TMZ Sports - Page 50

Delonte West repeatedly hurled homophobic slurs and said he was a better basketball player than LeBron James during his arrest last week ... and the disturbing scene was all captured on police video obtained by TMZ Sports.

West was stopped by cops in Boynton Beach, FL, on Oct. 19 ... after officers say he was yelling and banging on a local police station's doors.

Cops say he was holding two open containers of alcohol -- one beer, one vodka -- during the episode ... so they ordered him to the ground.

That's when officers turned on their body cameras -- and you can see in the footage, they needed to point a taser at the former NBA player while insisting he gets down to get him to comply.

When West finally dropped to the floor, officers told him they were detaining him for "open container and resisting" ... and the 38-year-old then went on a lengthy, rambling rant that included anti-gay rhetoric.

West repeatedly used the f-word, called cops bitches, and claimed he was Jesus Christ and the President of the United States.

In his rant, West also said, "N****, I was better than LeBron James. I'm better than Jordan. I was the best n**** to play every sport. Shut the f*** up!"

West continued to spout words off incoherently before cops finally put him into the back of a squad car.

In the police report, officers noted West reeked of booze and appeared to be drunk.

West was ultimately hit with three charges over the incident, including obstruction/resisting without violence, open container and disorderly intoxication.

He's due in court for a hearing on the case next month.

Van Jones is very disturbed by what he saw play out at the Barclays Center -- protestors storming the building a la the Jan. 6 insurrection -- and he says there's a danger in these scenes becoming commonplace.

The podcast host and esteemed news commentator joined "TMZ Live" Monday and told us what it was like to be there in person when demonstrators clashed with security and bowled over barricades outside the NBA arena.

The protest, which some are comparing to the Capitol riot, was against the NYC vaccine mandate, and in support of Brooklyn Nets star Kyrie Irving ... who is sidelined because he's not vaccinated.

Much like the U.S. Capitol, Van says the arena had to go on lockdown ... and he says it's another sign the country needs to get to a better place.

Van thinks society is looking for the next big division, and with Donald Trump out of the White House, the big catalyst is now the COVID-19 vaccine.

He's got a few ideas about what's behind the massive divisions we're seeing across the country ... but he says we're heading towards an uncivilized society if mob attacks on buildings become normalized.

Buy all the Nikes you want ... nothings toppin' these 1984 kicks Michael Jordan rocked back in the day, 'cause the historic sneakers just sold for a record $1.47 million at auction!

The size 13 white and red Nike Air Ships are from Jordan's fifth game of his 1984 rookie season -- the first model of basketball sneakers worn by His Airness as a pro athlete.

In fact, Nike made these -- and a black and red colorway (known as the 'Bred') -- for the Hall of Famer while the Air Jordan 1s were still being made.

MJ signed and gave the priceless kicks to a Denver Nuggets Ball Boy, Tommie Tim III Lewis -- who kept them safe -- until recently putting the kicks on the market with Sotheby's.

Sotheby's expected to sell the rare sneakers for over $1 million -- and did they ever -- closing Sunday with a final price of $1,472,000.

The lucky (and clearly wealthy) MJ fan who copped the kicks is Nick Fiorella, a high-end sports memorabilia collector.

And, that's a record for the highest-priced sneakers in an auction. The outright most expensive pair of sneakers ever belongs to a fan who copped Kanye West's “Grammy Worn” Nike Air Yeezy 1 prototypes. Those went for $1.8 million at a private sale.

Richard Jefferson has big beef with a former NBA ball boy ... admitting he was a jerk to the guy, but explained it's all 'cause the man used to stare at his "junk" in the locker room.

Jefferson broke it all down in a now-deleted TikTok over the weekend ... responding to a video that a former ball boy had made recently.

In the ball boy's vid, he claimed Jefferson was "always condescending" and was "the biggest jerk I met."

Jefferson revealed he did, in fact, often give the guy the cold shoulder ... but said it was for good reason.

Jefferson accused the man of staring at his groin often, as well other players' ... and then comparing their sizes.

"What he's saying is true, I never interacted with him, but let me explain why," Jefferson said in his video response. "You literally admit to looking at our junks when we were in the locker room."

Jefferson continued, "That is why I didn't interact with you. That is why I avoided you ... That's why I didn't talk to you -- because you were looking at our junks the whole time."

Jefferson concluded his video by railing against the man further.

