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Thon Maker is suggesting that CRAZY basketball fight this week could have been prevented if there was better security in the stadium -- insinuating officials should be breaking up fights, and not players.

Maker -- who plays for the Milwaukee Bucks -- was playing for team Australia in a FIBA match against the Philippines when things got chippy and a full-on brawl broke out.

Maker jumped right into the melee -- throwing flying knees at multiple players.

Now, he's apologizing ... saying he's "deeply disappointed" in his actions but justified the violence by saying he was trying to protect a teammate.

"My hope is that this experience provides a springboard for a discussion regarding the security surrounding these games," Maker wrote.

"I take responsibility for my actions knowing that they were a result of MY DESIRE to protect my teammates and myself."

It seems he's suggesting security should be tasked with the responsibility of breaking up on-court fights ... instead of players and team staff.

Maker continued ... "Being from a war-torn country, basketball for me has always been a means to bring people together."

Terrell Owens has finally revealed where he'll have his own Hall of Fame induction ceremony ... and it WILL NOT be in any of the cities where he played during his NFL career.

As we previously reported, T.O. declined his invite to Canton -- the first player EVER to turn it down -- and teased that he'd have his own ceremony somewhere else on the same day.

Well, now, he's let the cat out of the bag ... it's all going down at his alma mater, The University of Tennessee Chattanooga.

"After giving it much thought, I have realized just how much I want to celebrate what will inevitably be the best weekend of my life at a place that means so much to me," T.O. says.

"I have decided to give my Hall of Fame speech at the University of Tennessee at Chattanooga in McKenzie Arena on Saturday, August 4. The event, which is free and open to the public, starts at 3:17 p.m."

Soooo, why 3:17 PM?

WE HAVE THE ANSWER -- His rep tells us it's because T.O. will be the 317th player to enter the Hall.

It's also about 4 hours before the official HOF ceremony begins ... so, he's beating guys like Ray Lewis, Randy Moss and Brian Urlacher to the punch.

Owens continued ... "I'm proud to be a Moc, and I'm honored to be able to share this experience with my family, friends, teammates and fans at the place that provided me an opportunity beyond high school and where I truly began to find myself as an athlete."

Paulina Gretzky is winning ... again.

The 29-year-old is in the Bahamas with her golf star husband, Dustin Johnson ... but, all eyes are on her.

Wayne Gretzky's smokin' hot daughter is busting out of the tiny bikinis and showing off her physique ... and good lord.

Happy 4th, everyone!

Tom Brady's epic meltdowns aren't just limited to the football field ... 'cause dude even snaps on the links -- in rounds of golf with his folks!!

TB12 hit the course with his mom, dad and niece on Monday in what shoulda been a fun family time ... until Tom needed two mulligans to get off a tee.

The Pats QB snap-hooked his first shot and screeched out a "DARNIT!!"

His next stroke wasn't any better ... leading to a hat toss.

He finally got it straight on the third swing ... but, if you're counting at home -- he's lyin' five when he gets to his ball in the fairway.

Don't worry ... Tom cooled down eventually to take an adorable pic with his fam.

Obviously, Tom was hamming it up for the camera -- still funny though!

By the way ... his niece, Maya Brady, is a legit softball player -- committed to play at UCLA after her senior season at Oaks Christian next year.

Mallory Edens -- the daughter of Milwaukee Bucks owner Wes Edens -- is PISSED that DeMarcus Cousins just signed with the Golden State Warriors ... saying, "It's not cool to try to win a chip on your own anymore huh."

Boogie -- a four-time NBA all-star and two-time All-NBA selection -- signed an extremely team-friendly deal with the Dubs that gives the reigning world champs maybe the best starting five in league history.

This, of course, ticked off Mallory ... who wondered if the whole deal was someone playin' a trick on her.

"R u joking this is just nuts at this point," Edens posted on social media.

Kelly Slater -- the most decorated pro surfer of all time -- says he's finally ready to retire from the pro surfing championship tour ... but not until he competes one last time!!!

"My basic plan is to get myself really healthy again, get ready for April, and next year be my last year on tour and just be done with it," Slater said during the 2018 Corona J-Bay Open.

