TMZ Sports - Page 6

Ex-NBA player Royce White says his friend Draymond Green is just wrong to say NBA players should continue the playoffs ... explaining why the right move is for everyone to exit the bubble ASAP!!

White spelled out his case during an episode of TMZ Sports Roundtable featuring NFL player Brandon Marshall, and WNBA star Angel McCoughtry.

The video is awesome ... the group gets into a spirited conversation about how professional athletes should move forward after demonstrations from players in the NBA, WNBA, MLB, NFL and more.

In other words ... what's the next step?

Royce White -- a former 1st round NBA draft pick -- says he thinks the NBA needs to ditch the bubble and head back to their communities and get out there with the people.

It's exactly the opposite of what Draymond Green said earlier this week when he encouraged players to stay and use the NBA platform to effectively send their social justice messages to the masses.

"He's mistaken, he's off the path with that," White said about Draymond ... "This is not about awareness campaigns anymore. Report to the front lines. If you can't report to the front lines, then send aid."

White also had advice for LeBron James -- "Go to Akron Ohio. March with the people. Stay there until something really changes, and If they choose to be all the way violent, let your body be laying in the street when it's over."

As for McCoughtry ... she weighed in on everything from the WNBA's plan of action, to the rift between Atlanta Dream co-owner Kelly Loeffler and the players.

As we previously reported, Loeffler is strongly against the league support of the Black Lives Matter movement.

Some players have called for Loeffler to sell the team ... claiming she has different values than the players she is profiting off of.

Angel -- who played 10 years for the Dream -- tells us why she does NOT believe Loeffler is a racist ... but could better educate herself on social justice issues.

Brandon Marshall -- one of the first NFL players to kneel with Colin Kaepernick back in 2016 -- told us why he still doesn't fully accept Roger Goodell's Mea Cupla about how the league treated the QB back in the day.

Marshall says he doesn't feel progress can truly be made until Kaepernick has a job in the NFL again.

Rev. Al Sharpton is fired up about the athletes speaking out against police brutality -- saying they're making a "tremendous" impact around the country.

Sharpton is clearly impressed with stars from the NBA, MLB, NFL, tennis and beyond risking their careers to speak out against the shooting of Jacob Blake and other incidents involving black victims.

"They [the athletes] understand that their careers may last 3, 4, 5 years, but they're gonna be black forever … and that's why they need to be a part of this movement."

Sharpton says the reason the athletes are on the front lines is because "they live in these communities."

"They know that they could be treated the same way. And, I think it's a tremendous thing [that they're taking action]."

Sharpton says he admires and respects the athletes like LeBron James and others .... adding, "They've helped the movement tremendously."

Congressman Al Green was also out at the 'Get Your Knee Off Our Necks' rally in D.C. ... and also heaped praise on the athletes who have taken a stand.

Terrell Owens says the Hall of Fame, the TD's and the millions of dollars he's earned means nothing ... 'cause he's a Black man in America -- and he's afraid for his life.

TMZ Sports talked to the 46-year-old NFL legend ... and as you might expect, T.O. was visibly shaken by the latest police shooting of Jacob Blake in Kenosha, WI.

"As Black men bro, we're getting killed at an alarming rate now," Owens bluntly told us.

"This is why we as Black men, Black people, we're scared. Honestly, I really didn't think about it until like just driving around today, like honestly, it's scary to be a Black man in America, especially if you come in any type of encounter with law enforcement."

Of course, T.O.'s one of the greatest -- and most recognizable -- athletes in the United States ... but he says these days, that provides him no comfort or protection at all.

"There been times where, obviously, I knew my status or what have you can get me out of a situation," Terrell says.

"But, I'm sure if I get pulled over, I'm sure my heart will probably be beating 90 miles an hour. Especially considering everything that has transpired since the George Floyd murder."

Owens ended the conversation by explaining that, straight up, cops have to be better going forward.

Saquon Barkley loves his personal Nike logo so much, he decided to get the thing decked out in a brand new baller chain ... and man, does this thing shine!!!

TMZ Sports has learned ... the New York Giants superstar running back wanted to treat himself before the start of the new season ... so he hit up his go-to guy, celeb jeweler Leo Frost, to whip up a diamond copy of his signature bolt emblem.

We're told the piece is made up of 18-karat white gold and VVS diamonds ... which means it's super high quality.

Of course, you've seen Frost's work in the past -- dude's done awesome chains for Joe Burrow, Henry Ruggs, Justin Jefferson, Errol Spence, Jr. and more.