"I just thought you wanted the attention, I'll give you the attention," Jefferson said. "That is why I never interacted with you."

Dozens of athletes and celebs have gotten Kobe Bryant tattoos in the wake of the NBA legend's passing, but Gerald Green's new Mamba ink might just top them all ...

The former NBA player -- who just announced his retirement last week -- revealed he had a pic of him defending Bryant tatted on his right arm recently.

The artwork is very cool -- it's a tat based on a photo of him trying to block Bryant's shot at the rim during a game when Green played for the Suns.

The piece is a big one ... it stretches from the top of Green's bicep almost all the way down to his inner elbow -- and it's all in black and white coloring.

Of course, Green made the move to honor Bryant -- someone he's never shied away from publicly praising.

You'll recall, Green wore a #8 Bryant jersey to a game in the days following the ex-hooper's tragic death ... saying at the time that Kobe had inspired him since he was a child.

"I don't think anybody could ever achieve the things that he did," the 35-year-old said, adding, "There will never be another number 8 or 24. Never."

A Texas drag racing event turned deadly on Saturday when a driver lost control of his ride and slammed into spectators -- killing two boys and injuring eight others.

The tragic incident happened at Kerrville-Kerr County Airport in Kerrville, Texas (60 miles north of San Antonio) during an event called "Airport Race Wars 2."

In footage of the race, you can see two cars sped down the runway ... when things took a tragic turn.

The driver in the right lane suddenly veered hard to the left ... and crashed into parked cars and spectators.

The Kerrville Police Department said in a statement that a 6-year-old boy was killed at the scene and an 8-year-old boy later died at the Peterson Regional Medical Center due to injuries suffered in the wreck.

Cops say eight others -- ranging from three months old to 46 years old -- were injured in the accident as well. The driver, meanwhile, was hurt in the crash but is said to be in stable condition.

The KPD says an investigation into the wreck is ongoing.

Flyin Diesel Performance -- which organized the event for the 3,500 fans -- added that it's working with the KPD ... and is devastated by the tragedy.

"On behalf of the entire Flyin Diesel team we extend our most sincere condolences to the families affected on Saturdays event!"

Tyrann Mathieu says he did not tell Titans fans to "sit on a d***" after the Chiefs' loss Sunday ... calling the reports a straight-up "lie."

The Honey Badger allegedly unleashed the crass insult following K.C.'s 27-3 defeat at Nissan Stadium in Nashville ... with a local reporter tweeting he heard it loud and clear on the sidelines.

"I and another photographer heard him say those words as he turned around to some fans," K.C. sports anchor Harold R. Kuntz said.

Mathieu, though, was quick to deny the allegation ... writing on his own social media page (and then later deleting), "This is a lie!"

"I can’t believe this dude lied on me," Mathieu added in another tweet.

Kuntz said he talked with Chiefs staffers over it all ... and while he regretted tweeting about it and apologized to Mathieu over it -- he stood by his claims.

"I am standing by what I heard, but I should not have tweeted it, in hindsight," Kuntz said. "It was a frustrating game but should not have shared that info on social. For this, I apologize."

Tom Brady threw his 600th career touchdown on Sunday, but what he did after the game was the biggest highlight of the day ... by meeting a young fan who just beat brain cancer -- and giving him his game hat!!

The fan -- wearing a TB12 jersey -- was captured holding up a sign during the Bucs' rout of the Chicago Bears ... which read, "Tom Brady helped me beat brain cancer."

Brady took notice and ran over to the fan as time was winding down in the 38-3 win ... and took the hat off his head and gave it to him!!

The fan was overcome with emotion as he shook Brady's hand ... breaking down in tears during the incredible moment.

Brady -- who ended up throwing 4 touchdowns for 211 yards on the day -- spoke about the interaction with reporters after the game ... saying, "That was really sweet, you know obviously tough kid, man."

Rey Mysterio is a WWE legend ... but he won't go down as the best wrestler in the family, 'cause the Grand Slam champ tells TMZ Sports his son, Dominik Mysterio, will actually be better than him!

We talked to the 46-year-old wrestler ahead of the 30th season of Raw, premiering Monday night, and we asked about his WWE Superstar son's ascent as one of the best wrestlers in the world.

"I've told my son from the beginning, you're gonna be better than your old man and I keep saying this over and over and over to him," Rey says.

"I can't wait for the day for him to become his own man, although in a way he already is and for me it's hard as a father to kind of let him go and fly on his own, but I truly believe in my heart, and I don't just say this so he can stamp it in his head, but he's gonna be better than his old man."

