons.

Video of the play showed O'Brien's shoulder went right into Gibbons' jaw ... causing the ref to immediately crumple to the ice in pain.

Gibbons stayed down motionless for several moments ... before trainers and medical personnel were able to get him on a stretcher and off to a nearby hospital.

According to The Athletic, Gibbons suffered a concussion ... but was, thankfully, discharged from the medical facility later in the evening.

It's unclear how long Gibbons -- who's been reffing games in the NHL since 2015 -- will be sidelined with the injury.

2020 costume controversy be damned ... Deontay Wilder is still planning to wear a unique walkup 'fit for his trilogy fight with Tyson Fury, but TMZ Sports has learned it'll be "significantly lighter" this time around.

Wilder had -- at least partially -- blamed his extravagant pre-fight wardrobe for his last loss to Fury in Feb. 2020 ... saying the weight of his battery-powered laser attire affected his legs.

But, Wilder ain't quitting on the costume idea just because of that ... so say designers Cosmo and Donato, who tell us The Bronze Bomber already has a new, extravagant look ready to go for the fight this weekend.

C&D -- who created the 2020 piece and others for Wilder -- say they've designed a cool, yet "significantly lighter," outfit for the Oct. 9 tilt ... and promise there will be no issues whatsoever surrounding this one.

"It's going to be significantly lighter," Cosmo said, "So, we don't have any drama at all."

C&D tell us Deontay has already tried on the costume -- modeling it in their store two weeks ago -- and the fighter has made sure it'll have no effect on his ability to punch Fury on Saturday night.

"He looks so amazing," Cosmo tells us. "He was so happy ... The outfit fits perfectly and he's ready to slay!"

C&D wouldn't reveal the whole costume to us ... but they did say it took 3 weeks to make, and features a special red and black theme.

"It's red and black from the Nigerian tribe," Cosmo says. "The red means funeral -- it's going to be Tyson Fury's funeral the next fight."

The Jake Paul retirement count is now up to 2 -- or at least 1.5 -- 'cause the YouTube superstar says he's "temporarily" leaving the sport to enjoy his hot girlfriend and shoot some guns until someone steps up to fight him.

24-year-old Paul -- who set his location on IG to "Dorado Beach East, Puerto Rico" -- says he's "on vacation until further notice" ... and posted pics getting mushy with Julia Rose, taking bubble baths, soaking in the pool and shooting at the gun range to prove it.

This ain't the first time the Problem Child has threatened to hang his gloves up -- remember, he claimed he was "retired" back in August after whooping Tyron Woodley in Cleveland.

But, it's a bit different this time around ... 'cause Jake says his hiatus is only until someone steps up and agrees to fight him.

It's clearly a shot at Tommy Fury, who's refusing to agree to a $1 million payday ... claiming he's being lowballed big time.

Woodley surely seemed committed to a rematch -- he even got an "I Love Jake Paul" tattoo in hopes of keeping his chances alive -- but it's unclear if JP reopened talks with the ex-UFC champ.

No word on how long this retirement will last ... but considering his previous stint lasted a whopping one day, we're fairly certain he'll be back very soon.

In the meantime, enjoy retirement, Jake!!

Fans gave Rajon Rondo the warmest of welcomes in his big return to the Lakers over the weekend ... and the NBA guard says he was so touched by the gesture, he nearly cried.

Of course, Rondo played with the purple and gold for 2 seasons ... winning a ring alongside LeBron James and Co. in 2020, before bolting for the Atlanta Hawks and L.A. Clippers.

But, Rondo is back on board with the Lakers in 2021 ... and the fans gave him an epic welcome back during their first preseason game on Sunday.

Rondo -- who was working at Taco AF in L.A. on Monday in honor of National Taco Day -- spoke with TMZ Sports about the unforgettable moment ... saying he had to quickly get his composure back, 'cause he almost broke down in tears.

"I almost cried again last night," Rondo told us. "It means everything. I was away for a year ... came back and the reception I got last night, I had to try to focus on the game."

"The love I got, the attention from the crowd getting back in the game. It was amazing."

BTW, Rondo's involvement at Tacos AF was just as amazing -- a portion of all sales on Monday went towards the Downtown Women's Center, which helps homeless women in the area. Plus, fans were able to meet the NBAer as he whipped up and passed out tacos!!

Even rapper O.T. Genasis came through to test out Rondo's tacos -- and judging by his reaction, they were bomb!!

Awesome to see Rondo picking up right where he left off in helping the area.

What's better than hitting a hole-in-one? Apparently, hitting one in front of Gary Player ... 'cause golf star Paige Spiranac did just that this week -- and the reaction she got from the legend was priceless!!

Spiranac was teeing off with Player at the Berenberg Invitational in Bedford Hills, NY on Monday ... when she put a sweet swing on an iron on the Par 3 14th hole at GlenArbor Golf Club.

