TMZ Sports - Page 26

Caitlyn Jenner is blasting President Biden over what she seems to think is a coordinated effort to conflate a Christian holiday with a day that also celebrates transgender people.

The reality star sounded off on Saturday -- a day before International Transgender Day of Visibility, which just so happens to fall on Easter this year -- and took aim at Joe specifically ... as it appears she believes he might've made one land on the other on purpose.

She writes, "I am absolutely disgusted that Joe Biden has declared the most Holy of Holy days - a self proclaimed devout Catholic - as Transgender Day of Visibility. The only thing you should be declaring on this day is ‘HE is Risen’."

Robbie Avila's about to make himself a LOT of money ... 'cause the Indiana State hoops star tells TMZ Sports there are eyewear companies lining up to work with him after becoming a viral sensation!!

The 6'11" goggle-wearing center was quite the fan favorite this college basketball season ... with his impressive highlights earning him nicknames like Cream Abdul-Jabbar, Larry Nerd, and, his favorite, Rob Wave.

Since then, the NIL business has been boomin' for the Sycamores star ... and he's lovin' it!

"NIL is huge now!" Avila told TMZ Sports. "It's a really big thing with college sports."

"Obviously, I've had a couple of eyewear companies reach out to kinda brand with my goggles. Being able to take full advantage of this is, you know, something I'm able to do here."

The sophomore athlete -- who averaged 17.3 points and 6.5 rebounds per game this season -- said the team doesn't mind all the attention he and his specs have been getting ... but admitted it can get bothersome at times when he's out and about.

Despite the rising stardom, Avila and the team's focal point is the National Invitation Tournament semifinals on Tuesday against the No. 2-seeded Utah Utes.

"They're another really, really good team playing at a high level right now," Avila said. "So just being able to execute what we need to do well."

Tyron Woodley is champing at the bit to get in the ring with Manny Pacquiao -- the former UFC fighter claims he's thiiiiis close to setting up a scrap against the boxing great ... telling TMZ Sports he wants to get the contracts signed ASAP.

Woodley -- who last fought Jake Paul in December 2021 -- told us he's been negotiating with Pacquiao for MONTHS ... but as of right now, they haven't been able to agree on the deets.

Woodley said he's now resorting to putting some serious pressure on Manny and his camp ... especially considering they're slated to make way more than he ever did in his two bouts against the Problem Child.

"When I say good numbers -- great numbers," the former MMA champ said. "Multi-multi-multi-million-dollar fight."

Woodley explained there have been plenty of options out there -- names like Floyd Mayweather and KSI -- but his sights are solely set on PacMan.

"I don't wanna have to start ruffling Manny Pacquiao's feathers, but if that's what I gotta do to get this done because I can't just linger around waiting," Woodley said. "If I take another fight, that can f*** this fight up."

Woodley shared his dilemma -- he respects the hell outta Pacquiao for being a "nice, humble, gracious guy," but fears the whole event could slip through the cracks if his side doesn't pick up the pace.

"I been around and I feel like legacy is about making great choices and fight big fights and take big risks and nobody is remembered for playing it safe," Woodley added.

The weekend is coming to a close ... so you know we're wrapping things up with some TMZ TV hot takes.

Let's start with "TMZ Live," where Harvey and Charles shared some unexpected shade Billie Eilish seemingly dished out towards Taylor Swift. As discussed, the Oscar winner appeared to take shots at Tay releasing multiple versions of her vinyl recordings ... calling it wasteful.

While she didn't name the "Bad Blood" singer by name ... it was clear Billie was talking about TS.

The San Francisco Giants destroyed the San Diego Padres on the field Friday night at Petco Park ... but all the real drama was happening in the stands between a couple of their angry and violent fans.

As the teams were playing in SD, someone pulled out a phone and started recording a woman in a Padres jersey arguing with two guys in Giants shirts standing in the crowd.

Check out this crazy video posted to X ...  the woman got right up in the grills of the two dudes and started pointing at them before telling them, "F*** you!"

Shaquille O'Neal blew into Nashville for a DJ gig Friday and ended up surrounded by cops ... but it's not what you might think.

A bunch of uniformed members of the Nashville Metro PD congregated around the NBA legend and posed for a pic with Shaq after he spun some records at Skydeck nearby.

Check out the video shot by popular downtown Nashville hot dog stand operator Frederick Barr. The smiles on the officers' faces tell the story.

Caitlin Clark's got a tough decision ahead of her -- play in the WNBA or take $5 mil to shoot in the Big3 -- but Reggie Theus tells TMZ Sports if he were the Iowa superstar, the choice would be simple ... play in the women's league.

