TMZ Sports - Page 50

Terrelle Pryor just hooked up an entire boys high school basketball team with brand spankin' new Nike basketball shoes ... and it's pretty awesome.

30-year-old Pryor -- a former star athlete at Jeannette H.S. -- hooked up his alma mater's boys' basketball squad with Paul George 4's ... just in time for the district playoffs.

TMZ Sports talked to head coach Adrian Batts -- who coached the NFL stud back in the day -- and he tells us Pryor promised the kids he'd get all 12 players on the squad new kicks if they made the playoffs.

Jeannette went 15-7 (they won 14 of their last 15 games) and made the playoffs ... so true to his word, Pryor went shopping for PG4's.

Coach Batts says the kids were super-happy and appreciative of Pryor.

And get this, it's not the first time TP got gifts for the team ... he set the kids up with new LeBron's last month.

NHL star Jay Bouwmeester underwent surgery after he frighteningly collapsed mid-game this week ... but Blues officials say it was successful and the D-man is doing better.

As we previously reported ... Jay passed out on the Blues' bench during the first period of St. Louis' game against the Anaheim Ducks on Tuesday and was rushed to the hospital.

Team officials said Bouwmeester suffered a "cardiac episode" and needed a defibrillator to revive him.

On Friday, St. Louis GM Doug Armstrong revealed Bouwmeester had an Implantable Cardioverter Defibrillator (ICD) placed in his chest after the incident in order to prevent a similar issue from happening again.

"The procedure, which restores the heart's normal rhythm, was performed by the cardiology team of the UCI Cardiology Department," Armstrong said.

Bouwmeester is reportedly doing well ... but the surgery ain't exactly a minor one.

According to heart.org, an ICD procedure involves docs placing a battery-powered device underneath the skin in the hopes that it will help monitor irregularities in the heart and avoid sudden cardiac episodes down the line.

It's unclear what the procedure will mean for Bouwmeester's future as a hockey player ... but it certainly could signal the end of the 36-year-old's 17-year career.

Zach LaVine was the guest of honor at a swanky party, at a fancy Chicago hotel ... BUTTT, not even a dope party could stop the NBA star from hooping 'cause BALL IS LIFE!!

Haute Living and luxury watch brand HYT threw the bash at The Manor in The Virgin Hotel in Chicago ... all to celebrate LaVine gracing the cover of HL mag (and his high school sweetheart, Hunter Mar's bday).

The best part ... LaVine left the party around midnight to go to the gym and SHOOT 500 3-POINTERS until 1:30 in the morning.

Why, you ask? ZL's competing in this weekends 3-point contest ... and he's trying to be the only person to ever win the 3 and dunk contest.

LaVine won the dunk contest in 2015 and 2016 ... in crazy impressive fashion.

But Zach's game is more than dunking ... he's been killin' it with the Bulls this season, averaging 25 points, 5 rebounds and 4 assists.

If making history wasn't enough motivation, we're told HYT's CEO let LaVine borrow a $50K luxury watch ... and told him if he wins Saturday night, he could keep the timepiece.

Odell Beckham is finally revealing the ink he got to honor Kobe Bryant after the Lakers legend's tragic death ... and it's pretty amazing.

You can see in a picture posted by the Browns superstar Friday ... the art on his rib cage -- done by tattoo artist Joaquin Ganga Lopez -- features a classic photo of Kobe chewing on his Lakers jersey.

Of course, it's an iconic image of the Mamba ... who was known to bite his uni during nearly every game -- and famously passed on the tick to his daughter, Gianna Bryant, before they were both killed in a helicopter crash on Jan. 26.

Odell went under the needle just days after the accident ... forever putting art on his body to remind him of how much Kobe meant to him.

"You taught us ALL so many valuable lessons Kobe," Odell said after the tragedy. "Your sacrifice and dedication to this game is somethin that every athlete can admire."

"You showed us that there is no substitute for hard work. You’ve been thru it, yet u always found a way to overcame it all. This one hurt beyond words."