Immediately, Player knew the stroke was a good one ... as soon as the ball left her clubface, Player shouted, "Good shot!"

Turns out, it was an amazing one -- because it eventually trickled into the hole!!!

Spiranac -- who has more followers on Instagram than Tiger Woods -- couldn't believe it ... and neither could Player, who went crazy with her in celebration!!

The two hugged ... and then Player let out a huge laugh!

"Made a hole in one in front of legend Gary Player yesterday," Spiranac said of the shot on Tuesday. "Coolest moment of my life!"

Paige is no stranger to good golf shots -- she's one of the best in the world after all -- but something tells us this might be #1 on the list going forward.

BJ Penn knows what he wants to do with his life post-fighting career ... run the state of Hawaii, 'cause the UFC legend announced he's running for governor of The Aloha State!!!

42-year-old Penn -- a UFC Hall of Famer -- threw his hat in the proverbial ring (Octagon?) this week, and even laid out several policies he would immediately overturn.

"As soon as I step into Hawaii's Governor office I will remove all new federal and state mandates that have been hurting our economy, residents, and 'ohana," BJ wrote.

"We will get the best doctors, medicines, therapies, and health care the world has to offer to fight this pandemic and always keep Hawaii among the safest and healthiest states in the union."

Penn -- who last fought in the UFC in 2019 -- also vowed to ax the policy mandating people traveling to the state must be vaxxed, writing ... "We will get rid of all vaccine passports. Hawaii will be vaccinated with Aloha and unvaccinated with Aloha policy for everyone."

On masks? Similar deal.

"Same with the masks 😷. We will follow the constitution to the tee 👌. I am not here to fit in with the other politicians, I am here to get our freedoms back!"

Of course, BJ's had several run-ins with the law over the last few years ... but the MMA great isn't hiding from his past, addressing it head-on.

"I've made a lot of mistakes in my life but I would never run from a fight, or sell out my people."

Democrat, David Ige, is the current sitting gov of Hawaii. His term ends late next year.

The Red Sox will be without one of their best players in their do-or-die game against the Yankees on Tuesday ... and it's all 'cause the dude tripped over 2nd base last weekend.

Seriously.

J.D. Martinez rolled his ankle over the bag while heading to the outfield in Boston's game against Washington on Sunday ... and video revealed it was a complete, freak accident.

Ballpark cameras showed as Martinez was on his way to right field, his left foot caught the base -- causing his lower leg to bend awkwardly.

The injury didn't seem too terrible at the time ... but the team announced Tuesday morning it's apparently is so bad, Martinez will not play in the big American League Wild Card Game against NY.

Of course, it's a huge deal for the Sox ... Martinez has been perhaps the team's best player this year -- batting .286 with 28 home runs and 99 RBI.

With Boston going up against Gerrit Cole -- it's certainly going to miss all of that.

With Martinez out, the Sox are now expected to roll with an outfield featuring Kike Hernandez, Hunter Renfroe and Alex Verdugo, with Kyle Schwarber at designated hitter.

All hell broke loose when several WNBA players threw wild punches outside a day club in Atlanta earlier this year ... and now, one of the women involved is apologizing.

The video is insane -- Atlanta Dream All-Star Courtney Williams is seen getting in an all-out brawl in front of a local food truck back in May ... squaring up and going after several women throughout the violent incident.

Williams' teammate, Crystal Bradford, also appears to be in the middle of the scuffle, kicking and throwing punches at the same time.

Another former Dream player, Kalani Brown, was reportedly involved as well ... trying her best to break up the fight.

Williams posted the fight video on YouTube over the weekend ... where she cracked jokes and made light of the situation, before deleting it off her page.

Now, the ex-South Florida star is apologizing for the post ... tweeting out a statement on Monday.

"I want to sincerely apologize for the video posted yesterday," Williams said. "I would never want to represent myself or the organization in a negative way."

"I’m learning everyday so I ask for grace as I’m growing. Again I apologize to all attached, and I will be better moving forward."

The Dream released a response to Insider, saying, "The behavior in the video is unacceptable and does not align with our values as an organization."

Former NASCAR driver John Wes Townley attacked his ex-wife and another man with a hatchet just before he was shot to death ... this according to police.

It's all spelled out in new documents, obtained by TMZ Sports, which show cops say Townley showed up to his ex's house in Athens, Ga. on Oct. 2 and allegedly snapped.

In the docs, cops say Townley got to the home and attacked his ex, Laura Townley, and another man, Zachary Anderson, with a hatchet.

Police in the documents say, though, Anderson shot John in the altercation ... striking the former driver and accidentally hitting Laura, as well.

Cops say John was shot through the chest and later died from his injuries at a local hospital. Police added Laura was struck in the abdomen, but is expected to survive.

Cops say an investigation into the incident is still ongoing.

Police noted in the docs John and Laura had recently finalized a divorce.