TMZ Sports

The memorial for Kobe and Gigi Bryant will be attended by friends, family, NBA officials and players, season ticket holders and local politicians. The remaining seats will be ticketed and go to members of the public on a first-come, first-served basis.

As we reported, the memorial will be held at Staples Center on February 24, where seating capacity stands at around 20,000. Fact is ... hundreds of thousands of people would like to honor Kobe and Gigi, but there's no way all of them can be accommodated.

No word yet on how the public can get tickets, but law enforcement sources tell us ... if people can't get into Staples, they're not going to get close to the venue.

We're told just like the Michael Jackson and Nipsey Hussle memorials, the streets around Staples will be closed for security and traffic control. The memorial will not be broadcast on the screens outside Staples or L.A. Live.

Several law enforcement sources tell TMZ, they're encouraging people who don't get tickets to stay home and watch the memorial on TV. We're told it will be broadcast on multiple networks.

NBA teams in need of a 5'10" point guard need to look no further ... 'cause Quavo says he's available and ready to make a jump to the Association, telling TMZ Sports he's the next Master P!!

Of course, the Migos rapper balled out with Justin Bieber, Sheck Wes, Drake and more in NYC last week  -- and Huncho was in full BEAST MODE scoring at least 15 points!!

So, when we caught up with Quavo, we had to ask who really has the best skills outta the celeb bunch on that court ... and he gave us a far from humble answer.

"It gotta be me," Quavo says. "We beat OVO. I ain't even have my team with me."

Beating Biebs and Drizzy is one thing ...  going against NBA stars like LeBron, Kawhi and KD is another. But, Quavo says he's up for the challenge to make it to the league!!

"I could be the next Master P! Ima go for it!"

FYI,  Master P was signed to Charlotte Hornets in 1998 and Toronto Raptors in 1999 ... but never made it to the court for a regular-season game.

Jon Jones would take the first REAL L of his fighting career if he stepped in the WWE ring with Roman Reigns ... so says the wrestling superstar himself!!

"It would be a hell of a fight," Reigns tells TMZ Sports. "But when it comes to the squared circle, I don't think there's anybody better in the world [than me]. So, yeah, I feel VERY comfortable being in the ring with Jon Jones."

Of course, a WWE scrap between the two massive fight stars is now a possibility because Jones just told Sports Illustrated this week a move to the squared circle at some point is "inevitable."

When we got Reigns out at L.A.'s new Sofi Stadium (the home of WrestleMania 37 in 2021!!), he told us he would LOVE to be a part of a bout with the UFC legend in the future.

"Oh, for sure, man," Roman says. "Someone like Jon Jones, I mean, if you're going to step in the WWE ring, you're most likely going to want to step in there with the big dog."

As for how Jones would fare outside of a match with Reigns ... Roman says he believes Jon's got a chance to be a real superstar in the WWE.

By the way, Reigns also gave some advice to Dwayne Johnson's daughter, Simone Johnson, who's now training to be a WWE Superstar.

Roman tells us he'd like to see her blaze her own trail with the future of her character, as opposed to following in the footsteps of "The Rock" ... saying, "It's better to create your stuff."

Bo Jackson was notorious for snapping his baseball bat like a toothpick, and now the last piece of lumber he obliterated can be yours ... if you've got 20,000 bucks.

The bat's from April 6th, 1994 ... when Jackson's California Angels took on the Minnesota Twins at the Metrodome. In the 4th inning, Twins pitcher Jim Deshaies -- who'd already K'd Bo in the 2nd -- struck Jackson out on 3 pitches.

Jackson -- the only player to ever make an NFL AND MLB all-star team -- stormed out of the batter's box and violently snapped his big Cooper C271 bat ... before tossing the shards of wood towards the dugout.

The '94 season was Bo's 8th and final in MLB ... and Goldin Auctions -- who has now offered the iconic bat at auction -- tells us this was the last bat BJ ever broke as a professional baseball player.

Goldin says the bat was photo matched to prove its authenticity ... and they expect the one-of-a-kind piece to rake in over $20,000 when the auction closes later this month.

BTW, it wasn't all failure at the plate for Bo on that April night in Minnesota. Jackson got some revenge during the later innings ... hitting a double and an RBI single.

The Twins won 4-1.