We caught up with the 2022 Big3 Coach of the Year out at LAX this week just after it was revealed Ice Cube had offered the Hawkeyes hooper 5 Ms to play in as little as eight games … and it wasn't hard to tell he's glad he's not in Clark's shoes in this situation.

He told us on the one hand, the cash would be incredible ... but on the other, playing in the WNBA is lifelong dream material.

If Caitlin Clark does take Ice Cube up on his $5 million offer to play in the Big3, it's clear Nancy Lieberman wants dibs ... telling TMZ Sports she'll make sure the Iowa sharpshooter is ready to take down some former NBA vets!

Lieberman -- an ex-WNBA star who actually played for the Los Angeles Lakers' Summer League team in 1981-- has been the head coach of the Big3's Power since 2018.

She called the 3-on-3 org. "super competitive," but check out the clip -- it's clear as day she thinks Clark would be able to get buckets amongst the men.

"I think her teammates would set her up for success if this is what she chose," the 65-year-old said. "I would love to coach someone like Caitlin Clark. If given the opportunity, I certainly am not afraid of the moment."

If Clark decides to take the WNBA route instead, Lieberman won't sweat it ... as she feels it might force the women's league to up its pay wages.

"I think it's gonna push our friends at the W to increase salaries or some of the things that are gonna be negotiated in the CBA," Lieberman said.

"She's changing us financially and I think everybody should applaud her."

We're halfway through the weekend ... and what better way to unwind than with some TMZ hot takes?!

Let's kick things off with "TMZ Live," where Harvey and Charles gave insight into how Diddy's coping after the raids on his L.A. and Miami homes. As discussed, the Bad Boy Records founder kept it calm and cool during an outing in Miami with his twin daughters.

Next up, we've got "TMZ TV," where the crew compared Gypsy Rose Blanchard's breakup with husband Ryan Anderson to Ariana Grande's COVID-times marriage to Dalton Gomez.

WWE Superstar Becky Lynch is opening up about her relationship with longtime frenemy Charlotte Flair … telling TMZ Sports the undercurrent of all of it is "love."

We caught up with The Man in New York City while she was promoting her new book, "The Man: Not Your Average Average Girl" ... and the four-time WWE women's champion went in-depth about the ups and downs she's had with Ric's daughter.

Lynch and Flair -- who spent time on NXT together before moving on to WWE's main roster -- were tight at points ... but, it was fractured at points too.

Lynch, however, revealed she and Flair are now in a good spot -- so much so, Becky actually devoted several pages of her book to the Queen.

"She's been a huge part of my journey in every capacity and such an important part, as best friends, as then enemies and a fallout," Lynch said. "I talk about that [in my book] from my perspective ... but also the undercurrent of all of it is love."

"It's always the people that you love the most that maybe hurt you the most, I know I've hurt her and it's been reciprocal. But, when I think you can come back from all of that, that's the special thing."

Big Time Becks also had some words for her Mania opponent, Rhea Ripley, warning Mami she better enjoy her last few weeks as champ.

"I’ll earn it," Lynch told us. "I’ll beat the bejesus out of her -- make her question why she ever showed up to Philadelphia."

Whatever Lynch’s gameplan is at the showcase of immortals must be viscous ... as she says her daughter might be traumatized if she watches.

"Hopefully she won't be watching too closely 'cause I think she might be a little scared of her mommy if she sees what she does to Rhea Ripley," Lynch said.

The Minnesota Twins' AAA affiliate is standing firm on its decision to name its live pig mascot "OzemPig" ... this after a number of fans squealed in opposition.

The St. Paul Saints -- known for their tomfoolery on gamedays -- traditionally employ young pigs to help out with delivering game balls to umpires ... and host an annual contest to come up with a silly moniker for each animal (past winners include Ham Solo, Notorious P.I.G., etc.).

This year's winner beat out candidates like Porky Blinders and Sloppenheimer ... but once the name was announced, some folks felt it flirted with fat-shaming, considering it's a nod to the popular weight loss drug.

Toronto Raptors guard RJ Barrett is breaking his silence on his little brother's death ... saying Nathan's passing is "a lot tougher" than any other loss he's experienced in his life.

The NBA player was emotional when he spoke about his late 19-year-old brother with reporters at Friday's practice ... his first time rejoining the Raptors since the family tragedy.

"I’ve had some people in my life, but this one hit a little harder for me," Barrett said.

"This one is definitely a little different, it’s a lot tougher, and I just think that you’ve gotta push forward every day, gotta be able to try to figure it out."