Welp, it's finally over for Jennifer Lopez and Alex Rodriguez -- they will not be buying the NY Mets.

The couple was in a serious battle with hedge fund billionaire Steve Cohen to buy the team from the Wilpon family, but they officially dropped out of the running Friday night.

"Alex and I are so disappointed," Lopez said in a statement.

"We worked so hard the past 6 months with the dream of becoming the first minority couple and the first woman owner to buy her father’s favorite Major League Baseball team with her own hard-earned money. We still haven’t given up!!"

J Lo and A-Rod had put together an ownership group which included sports drink billionaire Mike Repole and NFL stars Travis Kelce and DeMarco Murray.

The group issued a statement saying, "The consortium led by Alex Rodriguez and Jennifer Lopez has informed the Mets that they are no longer pursuing the acquisition of the team."

"The consortium said that they are disappointed to not be part of the revitalization of New York City and provide an exhilarating experience for the fans and wish the Wilpon family and the entire Mets organization well."

J-Rod had just toured Citi Field earlier this month -- and just this week, Jennifer went on Barstool Sports' "The Corp" podcast and talked about how special it would be to have a woman as an MLB owner.

Steve Cohen has now reportedly entered "exclusive negotiations" to buy the team and should have it all wrapped up in the next few days.

The final price is expected to be somewhere north of $2.6 billion.

Pro wrestling legend "Bullet" Bob Armstrong -- a WWE Hall of Famer -- has passed away Thursday after battling bone cancer, his family announced.

He was 80 years old.

Armstong is a true legend in the sport -- he started wrestling back in 1960 and became famous for his signature move, the Georgia Jawbreaker.

He became a fan favorite back when pro wrestling was split into territories throughout the U.S. -- and was particularly beloved in his home state of Georgia.

He initially "retired" in 1988 -- but never really hung up biz boots ... staying involved in the sport for decades in one way or another.

Armstrong famously teamed up with Dusty Rhodes and Larry Zbyszko back in the early 2000s and continued to perform until 2019!!

Many huge wrestlers also looked up to Armstrong as a mentor -- including CM Punk, who posted a tribute on social media.

"Bullet Bob. Always so nice to me. I’d like to think he saw how thrilled I was whenever I got to speak with him, which fortunately for me was often."

Armstrong has 4 sons who all became pro wrestlers -- notably Scott Armstrong (who became a famous referee) and Brian, known as WWE Hall of Famer Road Dogg.

Armstrong was inducted into the WWE Hall of Fame in 2011, alongside "Hacksaw" Jim Duggan and Shawn Michaels.

Scott Disick appears to have accidentally confirmed Khloe Kardashian and Tristan Thompson are back together. OOPS!!!

Lord Disick spilled the beans Friday when he commented on Khloe's bikini pic on Instagram and wrote, "@realtristan13 is a lucky man!" But, Scott must have quickly realized he spilled the beans ... because he was quick to delete it.

As we reported ... Khloe and Tristan have hung out a lot in recent months and they've been quarantining together off and on since the lockdown. She and the rest of the fam also headed to his pad in L.A. to celebrate on the Fourth of July weekend.

Tristan's been hanging out with Khloe and her fam for a bit now ... all but indicating they had given their relationship another go-around.

Tristan, for his part, has more than professed his love for Khloe as of late. They do share a daughter, True, and for a while now it sure has seemed like they've been doing more than just co-parenting.

Great news for Isiah Thomas -- the NBA legend was reunited with his stolen NBA All-Star MVP trophy ... and he's thanking an auction house for making it happen.

Remember, Thomas was initially FURIOUS when he saw the trophy from the 1984 All-Star Game was up for sale on the Heritage Auctions website ... claiming it was stolen property.

Here's the backstory ... Thomas claims he loaned the MVP trophy to his old high school to display -- but some jerk snatched the item back from the campus in June 2020.

"This trophy was stolen from St. Joseph High School the night Mr. Pingatore my coach died," Thomas posted on Twitter ... "It belongs to me."

Heritage Auctions immediately pulled the item from auction and launched an investigation -- working with the Westchester Police Dept. to gather information.

The cops ultimately allowed H.A. to give the trophy back to Thomas -- and he's obviously thrilled.

"I am very happy that my 1984 NBA All-Star Game MVP Trophy has been returned to me, and I want to thank Heritage Auctions, the Westchester Police Department and St. Joseph High School for all of their hard work and professionalism throughout this process," Thomas said.