Big Wave pro-Alex Botelho was hospitalized after suffering a serious accident in a surfing tournament ... and the video of the crash is absolutely wild.

The 29-year-old Portuguese surfer was participating in the Nazare Tow Surfing Challenge when he had a scary wipeout and had to be saved by a Jetski pilot.

The situation got much worse when a massive whitewater wave rushed towards them and knocked the 2 people off the Jetski.

But, then things took an even worse turn when another wave came through and sent them flying through the air.

Botelho appeared to be unconscious by the time he washed to shore ... with emergency rescuers sprinting into the water to help out.

The surfer was taken to a nearby hospital where he's currently recovering ... and thankfully, the World Surf League says he's stable and conscious.

"A heartfelt thank you to the safety and medical teams for their quick response. We are wishing Alex a full and speedy recovery," the league said in a statement.

Tommy "Two Gloves" Gainey's sex solicitation case is headed toward a happy ending for the popular golfer ... he just cut a deal with prosecutors to avoid time behind bars.

According to court docs obtained by TMZ Sports, Gainey agreed to serve 11-months of probation, take a human trafficking class, do community service and pay fines and fees.

In exchange for completing all of that, prosecutors agreed to drop his misdemeanor solicitation charge ... and even gave him the chance to end his probation early if he quickly meets the requirements of the deal.

Of course, it's a solid deal for Gainey ... who was facing jail time after he was caught up in a major prostitution sting -- dubbed "Operation Santa's Naughty List" -- back in December.

As we previously reported, cops in Polk County, Fla., say Gainey offered money for sex acts to an undercover officer posing as a prostitute on Dec. 8, 2019.

In police footage of the alleged incident, obtained by TMZ Sports, you can see clear as day Tommy offering up $60 for a "quick visit" with the woman.

Gainey was arrested ... and at a press conference a few days later, Polk County Sheriff Grady Judd ribbed him over it all.

"He's married. He told us that he was here for a charity golf event and it was to be, like, the next morning tee off. He didn't make it. He was a scratch ... We charged him with soliciting. He missed his tee time the next morning."

A disgusting play went down during a girls H.S. basketball game in Ohio over the weekend ... when a player violently grabbed her opponent's hair and dropped her to the ground -- and it was all captured on video.

The incident went down during the first quarter on Saturday night ... when the Bellevue H.S. Lady Red faced off against the Norwalk H.S. Lady Truckers.

In the clip, the Bellevue senior guard -- a Kent State University commit -- is seen attempting a 3-point shot and immediately reaching for her defender's hair and pulling down.

The defender appears to hit her head HARD on the court ... but somehow, the player wasn't called for a foul.

The defender did not return to the game ... and family members tell WTOL 11 she is still recovering from the incident.

A rep for Bellevue released a statement on Sunday, saying, "We are aware of the incident and working to gather all the information before determining how we will proceed."

We've reached out to the player's family and the Ohio High School Athletic Association for comment ... so far, no word back.

Justin Bieber started a trend with some cartoon Kobe Bryant tribute art ... and now Kobe's foundation is reaping a sizable benefit.

Here's the deal ... Justin bought some fresh Kobe-inspired artwork from Idiot Box Art owners Emily Bright and Tamara Martin, and then the artists started making and selling miniature versions for $200 a pop, with 24 percent of the profits going to the MambaOnThree Fund.

The cartoon Kobe art is pretty cool ... it's a teddy bear wearing a Mamba hoodie under Kobe's #8 Lakers jersey, palming a basketball and rocking some of Kobe's signature Nikes.

Justin dropped $1,200 for a bigger piece -- one of only 5 ever made -- and hung it up in his crib next to some skateboard decks.

Lots of folks apparently share Justin's eye for Kobe art ... because Idiot Box ended up selling 260 mini Mamba bears during a 2-day limited sale, which was enough to make a $12,480 donation to Kobe's foundation.

MambaOnThree was created to support the families of the 7 other victims, besides Kobe and Gigi, who died in the crash.

NBA legend Dwyane Wade just revealed his 12-year-old now identifies as female ... saying his child asked him and his wife, Gabrielle Union, to call her Zaya.

"Zion, born as a boy, came home and said, 'Hey, so, I want to talk to you guys. I think going forward I'm ready to live my truth." Wade said on "The Ellen Show."

