TMZ Sports - Page 50

Caitlin Clark took women's basketball to new heights ... and South Carolina freshman MiLaysia Fulwiley is looking to build off her momentum -- telling TMZ Sports the next generation of hoopers wants to make the Iowa superstar proud!!

Clark had a huge impact on the entire sport during her career with the Hawkeyes ... breaking records and helping set historic television ratings in the process.

Fulwiley and the undefeated Gamecocks took down Clark's Iowa squad in the national championship game on Sunday ... and despite being opponents in the biggest matchup of the year, the freshman had nothing but great things to say about the WNBA's next No. 1-overall pick.

"Caitlin Clark, she's a great person, she did tremendous things for women's basketball -- not just women's basketball, but college basketball," Fulwiley told us.

Speaking of winning the natty, Fulwiley and her teammate Kamilla Cardoso celebrated by working a shift at Raising Cane's in Columbia on Wednesday ... handing out some delicious tenders for a ton of 'Cocks fans in attendance!!

Clark declared for the WNBA Draft earlier in the season ... leaving many to wonder what'll happen to all the hype surrounding women's hoops once she's gone.

Fulwiley said the up-and-comers are ready to fill Clark's big shoes ... and they're going to take what they learned from her and apply it to their game.

"Her leaving is gonna be a big impact on us, but she made us want to push harder," Fulwiley added. "She inspired all of us, all the younger ones, all us freshmen to see what it feels like to achieve all the goals that we've dreamed of."

"We're just trying to pick up where she left off and just keep things going because I know she'd be proud and everybody else that supports women's basketball will be proud."

There are apparently critics of Bronny James' game in NBA front offices too ... 'cause one general manager declared this week LeBron's kid is "nowhere near ready" to play in the Association right now.

The GM made the comments to The Ringer's Dan Conner ... while speaking under the condition of anonymity.

It didn't seem the exec absolutely loathed the 19-year-old's skillset -- in fact, he appeared to praise the teen's defensive ability -- but he seemed to make it clear that LBJ Jr. needs more seasoning before he can thrive in the pros like Dad.

10:23 AM PT -- Suggs, through EAG Sports rep Denise White, issued a statement on the incident to TMZ Sports ... and Terrell says he was in fear for his safety.

"I was in a quiet area of Scottsdale in the middle of the day in a Starbucks drive-thru near my home when an incident happened with a vehicle behind me. I was getting coffee, I was not looking for any trouble," TS said.

"When the man in the other vehicle escalated the situation, I feared for my safety not knowing what his intentions were. Throughout the incident, I was the one who felt in danger, while fearing I would be followed home and for the safety of my family nearby at my residence."

TMZ Sports has learned Terrell Suggs' arrest on Tuesday stemmed from a March incident in which he allegedly brandished a gun and threatened to kill a man during an argument at a Scottsdale, Arizona Starbucks.

Travis Kelce's still trying to figure out how he got himself into America's favorite relationship with Taylor Swift ... joking this week, "I don't know how the f*** I did it!!"

The Kansas City Chiefs superstar opened up on his romance with the world's biggest popstar while chatting with Lil Dicky on the latest episode of "New Heights" -- after the rapper had gushed about how much he loves the famous couple.

Dicky -- real name Dave Burd -- said he felt the 'ship was "so American" ... adding, "Anyone who, like, hates on it is a bitter loser."

11:23 AM PT -- Sources with direct knowledge tell TMZ ... Kim and Peter are just friends, and they just so happened to be sitting next to each other at the game. So ... no funny business.

Kim Kardashian reunited with a guy who used to hang out with her and her ex-husband Kris Humphries -- and even all this time later ... they look real friendly, especially courtside.

The reality star went to the Lakers game in L.A. Tuesday night with her daughter, North, and some pals -- and yes ... she had a front-row seat to all the action ... as did basketball player-turned-real-estate-agent Peter Cornell, who was plopped down next to Kim at one point.

They were photographed chatting it up and flashing big smiles as they watched the game seated next to Will Ferrell ... and it's interesting considering their history. If you didn't know, these two go way back.

John Calipari is officially the head coach of the Arkansas Razorbacks -- the school just announced the hire on Wednesday ... with the Hall of Famer slated to make at least $7 million a year.

Arkansas was excited to share the big news ... posting a hype video to welcome the former Kentucky Wildcats leader to the program.

Cal inked a five-year deal for the new gig ... which includes the base salary and $1 million signing bonus ... as well as more dough for postseason success and each season he sticks around.

Razorbacks athletic director Hunter Yurachek spoke about landing Cal on Wednesday ... saying, "By all accounts, John Calipari is one of the premier coaches in college basketball."

"A national championship coach, a four-time national coach of the year and one of the nation’s top recruiters, Coach Cal has consistently demonstrated his ability to attract outstanding talent and build championship teams within the Southeastern Conference and position his programs among the best in the nation."

Cal shared a farewell to the folks in Lexington earlier this week ... saying after a national championship, four Final Fours and 32 NCAA tourney victories, it was time for Kentucky to start fresh with someone else at the helm.

Worth noting -- Cal is taking a bit of a pay cut ... as he had an $8.5 million base salary with the Wildcats.