"This trophy is a special piece of memorabilia for me and my family, and it remains something that I am very proud of being awarded during my playing career."

As for Heritage Auctions, an official says "It came as a shock to discover the MVP trophy had been stolen from St. Joseph but we are pleased and proud to have been able to return the trophy to the man whose name is inscribed on the award."

Donovan Mitchell is using his latest shoe release to help Jacob Blake's family ... announcing he's donating $45k from the sales to support Blake's children's education.

Blake is currently paralyzed from the waist down after a cop in Kenosha, WI shot him 7 times in the back on Sunday ... and 3 of his kids were present when it happened.

The Utah Jazz star decided to take action through his sneaker sales ... announcing a portion of the earnings will go toward the Blake family.

"For the first 45 hours of the #DONISSUE2 spidey-sense drop, I will be donating $45k of the proceeds to support the education of Jacob Blake’s children."

Mitchell is also getting some help from Adidas, who will match his contribution for a total of $90k.

Mitchell explained his reasoning for the donation, saying, "Education reform is something I really believe in and I believe will be able to help push our country and our future past the point we're at."

"Allowing kids to understand and be able to go into the same classrooms and be able to be taught at a level playing field is something I believe is the key to generational success and being able to push past racism, systemic racism, voter suppression and everything."

The D.O.N Issue 2 Spidey Sense shoes are available in six colors and going for $100 on the Adidas website.

This news comes just a few days after Mitchell and the NBA boycotted playoff games Thursday and Friday following the Blake shooting.

The NHL has launched a probe into ex-Florida Panthers general manager Dale Tallon over allegations he used racist language as recently as the past few months.

One source with knowledge of the investigation tells us the league is looking into multiple alleged incidents -- including a recent exchange that took place during Tallon's final few weeks as GM of the team.

The Panthers parted ways with Tallon earlier this month -- after the team's season came to an end following a loss to the Islanders.

But, according to FloridaHockeyNow.com, the league is actively looking into allegations Tallon used racial language while the Panthers were still competing in the Toronto hub.

We're told the scope of the investigation goes beyond the most recent alleged incident -- there are accusations he's used offensive language in years past.

There was no mention of racial allegations from the Panthers when the team let Tallon go on August 10.

In fact, team owner Vinnie Viola praised Tallon on the way out.

"For the last decade, Dale raised the team’s profile, attracted key players to South Florida and brought character and class to our franchise."

The NBA players are getting back to work ... and so is Kenny Smith.

The "Inside the NBA" co-host is returning to Atlanta right now to rejoin Charles Barkley, Shaquille O'Neal and Ernie Johnson ... just days after walking off the set.

As we previously reported, an emotional Smith removed his mic and left the studio Wednesday -- live on TV -- in a show of solidarity with the NBA players who boycotted Wednesday's playoff games over the Jacob Blake shooting.

At the time, Smith said, "As a black man, as a former player ... I think its best for me to support the players and just not be here tonight."

Fast forward to Friday .... and Smith was at LAX, getting on a plane to fly back to work.

When asked if the walk-off was a spur of the moment decision, Kenny explained, "I don't know if it was spur of the moment. But, I think it didn't feel right to be there."

"I think it was a good time for me to join the march. I didn't want to just sit there and be a talking head. And, I thought it was important to make a statement that I wanted to participate in it instead of just talking about it."

Smith was also asked if he supported the players ending the "boycott" and resuming the playoffs.

"I support what the players are doing either way. I think the message is it shows a unified power," Smith said.

"I think we are in a really interesting time of eradicating the production and consumption of racism. So, now when you allow someone to say, 'Hey, I'm going to stop doing something that is not only enjoyable but is financially rewarding to a lot of people' shows the power of what the NBA can do and sports in general."

Horrible allegations of racism being hurled at Real Salt Lake owner Dell Loy Hansen -- with former players and staff describing him as an n-word-dropping racist, akin to Donald Sterling.

Andy Williams -- a former RSL player, who later worked for the team -- told The Athletic, "He's a f**king racist, to be honest."

"I’ve been in situations where it’s like Donald Sterling. He says something, and it’s like, ‘Oh my God, what did he just say?’ It’s Donald Sterling part 2."

"It’s just unbelievable. It’s crazy how he doesn’t see that the stuff that he says affects people."

The bombshell report also describes a 2014 incident in which Hansen used the n-word twice when speaking with the team equipment manager.

Two years later, The Athletic reports Hansen made racially charged comments to FC Dallas player Kellyn Acosta, who scored a goal in the club's victory over RSL.