That's saying A LOT ... Rey has been the World Heavyweight Champ, 3 times, Cruiserweight Champ, 3 times, Intercontinental Champ, twice ... among a bunch of other championships.

Speaking of titles, Rey and Dominik actually won the tag team title together ... a first for a father and son.

We asked Mysterio where the moment ranked in his career of awesome accomplishments ... and it was clearly an unforgettable moment.

"Top three, without a doubt!"

And, get this ... Rey says his son's success has actually motivated him to continue kicking ass in the squared circle as he ages.

"It motivates me, it inspires me to keep doing what I'm doing because I'm seeing my son kickoff!"

Megan Thee Stallion's entourage might need to learn the rules of the road track when it comes to media etiquette at a Formula 1 event -- at least according to this driver-turned-reporter.

Check out this interaction between Sky News' Martin Brundle (an ex-racer himself) and Meg, whom he bum-rushed while she and her posse were striking their way across the grid at the U.S. Grand Prix Sunday ... where all the cars and pit crews were hanging out on the ground-level, and where camera crews were rolling ... with journos on the hunt for interviews.

In the middle of their live coverage -- which was getting broadcast on ESPN -- Brundle noticed MTS making her way through the commotion, and tried getting an impromptu one-on-one chat with her ... which he sorta successfully did, if only for a short while.

He asks her if she has any "rap for us today on Formula One" ... and she laughs, saying no -- she didn't have anything for him. Brundle pressed further, asking who she was rooting for.

Before Megan even got a chance to respond, some dude in her crew swooped in from behind and pushed Brundle back ... apparently telling him he "couldn't do that."

Well, old Martin had a helluva comeback to that ... saying that not only can he do that, but he just did. OHHHHHHH!!!! The irritated look-back from the blond assistant is classic too. 😆

There are different reactions to this ... some say MB shouldn't have gotten in her space like that. However, others say she (and her team) shoulda known it's fair game in the F1 world ... especially from Martin, who's a vet in the biz and well-known figure -- not a random pap.

Kyrie Irving has some in his corner who are willing to go to war for him over his vaccine stance -- and we mean that literally ... 'cause they were doing just that this weekend.

A group of protestors hit the streets Sunday to advocate for the Brooklyn Nets star, who's sidelined right now since he's not vaccinated ... which is preventing him playing with the team whatsoever, due to NYC's vaccine mandate and the team's wider policy.

Well, these folks think it's BS -- and apparently were itching to get inside to let Nets officials know first-hand, 'cause they were attempting to storm the Barclays Center's front entrance ... shortly before tipoff against the Hornets.

Check out this footage ... demonstrators clashed with security, and bowled over barricades.

It sounds like the chaos only lasted for a short time, and eventually ... cops and security got it under control. So, it appears to have been a flash mob type deal. Still though ... pretty damn intense for however long they were there. Things escalated quickly, as you can see.

Meanwhile, it doesn't seem Kyrie is caving to the pressure -- he's been mostly laying low since making his POV clear ... namely, that he's against mandates, not vaccines.

Jon Gruden's time in the NFL could be over for good ... so says Nate Burleson, who tells TMZ Sports he's "not sure" if the league will ever take the coach back.

Less than two weeks after the 58-year-old stepped down as head man of the Las Vegas Raiders due to crass emails he sent between 2011 and 2018 ... we asked Burleson out at LAX if he thinks there's any way Jon can get another gig in the league.

The wideout turned TV star acknowledged time does heal all wounds ... but he added he's just not sure if Gruden can rebound from the scandal -- given the racist, homophobic and misogynistic language he used in the online messages.

"The league is 75 percent Black and some of those words can be interpreted as racist, insensitive," Burleson said. "And, Carl Nassib is an openly gay player. And, the words that [Gruden] used when talking about Michael Sam, it really does hurt the heart to hear."

Nate added, "This is an inclusive league. And, I think that's what we pride ourselves on. I'm not sure if we'll see him back in the league. I'm not sure."

As for Gruden's claim that he made earlier this week that "the truth will come out" ... Burleson said, "There's some truth of his in those emails. Which is why it was so disheartening."

Jon has apologized for the messages -- saying he was "sorry" in his resignation statement -- and his close friends, like Andre Rison, have said they do not believe he's a racist or a homophobe.