Odell is one of many athletes and celebs who have gotten Kobe tats to honor the legend ... The Game famously got Bryant ink on his forehead this month while LeBron James and Anthony Davis got thigh tats.

Others, like Bryant's longtime friend, Olden Polynice, have turned to drawing to honor Kobe ... telling us art is helping him get through the grieving process.

Quinn Cook just revealed the atmosphere on the Lakers team plane after learning of Kobe Bryant's death last month ... and it's heartbreaking.

The Lakers guard says just minutes after Kobe, his daughter, Gianna, and 7 others were tragically killed in a helicopter crash on Jan. 26 ... he was shaken awake by head coach Frank Vogel on the team's ride back from Philadelphia.

"He's like, 'Quinn, sorry to tell you, but Kobe and his daughter have been in a helicopter crash,'" Cook said on Danny Green's YouTube show, "Inside the Green Room with Danny Green," this week. "'We don't know any details.'"

Quinn says Vogel had that talk with everybody on the team plane ... and he says once the news really set in with the players -- the whole squad was devastated.

"I look in front of me and I just see LeBron and AD and Randy and AB, Dwight -- everybody was just crushed."

Quinn says LeBron James eventually got all the guys together in the middle of the plane and led a team prayer.

"[It] was very, very, very, powerful," Quinn says. "And, after that, like Danny will tell you, I was crushed. I was crying the whole flight. I was absolutely destroyed."

The NBA ended up postponing the Lakers game two days later against the Clippers to mourn ... but they eventually got back to the court at Staples Center in an emotional game on Jan. 31.

Quinn says it was the practices leading up to that game that really helped the team get through the toughest parts of the grieving process.

"It just felt good to feel that genuine support from my brothers," Quinn said. "And we're still going through it. We're still fighting it."

"He called me the n-word. He called me a stupid n-word."

That's Myles Garrett finally explaining the racial slur he claims he heard Mason Rudolph utter to him before the all-out Steelers-Browns brawl back in November.

"When he said it," Myles told ESPN in a sit-down interview this week, "it kinda sparked something."

As we previously reported ... Garrett was banned from the NFL indefinitely after he violently attacked Rudolph with the QB's own helmet on Nov. 14, 2019.

Garrett told NFL officials at the time he did it because Rudolph used a racial slur ... but he hadn't publicly revealed what he alleges Rudolph said until this week.

"I don't like it," Garrett said. "I don't say the n-word, whether it's 'a' or 'er.' To me, personally, I don't think it should be said."

Myles was reinstated by the NFL on Wednesday -- effectively making his suspension a 6-game ban -- and he told us out at LAX on Thursday he believed it was all a "blessing in disguise."

As for Rudolph ... he's consistently maintained he did NOT call Garrett a racial slur, saying back in November the allegation was "totally untrue."

For its part, the NFL says it investigated Garrett's accusations ... but claims it found no evidence that the racial slur was used.

Jeremy Roenick is opening up on his firing from NBC, the threesome joke that led to his axing and what the hockey legend plans to do moving forward.

Remember, JR was suspended in December after he joked about his desire to have a threesome with his wife and NBC coworker, Kathryn Tappen, while on Barstools' "Spittin Chiclets" podcast.

Roenick didn't work -- or talk for 2 months -- until NBC honchos terminated the longtime hockey analyst on Wednesday.

Now, Roenick's talking to TMZ Sports. Here's JR in his own words ...

ON THREESOME JOKE:

"I gotta be a little bit more aware of the culture that we’re in right now, the things you can say, whether it's public or whether it’s in a podcast that you’re very comfortable telling stories."

"Whether they’re your very good friends, like Kathryn [Tappen] is one of my best friends, I’m talking about my wife, I’m talking about trips that we went on. I got too comfortable talking about something that all of us were pretty comfortable talking about. And, I got caught in that. At times, in the culture today you gotta be more aware of your surroundings and people’s feelings, and yeah, I went too far in certain situations."