In other words, the 46-year-old surf god will compete during the 2019 season -- and give it one last shot to win his 12th World Surf League Championship.

Slater's been nursing a broken foot -- which he calls "pretty minor on the scope of life" -- and says, as soon as he heals up, he'll be ready for his farewell tour.

Don't worry about Kelly's post-competition life ... the guy created his own artificial wave machine which some say will revolutionize the sport -- especially the way competitions are televised.

By the way, no one's even close to catching Slater when it comes to world titles -- the next guy on the list only has 5.

Chargers star rookie Derwin James just bought his mom the dopest "thanks for raising me" gift ever -- a big-ass house in Florida!!

"I don’t think there is anybody more deserving in the world then her," the ex-FSU safety posted on social media.

Unclear what city the house is in or how much it costs ... but the place looks super nice, complete with two stories and a bunch of palm trees in the yard.

Derwin becomes the latest NFL first-round pick to buy his folks a new home ... NY Giants stud Saquon Barkley dropped more than $400,000 on his mom and dad's new pad just last week!

Ever seen a dude bury a basket from the roof of the Houston Astros' ballpark?? Well, now you have ...

Harlem Globetrotters star Thunder Law took to Minute Maid Park with a basketball and a hoop to help promote the Globetrotters' upcoming games in Texas this month ... and what happened next was pretty crazy.

Thunder took the pass from Stros mascot Orbit ... and sank the shot from WAAAAY up in the stadium's center field!!

The craziest part?? Thunder says the Astros woulda been PISSED if he missed the hoop and hit the pristine outfield grass -- so he had to do it in one take!!

Impressive, of course ... but did you know Thunder woulda needed to be on top of about SEVEN Minute Maid Parks to break the record for highest-ever made basket??

Check it out -- some dude hit a 660-footer a couple months ago!!

Donald Trump's shilling hard for the holiday ... by offering 40% off his official gear -- 'cause ya can't hit the beach without Trump and Pence under your ass.

The Prez's online store is doing a 4th of July -- a la Walmart -- slashing prices on all sorts of summer gear like beach/pool towels, beer koozies and even swimsuits. We're sure a MAGA bikini will get someone, somewhere hot and bothered.

As for scoring the 40% off deal, customers have to type in the code, "FREEDOM" -- y'know kinda like the thing all the detained children at the border wish they had.

Seriously, there's already been some online backlash -- with some people suggesting a better code like "COLLUSION," or perhaps a "Trump for Prison" line of merch.

Well, that was quick.

LeBron James is no longer on the front page of the Cleveland Cavaliers online team shop -- and they're already slashing prices on his jerseys.

Don't worry, the new star getting the front-page treatment is Cavs rookie Collin Sexton -- you can buy his jersey for $110 (Kevin Love and J.R. Smith are also still on the front page).

But, now that LeBron's heading West ... the NBA's #2 selling jersey (behind Steph Curry) has been discounted from $110 to $66!

Gotta think people in Cleveland are still gonna buy LeBron jerseys though, right? Especially since the Cavs will 100% retire #23 at some point down the line.

Meanwhile, on the Lakers team store -- they're selling LeBron front and center!

Interested in some Bron purple and gold swag? An authentic #23 Lakers jersey will cost you $220!

If that's too rich for your blood, you can still find old-school Cedric Ceballos jerseys (#23) for WAYYYY cheaper!

Good luck!

11:05 AM PT -- Weinstein's attorney, Ben Brafman, released a statement, saying, "Mr. Weinstein maintains that all of these allegations are false and he expects to be fully vindicated. Furthermore to charge Mr. Weinstein as a Predator when the interactions were each consensual is simply not justified."

Brafman says Weinstein will plead not guilty to the new charges.

Harvey Weinstein is facing 3 new charges for an alleged sexual assault of a woman in 2006.

Manhattan D.A., Cyrus Vance Jr., announced Monday a grand jury has charged Weinstein with a first degree criminal sexual act and 2 counts of predatory sexual assault.

Law enforcement sources tell TMZ ... the alleged incident happened on July 10, 2006, and Weinstein allegedly forced oral sex on the woman.