Robert Woods is ready to unleash a power and a force that you've never seen before -- the Los Angeles Rams receiver just copped these amazing custom cleats featuring the Blue Power Ranger!!!

TMZ Sports has learned, the wideout wanted to add to his royal blue custom cleat collection ... so he hit up his go-to guy, artist Joe Castro, for the job.

Castro tells us Woods is a huge Power Rangers fan and asked for his new joints to feature the classic '90s TV show -- so it was a no-brainer to go with the Blue Ranger!

And, they're Morphenomenal!!!

Castro says it only took 5 hours to complete the blue and white kicks featuring the detailed action superhero in full gear.

It also has the Blue Ranger's Triceratops Dinozard symbol ... and, for those who don't remember, that's their robot that carries them into battle.

Woods has been going off the last two weeks -- he logged in a total of 181 receiving yards and 1 TD for Week 5 & 6.

Jason "Mayhem" Miller, troubled MMA fighter, has been charged with 2 felonies -- assault and battery -- for his alleged involvement in a bar fight where he's accused of breaking another man's ribs, TMZ Sports has learned.

We broke the story ... 40-year-old Miller was allegedly involved in a brawl outside a San Fernando Valley bar in early September. The man Mayhem is accused of hitting initially decided not to file a police report ... however, changed his mind after going to the hospital, where he was diagnosed with cracked ribs.

Earlier this week, officials decided to charge Miller with felony assault and felony battery ... charges that could carry years behind bars, if convicted.

The two felonies aren't the only charges Miller is contending with ... he was recently arrested for felony domestic violence after allegedly roughing up his girlfriend.

Miller -- who hasn't fought in the UFC since 2012 -- last fought professionally in 2016 ... losing his last fight via a rear-naked choke.

Chuck Liddell has been granted a temporary restraining order from his estranged wife, Heidi, TMZ Sports has learned ... in addition to temporary primary physical custody of their kids.

This just days after the 51-year-old UFC legend claimed his wife roughed him up at their family home.

A judge in Los Angeles signed off on the order last week ... preventing 41-year-old Heidi from having any contact -- including over the phone or computer -- with The Iceman.

The TRO dictates Heidi must remain at least 100 yards from Chuck at all times.

Heidi was also ordered to immediately leave her and Chuck's home ... until the couple has a court hearing the 2nd week of November.

Violation of the order could result in a fine and/or a year in jail.

Chuck will also get temporary physical custody of their 2 kids ... though the arrangement could change after the hearing.

Heidi will be allowed visitation on the alternating weekends.

The UFC HOF'er also gets temporary physical custody of the family dogs ... a miniature poodle and Australian shepherd.

We broke the story ... Chuck was arrested for domestic violence earlier this month after he allegedly got into a verbal argument that turned physical with his wife of a decade.

Heidi was also cited for putting hands on Chuck ... but she was not taken in because the UFC legend asked that she be allowed to stay with their kids, according to an incident report.

Chuck adamantly denied putting his hands on Heidi ... and claimed he was the real victim. Police noted Chuck had a minor injury after the incident, while Heidi was uninjured.

The L.A. District Attorney ultimately decided NOT to charge Chuck or Heidi with a crime.

Chuck filed for divorce shortly after the alleged incident.

Travis Tritt took a hard-line stance on performing at places requiring anything to help stop the spread of COVID-19 -- and in return, he's singing at a playoff MLB game.

The country star is set to belt out the National Anthem Saturday at Truist Park, where the Braves are hosting the Dodgers for Game 6 of the NLCS. It's a game that'll be aired on TBS, and which will obviously get mainstream coverage.

Tritt made the surprise announcement that he'd been tapped late Friday night, writing ... "FYI - I will be singing our National Anthem for Game 6 of the NLCS in Atlanta tonight between the @Braves and the @Dodgers," adding an American flag emoji at the end.

There's been no explanation for this choice on the part of the Braves -- but it's telling considering Tritt has been in the news of late for publicly stating he would not play shows at venues that had any COVID mandates whatsoever -- including vaccine mandates, negative test mandates or even mask mandates ... and canceling shows to that end.

He recently went on Fox News and said he found COVID protocols discriminatory and unnecessary in many cases ... which is why he was putting his foot down, a la Eric Clapton and other musicians who've taken similar positions.

BTW, Truist Park doesn't have any mandates in place besides for those stepping on the field -- and, apparently, Travis will be performing from somewhere behind home plate.