The Barrett family released a statement earlier this month ... saying Nathan was surrounded by family members and loved ones at the time of his death, although additional details have not been made public.

Nathan was also an athlete -- he followed in his brother's footsteps by playing basketball at Montverde Academy. However, he changed course and was pursuing a career as a pilot.

"If I know my brother, he would want me to be here, to be playing," Barrett added, "to try to continue to make the Barrett legacy grow."

Philadelphia 76ers hooper Kelly Oubre Jr. and his head coach, Nick Nurse, are gonna have to write out a check to the NBA -- the two were just fined $50,000 each for going ballistic on referees after their 108-107 loss to the Clippers on Wednesday.

The matchup ended in quite the controversy -- the Sixers forward drove to the basket to attempt a game-winning bucket ... and despite making contact with Paul George, a foul wasn't called.

Oubre and Nurse were irate over the no-call after the buzzer -- Oubre even flipped the bird at the officials ... and Sixers staffers had to step in to keep the two from going further.

Many believe Oubre also pointed at each official and called them a "bitch."

Tsunami Papi admitted after the game he knew a fine was coming … and he was right -- 'cause the league handed down the punishment for "verbally abusing and directing an obscene gesture" at the officials.

Nurse's fine was for "aggressively pursuing and verbally abusing game officials."

Oubre shared his regret over his actions ... saying, "I want to apologize for just losing my cool … I just ask for forgiveness. It wasn't cool, so I'll take whatever penalties come with that."

While the financial punishment is nothing to scoff at, ex-NBA player Lou Williams predicted KO would actually get a heftier fine … saying, "This is $25,000 per bitch, without a doubt."

Ice Cube will have to wait a bit longer to get an answer from Caitlin Clark on his $5 million Big3 offer ... the Iowa superstar just revealed she hasn't considered the deal yet -- as her current focus is solely on winning the NCAA tournament.

The 22-year-old spoke with reporters about Cube's proposal on Friday afternoon -- one day before she's slated to take the court against Colorado in the Sweet 16 -- and she made it clear, it's not even remotely on her mind right now.

In fact, she said she just learned of the offer this week -- at "the same exact time you all did."

Duke Blue Devils star Jared McCain is offering up his apologies to anyone up in arms over a little bit of nail polish ... saying painting his fingertips is a form of self-care for him -- and he's gonna keep being himself.

Dudes wearing nail polish has always been a pearl-clutching controversy for some reason ... despite big celebs like Harry Styles, Machine Gun Kelly and Heisman winner Caleb Williams famously rocking the look lately.

The freshman guard -- who dropped 30 points in Duke's win over James Madison on Sunday -- has also donned flashy nails on the court throughout his college career ... showing team spirit with some blue and white paint during games.

McCain's fashion choice even landed him a Name, Image and Likeness deal with Sally Hansen ... and when he was doing a paid promo with the brand, he explained why he made it a tradition.

"Just do some self care time, I think everybody should do some self care for themselves," McCain said. "For me, it's nail painting. Sorry if that offends any of you guys."

McCain revealed "there's really no crazy reason to it" -- ultimately, it's a practical move as it keeps him from biting his nails ... and one day, he thought it would be cool to add some color.

McCain explained he then had a basketball game after that appointment ... and when he had a good performance, he decided to keep up with it (even though he doesn't consider himself superstitious).

Seems pretty harmless, but some folks can't get over it -- even Williams has faced backlash during his stellar college career for painting his nails, too.

Damar Hamlin went in on Antonio Brown on Friday morning -- firing away at the ex-NFL star in two separate social media posts ... calling AB not only a "weirdo," but a "burnt out old head" too.

The Buffalo Bills star unleashed his rant minutes after Brown responded to the prompt "A fictional character’s death that you have NOT gotten over" with a picture of Hamlin.

"I pray God don’t ever let me turn into a burnt out old head like you..," Hamlin said. "I used to look up to you damn near s*** sad frfr. Talk bout a clone bring the real AB back!"

Hamlin added that he believed Brown made the post because he didn't respond to the former Buccaneers receiver's direct message earlier this week.

"guess you playing lame games on twitter with my situation because I ain’t DM you back," he said.

But, Hamlin didn't stop there, in a follow-up, he called Brown "the biggest weirdo we know!"

"You was supposed to be an example setter," he said, including a screen shot of Brown's apparent DMs to him. "Get off twitter & go do some work with some kids or something. #PrayForAB."

Of course, Brown -- who appears to be spending most of his free time on social media these days -- clapped back with a multitude of tweets ... seeming to imply that he was just joking around.

Although, he did add, "I’ll leave your ass sleep in a field fr boy u don’t know me like that."