ON NBC FIRING:

"It’s important to know that at the time nobody thought it was bad what I was saying. Nobody took offense to it. Nobody was saying anything on social media. Five days went by. Nothing on 'Spittin’ Chiclets,' nothing on my social media, nothing anywhere, nothing."

"Nobody complained until my boss, Sam Flood at NBC, decided that [what I said] wasn’t right, and we all know NBC has made a lot of mistakes covering up things and letting people slide, and all that stuff. I think this was their opportunity to make a statement, have a sacrificial lamb."

MESSAGE TO NBC:

“Thank you for having me there for 10 years. I loved being on television, having that platform to come to the people and share my love for hockey and all that stuff, like I said yesterday. But, I didn’t like to be muzzled, I didn’t like to be controlled, and unfortunately, NBC tried to do that too much, especially Sam Flood, my boss, tried to control me too much. And, unfortunately, I couldn’t be the real me."

ON CURRENT RELATIONSHIP WITH KATHRYN TAPPEN:

"We’re very close, we’re best friends. She’s one of my best friends. She’s still one of my best friends and she’s one of my wife’s best friends."

ON HIS NEXT CAREER MOVE:

NBA All-Star break is officially here ... which means all the ballers not participating in the weekend's festivities get to fly off to paradise ... and Terrence Ross and his bombshell wife, Matijana, are comin' in HOT!!

There will be a bunch of basketball stuff going on in Chicago this weekend like the slam dunk and 3-point contests ... which are great and all, but the REAL fun is going down in Turks and Caicos!!

Ross and his Orlando Magic teammate, Evan Fournier (and his gorgeous wife, Laura) are already kickin' off the R&R on the beach on Thursday.

There's a lot for the Ross fam to celebrate right now -- Terrence just had a birthday on Feb. 5, Valentine's Day is Friday, and hell, they're both very attractive. That's something to party about!!

Ross has had his fair share of ASW in the past -- he won the slam dunk contest in 2013. He actually asked to participate in the 3-point contest, but the participants were already booked!!

But, look at it this way, TR -- it's currently 79 degrees where you are. It's 11 degrees in Chi-Town.

Vanessa Bryant says Kobe's charity will have a new name -- the Mamba & Mambacita Sports Foundation -- and she says it's all to honor Gianna Bryant.

"Because there is no #24 without #2, we have updated the Mamba Sports Foundation to now be called the Mamba & Mambacita Sports Foundation," Vanessa said Thursday.

It's an amazing tribute ... especially because Vanessa says the foundation's goal of helping young people through sports "remains the same -- and stronger than ever."

If you're unfamiliar ... Kobe's charity has helped more than 10,000 kids as well as hundreds of veterans -- with the org saying they have over 1,000 volunteers lending a hand.

The charity has been flooded with donations since Kobe and Gigi tragically died in a helicopter crash on Jan. 26 -- and Vanessa says she's overwhelmed by the love.

"Thank you all for the outpouring of support and your kind donations to date as we carry forth Kobe and Gigi’s legacy," Vanessa said. "We hope to empower young athletes in a world they left us all to help shape."

A memorial for Kobe and Gigi has been set for Feb. 24 at Staples Center ... and we're told proceeds from the tickets will be donated to charity.

It's unclear which orgs will get the benefits ... but it seems safe to assume the Mamba and Mambacita Sports Foundation will be one of the organizations to get money.

Myles Garrett tells TMZ Sports it "feels pretty nice" to be officially back in the NFL after his indefinite suspension ... and says he got better during his time away from the game.

As we previously reported ... the Cleveland Browns superstar was reinstated into the league on Wednesday after meeting with commish Roger Goodell and other NFL execs.

Garrett was suspended for 6 games for swinging a helmet at Pittsburgh Steelers quarterback Mason Rudolph back in November ... and had to seek counseling before making a return.