"And, I want to be referenced as she and her. I would love for you guys to call me Zaya.'"

Wade discussed his support for Zaya and the LGBTQ+ community in a powerful interview with Ellen DeGeneres ... saying he and Gabrielle couldn't be more proud of her.

“We take our roles and responsibilities as parents very seriously. So, when our child comes home with a question ... it’s our job as parents to listen to that to give them the best information that we can, the best feedback that we can, and that doesn’t change now that sexuality [and gender] is involved.”

Wade has been incredibly outspoken about his support for Zaya ... and clapped back at people criticizing her in a family photo back on Thanksgiving.

"Stupidity is a part of this world we live in — so I get it. But, here's the thing — I've been chosen to lead my family, not y'all," Wade said at the time.

"So we will continue to be us and support each other with pride, love & a smile!"

In fact, Union and Zaire Wade took Zaya to the Miami Pride parade back in 2019.

Wade went on to explain, “I looked at her and said you are a leader ... It’s our opportunity to allow you to be a voice. Right now, it’s through us because she’s 12 years old, but eventually, it will be through her.”

Marwin Gonzalez -- a star on the Astros 2017 World Series team -- just apologized for his role in Houston's sign-stealing scandal ... telling reporters Tuesday, "I'm remorseful."

Marwin is believed to be the first Astros position player to say he's sorry for the cheating.

"I'm remorseful for everything that happened in 2017," Gonzalez said.

As we previously reported, MLB commissioner Rob Manfred says the Astros filmed pitchers and catchers during games in '17 and illegally relayed the signs to batters using a banging sound from the dugout.

A BUNCH of MLB stars -- from Cody Bellinger to CC Sabathia -- have been livid over Manfred's findings ... and a former relief pitcher just sued Houston over it all too.

But, prior to Gonzalez's meeting with media at Minnesota Twins camp this week ... it's believed that only Astros pitchers had apologized for their team's actions, NOT the players that actually benefited most from the cheating.

"[I'm remorseful] for everything that we did as a group," Gonzalez said. "And the players that were affected directly by us doing this ... That's why I feel more regret. That's why I'm remorseful."

Gonzalez had his best season EVER in 2017 ... recording a .303 batting average, 23 home runs and 90 RBI. He finished 19th in the MVP vote.

Corey Anderson has zero love for Jon Jones, but he's pumped the UFC star beat Dominick Reyes ... 'cause he tells TMZ Sports now he'll be the first to take down the MMA legend.

Anderson -- the #5 ranked UFC light heavyweight -- is taking on Jan Blachowicz at UFC Fight Night 167 on Saturday ... and if Corey wins, there's a great chance the prize is Jon.

We talked to Anderson about Jones vs. Reyes ... and the LHW title contender says he totally understands why a lot of people think Jon lost, but he's happy as hell he got the W.

"While I was watching I was like, 'Man, I could lose the opportunity to be the one that beats Jon.'"

Anderson continued ... "At the end, I’m happy that Jon got the win because I get to be the one to dethrone him. I knew if Dom would’ve won, they would do the rematch. And I'd have to wait for that."

FYI -- Jon's one and only (controversial) loss came against Matt Hamill in 2009 ... when he was disqualified for throwing illegal elbows. Jones was dominating the fight.

Corey says he believes Dom exposed Jon ... and when he eventually faces the champ, he'll hand him an even more severe beating.

"Like I said when I saw it going on, my mindset was, 'yeah, I knew he was beatable.' I was the one who always said, 'I know I can beat Jon.' I know ways to beat him, I see the holes. I see what you gotta do to beat him, and Dom went out there, did pretty much a lot of it."

JaVale McGee is getting in on the newest Internet craze, the #BroomstickChallenge ... which is dope and all, except for the fact it's all a bunch of hogwash!!

The trend started sweeping (ha) through social media on Monday ... with word spreading that NASA claimed February 10, 2020 was the only day a broom would be able to stand on its own due to some sort of gravitational pull mumbo jumbo.

Despite no real word coming from NASA ... the challenge took a life of its own, with folks like Future and Tory Lanez trying it out with success.

The Lakers stud got in on the action before his game against the Phoenix Suns ... and couldn't believe his eyes!!