After the game, Hansen allegedly told his general manager, "When are we gonna lynch this guy?" while directly in front of Acosta.

Former RSL defender Aaron Maund described another disturbing incident when Hansen saw him wearing a hoodie on an elevator in the stadium and told him, "Oh my God, I thought you were a thug."

As we previously reported, Hansen has been under fire over the past few days for comments he made about protests and demonstrations surrounding the Jacob Blake shooting.

Hansen compared watching the protests to being stabbed and said the player demonstrations had "taken a lot of wind" out of his sails.

NBA star Donovan Mitchell was furious about DLH's comments ... and publicly called for him to sell the team.

Tom Brady says he'll look to his teammates to help him address social issues ... saying he'll "listen and learn" from their experiences to face them head-on.

TB12 was asked about the protests, boycotts and other actions taking place around the league and throughout the world of professional sports ... and Brady did his best to give the safest answer he possibly could.

Brady didn't offer his opinion on the Jacob Blake shooting -- nor did he reveal his personal feelings about superstars like LeBron James refusing to take the court for NBA playoff games this week.

Players around the league look to Brady as a leader and we know there are people looking to take their cues from him as the most high-profile athlete in football.

But so far, he's not really saying much.

Meanwhile, Drew Brees wore Jacob Blake's name on his helmet during practice this week in a show of support with his New Orleans Saints teammates.

Hell, even Cincinnati Bengals rookie QB Joe Burrow offered a strong opinion this week, saying, "How can you hear the pain Black people are going through and dismiss it as nothing?"

It is a MIRACLE neither Derrick Lewis nor his young son were injured in an ATV crash at their home ... in an incident caught on video.

The UFC superstar pulled out an ATV on his driveway and invited his young son to sit on his lap ... when things went terribly wrong.

The boy accidentally grabbed the handlebar, which caused the vehicle to accelerate -- zipping right into a stone planter area.

Somehow, Derrick was able to maintain control of the ATV and kept it from flipping over -- eventually bringing it to stop.

Neither Derrick nor his son were wearing helmets or any other kind of safety gear when the incident took place.

Afterward, Lewis posted the footage to social media and said, "We're OK."

But, it's clear the UFC community -- a bunch of tough people -- were rattled.

Dana White commented, "Very lucky."

Jon Jones added, "Geez, Hope the little guy wasn’t too shaken up."

Michelle Waterson said, "Yikes. Glad you're ok."

We reached out to Lewis to find out more about the incident -- we'll let you know when we hear back.

By the way, Lewis is reportedly gearing up to fight Curtis Blaydes on Nov. 28.

The Milwaukee Bucks didn't just boycott for Jacob Blake -- they reached out to his family and sent an autographed jersey to lift their spirits.

"I'm from Chicago, but now I am truly a Milwaukee Bucks fan," Jacob's father, Jacob Blake Sr., said on CNN.

"They reached out to my son, sent him a jersey that was signed by the whole organization ... that made him smile."

Blake was shot in the back 7 times during an incident with the police in Kenosha, Wisconsin. He's paralyzed from the waist down -- but his father says he's still handcuffed to his hospital bed.

With so much negativity still swirling around him, Jacob's father says he's committed to only bringing positivity to the bedside ... and credited the Bucks for helping him out.

"The thing that made him smile was the Milwaukee Bucks. That made him smile."

Jacob Sr. says he's a former athlete and what makes the gesture from the Bucks even more special is the fact they're currently in the playoffs,

"I understand the sacrifices those young men made, and I understand that it's playoff time and they're making these sacrifices."

The Kobe Bryant tributes continue to roll in for the newest edition of NBA 2K ... with the late Lakers legend receiving the mural treatment in the game's "neighborhood."

As we previously reported, the Black Mamba's presence will be heavy in NBA 2K21, which drops next week ... with a "Mamba Forever" edition featuring Bryant on two different covers for the current and next-gen consoles.

Fellow cover athlete Damian Lillard also teamed up with Snoop Dogg and Derrick Milano to make a song about Kobe for the game's soundtrack.

2K Sports revealed yet another tribute for Bryant in a new teaser Friday ... displaying a mural in his honor while showing off the game's new Neighborhood -- "2K Beach," a play off Venice Beach.

For those who aren't hip to the game, the Neighborhood is where players can go to play against other gamers, improve their avatar and participate in other events.

Of course, Bryant was a big part of 2K's success for years ... and was featured on the cover numerous times.