The 24-year-old spent a lot of time in the gym during his suspension ... so we had to ask if the time away could have actually been a GOOD thing.

"Everything that happens to you is for a reason," Garrett told us at LAX.

"If you take the lesson and make the best out of it, everything a blessing in disguise."

Ninja, ZeRo, Ronda Rousey???

Yep, the WWE Superstar just inked a deal with Facebook Gaming ... and Rousey is set to stream exclusively on FB.

Ronda made the announcement on Thursday ... saying, “Gaming has always been a huge part of my life, and I can’t wait to share that passion with my millions of fans on Facebook Gaming. Through my streams, people can hang out with the real me, not the ‘character’ version of myself they’re used to seeing, though the ‘Rowdy One’ can’t always be contained.”

“In recent years, games have been a great way for me to keep my mind active when my body is too sore or tired to move."

"One of my favorite gaming memories happened when I was 11 years old and encountered an Articuno on Pokemon Blue for the first time. I was awestruck and thought she looked like an angel," Rousey says.

"Looking back at that same image now, I’m amazed how powerful our imaginations can be and how gaming encourages us to imagine what our reality could be instead of just accepting it for what it is—a skill that has helped me in my fighting and entertainment careers countless times.”

Facebook has been heavy into gaming lately ... signing some of the biggest gamers to 7-figure deals -- and they obviously see Ronda as someone with a huge audience and credibility as a gamer.

Remember, Rousey is in Mortal Kombat 11 ... where she plays the iconic character, Sonya Blade.

A college football player straight-up body slammed a cop during his arrest in Ohio this week ... and police video of the incident is INSANE.

Cops say on Monday they got a call from a woman at a Grove City, Ohio business who said Michael Harris -- an Eastern Kentucky University linebacker -- was acting erratic.

In the call, according to police docs obtained by TMZ Sports, the woman claimed 19-year-old Harris was being "aggressive" and "did not seem to be 'all there.'"

When officers arrived on the scene ... things took a horrible turn -- because cops say after they confronted Harris, it got violent.

You can see in police footage of the stop, the officers got into a wrestling match with Harris ... and at one point, the 6-foot-3, 245-pound linebacker picked up one of the cops.

The video of what happens next is wild ... you can see Harris puts the male officer over his shoulders and drops him to the ground with force.

Fortunately for the cop, he avoided serious injury in the fall ... and was able to help restrain Harris.

Eventually, cops say they were able to subdue the football player ... but instead of taking him directly to jail, they sent him to the hospital to get checked out.

Cops claim he remained aggressive there ... so he was sedated by medical personnel before he was eventually hauled off to jail.

Cops say in a search of Harris' vehicle after the arrest, they found pills and a digital scale that is "consistent with drug use." But the officers note in the report that Harris stated he was NOT taking medications or "illicit drugs."

According to court records, Harris has been hit with a felony charge of assault for the incident, as well as three misdemeanor charges -- disorderly conduct, resisting arrest and obstructing officials business.

Harris -- a top recruit who signed with Auburn out of high school -- just officially transferred to EKU this month. In fact, in a press release about EKU's Signing Day class last week, head coach Walt Wells said of Harris, "He brings size, explosiveness and speed to the inside linebacker position. He is a physical player."

We reached out to EKU officials for comment, but so far, no word back yet.

Emilio Estevez is slipping on his ice skates once again ... he's back coaching hockey in a 'Mighty Ducks' reboot and is already in character as Gordon Bombay!!!

Disney just released the first images of Emilio and the rest of the cast for its 'Mighty Ducks' TV series ... and Esteves looks right at home on the ice, with a hockey stick in hand.

Filming is already underway for the 10-episode TV series, which Disney says is set in present-day Minnesota and features the Mighty Ducks as an ultra-competitive, powerhouse youth hockey program.

Emilio's gonna reprise his role as Coach Bombay and guide a ragtag group of misfits as they discover the joys of playing for the love of the game. In other words, it's pretty much the same plot as the 1990s trilogy.