The new predatory sexual assault counts are felonies and carry a minimum sentence of 10 years, and a max of life in prison.

The D.A. did not reveal the alleged victim's name -- but the incident sounds very much like the one a woman named Mimi Haleyi described during a news conference last year ... with her attorney, Gloria Allred. Mimi claimed Weinstein attacked her in 2006.

VIOLENCE! VIOLENCE! VIOLENCE!

Milwaukee Bucks player Thon Maker threw FLYING KNEES AND KICKS in a crazy brawl during an international basketball game today ... and that was just the beginning!

Maker was playing for the Australian national team -- taking the Philippines -- when things got extremely chippy between the two squads.

Punches starting flying ... and so did Maker -- as the 7'1", 223 pounder took flight to try and land some shots.

One of the more devastating blows came from another NBA guy -- Andray Blatche -- who threw a crazy haymaker and knocked a guy onto the ground.

It could have been a lot worse if Blatche had hit the guy flush ...

It appears both Maker and Blatche got out of the fight without any serious injuries -- but can't say that for everyone.

Especially the dude who got hit with a flying jumping punch from one of the little guys ...

Arnold Schwarzenegger is fired up about LeBron James -- and even made the The King a video to welcome LBJ to Los Angeles.

"This is so exciting that you're coming to the city of stars," Arnold said.

"And you'll be, without any doubt, the biggest star of all. On the court and off the court! I love it!"

He's not the only huge star excited about James becoming the newest Los Angeles Laker -- Snoop Dogg also posted on IG welcoming Bron to town.

And, of course, Bron's newest teammate Lonzo Ball had a few words as well -- saying, "Y’all really thought he was gonna pass up the greatest city in the world... #TheKingIsHere."

Kobe Bryant also weighed in, saying ... "Welcome to the family @KingJames #lakers4life #striveforgreatness @JeanieBuss @MagicJohnson."

'WWE Tough Enough 3' winner Matt Cappotelli -- who bravely fought through two rounds of cancer -- has passed away ... this according to his wife.

"Today my love-my strong, sweet, beautiful love-took his last breath at 3:30 a.m. and went Home to be with Jesus exactly one year after his brain surgery," Lindsay Cappotelli wrote in a statement.

"You think you can be prepared for this when you know it’s coming, but you just can’t."

"The only person who’s comfort I want right now is the one who can’t give it to me. I miss him so much. I know where he is now is so much better, but it doesn’t change how much I miss him."

Back in June 2017, TMZ Sports reported on Matt's second surgery to remove a brain tumor -- over 10 years after he had one removed and had his pro wrestling career cut short.

But, in December, things took a turn for the worse ... doctors say he had a Grade 4 tumor that could not be operated on because it was too close to his brain stem.

Cappotelli fought like hell and will definitely be remembered as a warrior inside and out of the ring.

Eagles linebacker Nigel Bradham will be suspended 1 game for allegedly punching a hotel worker back in July of 2016.

We broke the story ... the Philadelphia star was arrested in Florida and charged with a felony after allegedly socking a Hilton employee in the face 'cause he took too long to set up a beach umbrella.

The criminal charge was eventually dropped after Bradham cut a deal with prosecutors in which they agreed to throw out the case if he kept his nose clean for 6 months. He did -- and the case was closed this past January.

"I would like to apologize to my fans, coaches, teammates and the entire eagles organization for the 1 game suspension," Bradham wrote in a statement.

The Uber driver who claims Jameis Winston sexually assaulted her during a 2016 ride says she's "glad" the NFL took action against Winston ... but says the QB's apology "needs work."

The woman -- Kate -- issued a statement to BuzzFeed reporter Talal Anari, who first reported her story in a Nov. 2017 article.

"I am glad to see the NFL discipline Jameis Winston," Kate said ... "I do appreciate his apology, even if it needs some work."

"I would like to publicly acknowledge the NFL investigators, particularly Lisa Friel and John Iannarelli, for their kind, professional and thorough investigation."

"My experience should highlight the importance of believing women when they have the courage to come forward about sexual assault. Perhaps that night could have been prevented if others had been believed before me."

"Mr. Winston once said, 'Girls should be silent, polite, and gentle.' I disagree. #MeToo."