"That's crazy," McGee said as he proved the broom wasn't being held up by anything else.

If you don't believe it, JaVale ... give it another try today. Considering the whole thing is a hoax and this can happen 365 days a year.

Most dudes wouldn't be too happy to leave South Beach ... but Justise Winslow tells TMZ Sports that ain't the case -- saying he's elated to join the Memphis Grizzlies!!!

Of course, Winslow played his whole career with the Heat before getting shipped off to Elvis' old stomping grounds as part of the Andre Iguodala deal.

We spoke with the 23-year-old over the weekend about the move ... and he's stoked for the fresh start.

"It's great!," JW tells us. "I love it here! Everybody's been very receiving and excited for me, so I just continue to try and get healthy and make an impact."

It's gonna be a minute before Winslow takes the court for the Grizz -- he's currently recovering from a back injury that's kept him out for a chunk of the season. But it's clear he's excited to join his team on the court when he's ready.

Here's the best shot Bill Murray had at the Pebble Beach Pro-Am this past weekend ...

The "Caddyshack" actor wasn't playing well at all at the famous Northern California tournament ... so when a fan offered him a mid-round shot of tequila -- he downed it, and the video is hilarious!!

You can see in the clip ... Murray was walking up the fairway at one of the holes when a woman leaned over the ropes with a plastic cup full of booze.

"Hey, Bill!" the woman screamed at him. "I got a shot of tequila for you! I know you'll like it!"

Murray walked straight up to her, took the cup, slammed the drink, threw the empty and kept on walking like nothing had happened!!!

Of course, Bill's known to clown around on the golf course -- especially when he ain't striking it well -- and his mid-round shot was hardly his only laugh-out-loud moment from the tourney.

On Sunday, he missed a putt badly ... but instead of letting it settle, he redirected it in and walked straight off the green!!

It's illegal, but funny ... and, let's be honest, that's the way golf SHOULD be played!

Masai Ujiri ain't in the clear yet from his altercation with a police officer at a 2019 NBA Finals game ... the Toronto Raptors president is now being sued over the incident.

The alleged victim, identified as Oakland police officer Alan Strickland, just filed docs in federal court claiming Ujiri owes him cold-hard cash after he says Ujiri attacked him.

The Sheriff's deputy claims Ujiri shoved him and hit him in the face and chest in the moments after the Raptors won the NBA championship vs. Golden State on June 13, 2019.

The officer at the time claimed he suffered a concussion and a jaw injury in the altercation.

But, Ujiri was able to avoid a criminal case, with the Alameda County District Attorney’s Office announcing in October it would NOT be pursuing charges against the 49-year-old.

"Mr. Ujiri attended a meeting with the District Attorney's Office focused on matters that we believe merited constructive, structured mediation and conflict resolution and were better handled in a setting outside the courtroom," a spokesperson said.

But, clearly, the officer wasn't willing to let Ujiri off that easily ... in the new lawsuit, Strickland says he's seeking damages in excess of $75,000.

Strickland is also going after the Raptors AND the NBA in the suit.

We've reached out to the NBA and Toronto Raptors for comment. A rep for the Raptors ownership group told us they were aware of the lawsuit, but had no comment.

So far, no word back from the league.

Trevor Bauer just EVISCERATED MLB commissioner Rob Manfred over a new rumored playoff format in baseball ... with the star pitcher calling the guy "a joke."

If you missed it ... a report Monday claimed Manfred and other MLB officials were considering changing baseball's postseason.

The report claimed the MLB wants to expand the number of teams in the playoffs from 5 in each league to 7 ... while changing up the way teams are seeded and adding in a first-round bye for top teams as well.

Bauer -- a Cincinnati Reds ace -- saw the reports ... hated them ... and then took aim squarely at Manfred on Twitter.

"No idea who made this new playoff format proposal, but Rob is responsible for releasing it, so I’ll direct this to you, Rob Manfred," Bauer said.

"Your proposal is absurd for too many reasons to type on twitter and proves you have absolutely no clue about baseball. You’re a joke."

It's unclear why exactly Bauer hates the alleged proposal -- he wouldn't elaborate -- but the new rules reportedly wouldn't take place until at least 2022.

And, with approval still being needed from the MLB Player's Association, it's possible it might never happen. Which apparently would make Bauer REALLY happy.