Starring alongside Emilio is "Gilmore Girls" star Lauren Graham and rising child actor Brady Noon ... and like any good hockey production, it's being filmed in Canada.

Unfortunately for 'Mighty Ducks' fans, Goldberg isn't getting in on the reboot ... he's kinda busy with rehab.

Quack, quack, quack!!!

What does the greatest basketball player on planet earth eat to maintain his god-like physique??

A crap ton of french toast smothered in syrup!!! So says Tristan Thompson ... who claims LeBron James has "the worst f*cking diet ever."

TT revealed Bron's eating habits to The Athletic ... saying it's unbelievable how much he can scarf down without losing his chiseled look.

"Ask him what he eats for breakfast. He has like five french toasts, drowns it in syrup with strawberries and bananas," James' old teammate says.

But, that's just the beginning -- "Then he has like a four-egg omelet and then he goes and just f*cking dunks on somebody. It doesn’t make sense."

Of course, there are reports that LBJ spends more than a million dollars a year on his fitness -- from trainers to a chef to massage therapists.

Spending that huge amount of dough must explain why James can eat whatever the hell he wants ... and those who don't focus so much on fitness can't keep up.

"I remember one year I tried to eat like he ate and it just didn’t work out," TT says. "I started gaining weight and said, 'F*ck this.' I mean it works for him. He loves sweets. He loves sweets. He eats desserts and French toast. It’s crazy how his body just burns it."

"He’ll come with his one-week diet, vegan crap, but he literally eats like it doesn’t make sense. He’s really a specimen. He eats like sh*t."

Ryan Garcia and Gervonta Davis have BADDD BLOOD, so it's shocking the star boxer told us he does NOT want Tank locked up for domestic violence ... but only 'cause Garcia can't put his hands on Davis in jail.

Remember, Davis was arrested for domestic violence last week ... days after a video appearing to show Tank grab his baby mama by the neck went viral.

Gervonta is facing up to a year behind bars, if convicted.

TMZ Sports talked to Davis' rival, Garcia about the situation ... and the 21-year-old undefeated boxer weighed in on the viral video and arrest.

"I just see that he's not focused. Right now he's not focused. He's not being a disciplined type of person. For you to get angry like that. To do that in front of people is just crazy."

Garcia continued ... "I think he needs to get right back on focus cause we need to fight. So, I need him to get right back on track. I need him to stay focused in the gym. I want him in the gym so we can fight."

We asked Garcia if that meant he was rooting for Tank to make things right with the mother of his child so he could avoid jail.

"100 percent. I was like just crossing my fingers. Like, 'don't go to jail. Stay focused. Continue on to your next fight and let's get it on.'"

Speaking of next fights ... before Garcia can box Davis, he's got a big bout with 26-year-old Francisco Fonseca Friday night on DAZN.

If Garcia beats Fonseca -- who's 25-2-2 -- he could fight Tank later this year ... as long as Davis is a free man.

The Ohio H.S. basketball player who had her hair pulled and hit her head during a game suffered a severe concussion and may not step on the court again ... this according to the player's dad.

As we previously reported ... the incident went down during the first quarter of the Bellevue and Norwalk basketball game on Saturday ... when a Lady Red senior guard grabbed and pulled her defender's hair after attempting a 3-pointer.

The Bellevue player was not called for a foul during the game ... but was later suspended one game for her actions.

Now, the Norwalk player's dad is speaking out on the incident ... saying his daughter is still recovering with a severe concussion and needs a brain scan to make sure there isn't any internal bleeding. He claims his daughter is experiencing neck pain, a headache and blurred vision.

The father makes it clear the player and her family have reached out and apologized for the incident, and have plans to meet face-to-face.

The dad says his daughter -- despite her condition -- does not want the Bellevue player's career ruined because of the hair-pulling ... as she has committed to play Div. 1 ball at Kent State next season.

The player released a statement of her own on Twitter, saying "My intentions were never to hurt anyone."