Morgan Wallen is still winning awards despite his recent arrest ... although this one might not go on the mantel -- the country superstar was just named Antonio Brown's "Cracker of the Day."

The controversial Super Bowl champ is known to hand out the prestigious honor (sarcasm) on his X account ... but the criteria isn't all about being white, as future NFL first-overall pick Caleb Williams got the nod last month.

Brown explained why Wallen deserved his "COTD" on Wednesday ... saying it was all thanks to the "Last Night" crooner allegedly chucking a chair off a rooftop bar patio in Nashville on Sunday.

8:09 AM PT -- Details surrounding Terrell Suggs' arrest are still scarce ... although a spokesperson for the Scottsdale Police Dept. -- which made the arrest Tuesday -- said it all stemmed from an incident that was reported to authorities back on March 10.

Former NFL superstar Terrell Suggs has been arrested in Arizona, TMZ Sports has confirmed.

Jail records show the seven-time Pro Bowler was booked late Tuesday night in Maricopa County on two charges -- one count of assault and one count of offense against public order.

Lenny Kravitz could have gone straight from the gym to the stage in his latest workout clothes.

The iconic singer posted a vid on Insta Tuesday, showing him pumping iron inside a gym with music playing in the background.

What was unusual about it was his choice of fitness attire ... Lenny looked like he was about to perform in front of a huge crowd, wearing his customary black leather pants and dark sunglasses with a mesh shirt.

Kentucky's coaching job is still up for grabs, and Dan Hurley should stay far away from it ... at least that's what John Salley thinks!!!

TMZ Sports caught up with the former Bad Boy Piston out in L.A. while he was on his way to record an episode of the "Wander Well" Podcast ... and he told us one of his ex-teammates would be a much better fit for the job than Hurley.

Salley said while UK is one of the most prestigious programs in all of college basketball ... Hurley has a dream situation after winning back-to-back Natty's with UConn -- so he shouldn't make the leap to Lexington.

We hope your week is speeding by .... but here are some TMZ TV hot takes if you need a little pick-me-up.

First up on "TMZ Live," Charles and Mike discuss Billy Dee Williams' surprising stance on blackface ... as the 'Star Wars' alum told Bill Maher he believes actors should be allowed to do "anything."

T'Vondre Sweat is fortunate to have been able to walk out of jail this weekend under his own power ... because cops say the top NFL draft prospect was involved in a rollover car crash just hours before he was thrown behind bars.

New Austin Police Department documents we obtained state that Sweat's 2023 orange Ford Bronco flipped on its side after it collided with a 2020 blue Dodge sports car on a Texas highway at around 4:41 AM on Sunday.

In the docs, cops state the Dodge hit the Bronco from behind, causing it to lose control, roll over, and eventually come to a stop on its right side.

For the first time ever, the NCAA women's basketball championship pulled in more viewers than the men's game ... with Kamilla Cardoso and South Carolina's win over Caitlin Clark's Iowa Hawkeyes beating out UConn vs. Purdue by 4 million!!

The numbers for Monday night's men's contest between the Huskies and Boilermakers were reportedly just released ... and while the game did better than UConn's matchup with San Diego State a year prior, it got blown out of the water by Clark going head-to-head with the undefeated Gamecocks.

The men's game drew in 14.8 million average viewers ... and Sunday's women's game earned 18.8 million, shattering the record for a women's college basketball game.

A lot of folks will chalk it up to the Caitlin Clark effect ... but it's worth noting the women's tournament featured a ton of stars all over the bracket, resulting in historic ratings throughout the tournament.

South Carolina head coach Dawn Staley even took a second to thank Clark for bringing more eyeballs to women's hoops after her squad completed the undefeated season ... which she certainly did.

The errors on the Kobe Bryant statue have been fixed ... the Lakers just made the corrections to the Mamba's life-sized tribute earlier Tuesday.

There were several problems on the figurine's base -- where a few names, including Jose Calderon and Von Wafer, were misspelled. The word "decision" in "Coach's Decision" was also wrongfully written twice as "decicion."

On March 11, right around the time the public discovered the problems, the Lakers said in a statement they had been aware of the issues for several weeks ... and had vowed to fix them.

Ja Morant is one step closer to winning a lawsuit against the teenager who he punched during an altercation in a pickup basketball game two years ago ... a judge just ruled the NBA superstar was acting in self-defense when he hit the minor.

Joshua Holloway, who was 17 years old at the time of the incident, sued Morant back in Sept. 2022, alleging the Grizzlies point guard roughed him up while the two were competing on a basketball court at Ja's Eads, Tenn. home.

Holloway claimed that during an in-game argument, he threw a ball at Morant and accidentally hit him in the face. He alleged Morant then became enraged, and socked him with a closed fist.

Julio Urias has been hit with multiple criminal charges over allegations he roughed up his wife during a soccer match last year ... TMZ Sports has learned.

A spokesperson for the L.A. City Attorney's office tells us ... prosecutors formally hit Urias with five misdemeanors on Monday.

The ex-Dodgers star is facing one count of spousal battery, two counts of domestic battery involving dating relationship, one count of false imprisonment and one count of assault. His arraignment is scheduled for early May.