TMZ Sports - Page 50

Dwayne "The Rock" Johnson is a trailblazer -- so says the Hollywood Critics Association that labeled him as such -- but D.J. says the real trailblazer was his pops.

Johnson accepted the HCA's Trailblazer Award Friday night via Zoom, of course, and he got pretty emotional.

Dwayne says he felt super lucky to be in a position of privilege where he could make people feel good. He's done that in a big way, working with the Make-A-Wish Foundation for a long, long time. He was also honored for the donations he's made to frontline workers and first responders.

The former wrestling champ dedicated the award to his dad, WWE Hall of Famer Rocky Johnson, who passed away a year ago at age 75.  Dwayne called his dad a real trailblazer, and then went on to describe their relationship as "complicated" -- "Father and son, tough love, tough love." Dwayne says his dad did all he could do to make people go home feeling happy.

UFC light heavyweight champ Jan Blachowicz says he's got a secret weapon for beating Israel Adesanya on Saturday night -- his newborn son!

The Polish powerhouse's fiancee gave birth to their first child, JJ, back in December -- and Jan says it's changed his whole outlook on life and fighting.

"Mentally, I'm stronger," 38-year-old Jan told TMZ Sports ... "Bigger motivation for everything right now. To hit harder, work harder."

"I do this for him right now."

As for his fight with Adesanya -- the undefeated middleweight champ -- Blachowicz knows it'll be the biggest challenge of his career but he's confident he'll end it in less than 2 rounds.

"I believe that I'm going to be the first one who beat him after this Saturday," Jan says.

"He gonna be 20 and 1, this what I believe and that's it. I know that he's really great fighter, amazing fighter, one of the best in the world but anyway I got my time right now, it's my division and I will stop him."

There's talk of a possible matchup with Jon Jones down the line -- but Jan says he's focused on Israel ... and will deal with Jones when the time comes.

Michael Brockers is putting the argument to bed ... the Rams star clearly believes L.A. won the QB trade with Detroit -- telling TMZ Sports Matt Stafford is just better than Jared Goff.

"Is it a level up?" Brockers said when asked if Stafford was an upgrade over Goff. "In my heart, deeply, just understanding what [Stafford] brings, it's a level up [over Goff]."

"It's a level up."

The Rams gave up Goff and a treasure chest of draft picks -- including two future 1st-rounders -- to get Stafford out of Detroit ... and many felt L.A. was fleeced in the deal.

But, when we got Brockers -- who's started 136 games for the Rams since 2012 -- at LAX this week ... he told us he thinks the Rams' front office did well in the swap.

"I don't want to say a lock for the Super Bowl, but with having a quarterback like that," Brockers said of Stafford, "and just seeing what we did last year and just seeing what he can bring to this team, there's no wonder why we can't [win the Super Bowl]."

There's more ... Brockers also said the Cardinals' signing of J.J. Watt does NOT give Arizona the best defensive line in the NFC West -- with the L.A. pass rusher saying that honor still belongs to the Rams!

Brockers even threw some playful shade Watt's way ... telling us, "We all know who the real 99 is!"

UFC star Aljamain Sterling is finally getting his title shot this weekend -- and he's predicting a 2nd round victory over the champ, Petr Yan.

But, it's bigger than just a belt for Sterling who tells TMZ Sports becoming the first Jamaican champion could be huge for the island nation.

31-year-old Sterling was born and raised in New York -- but both of his parents are from Jamaica and he feels a strong sense of American and Jamaican pride.

But, the fact is ... no UFC fighter of Jamaican descent has ever held a UFC belt and Sterling says he's looking to make history when he steps into the octagon against bantamweight champ Petr Yan on March 6 at UFC 259.

"I think he's the real deal," Sterling says ... "He's a tough guy, he did what he had to do with all the guys that they put in front of him so I gotta pay him respect for that but at the end of the day, this is my time! This my time to put on a show."

Sterling -- who's 19-3 and on a 5-fight win streak -- says he's confident his grappling game will simply be too much for Yan to handle ... culminating in a 2nd round TKO.

And, if Sterling's prediction comes true, Alja believes a Jamaican champion could inspire a whole new generation of MMA fighters.

"It would be a catalyst for the entire country to really get the sport picked up and get it rockin' and rollin'."

Sterling says he's working on plans to spread the sport to the masses in Jamaica -- with the goal of keeping the cost of entry down.

The Lakers have won just 3 of their last 10 games ... but now is NOT the time to panic -- so says L.A. superfan and Red Hot Chili Peppers drummer Chad Smith, who tells TMZ Sports everyone needs to R-E-L-A-X!!!

LeBron James and Co. have struggled quite a bit as Anthony Davis recovers from a calf/Achilles injury ... losing games to not-so-good teams like the Kings and Wizards.

The Lake Show has fallen behind the Utah Jazz and Phoenix Suns to 3rd in the Western Conference standings leading up to the All-Star break ... but Smith ain't worried one bit.

"Very early," Smith told us at Le Cafe de la Plage in Malibu. "Very early and as long as AD comes back healthy, Lakers baby."

FYI, Smith is as diehard as they come -- he's often spotted hitting up Staples Center to check out his beloved Purple & Gold.

As for Davis' injury, Smith says he's confident the Brow comes back completely healthy in time to defend their title.

"Lakers are gonna be fine and it's gonna be a repeat."

THIS. IS. INSANE.

Cleveland Browns star lineman Wyatt Teller hunted, shot and killed a 10-foot gator in Florida this week .... and then picked up the beast with his bare hands!!

Seriously!!

Here's how it went down -- Teller linked up with his buddy and Miami Dolphins defensive end Zach Sieler ... who happens to own a hunting outfitter, Clay Gully Outfitters, in central Florida.

The 2 NFL players -- who have been planning the trip for a while -- hunted hogs and gators on Sieler's enormous plot of land.

Sieler and his GF Hannah Cook tell TMZ Sports the 26-year-old All-Pro killed the gator -- which Zach estimates were 9.5 feet and 200 pounds -- and then threw it over his shoulder and carried it away.

FYI -- folks down south love to eat fried gator ... but no word on what will happen with this particular beast -- it could be eaten, or used to make a cool rug or even gator boots!!

Either way, it's gonna get used up.

Think gaming ain't hard work? It is ... and 2 top gamers tell TMZ Sports they spend around 6-7 hours training -- every day!!

We talked to 2 of the best Call of Duty players in the world ... Kenny "Kenny" Williams ('18 Esports Console ROY) from the Los Angeles Thieves and Dillon "Attach" Price (youngest player to win a CoD WC) of the Minnesota ROKKR -- and we asked how their squads prepare for big money tourneys.

"Pretty much every day we're online and playing as a team like 5 to 6 hours a day," Attach says.

How many days a week? Attach tells us there are times they practice every single day.

"Usually 6 to 7 days a week. If a tournament is coming up, probably no days off. But, if a tournament is kinda far away we’ll practice 6 days a week, and then take 1 day to just chill and relax."

Same deal for Kenny's team ... they're also putting in around 35-40 hours a week on CoD.

“We stick to our same practice schedule where we play from 1 central to about 7. But, when it’s closer to tournaments, we actually play a little more," Kenny says.

Attach even says his ROKKR squad does film work ... breaking down their opponents -- and their own tape -- to improve.

"It's really important to go over VOD, watch some of your old matches you played, watch some of your practice or watch other teams' VOD to see what they do well and try and learn what you can and implement it into your team's gameplay."

Speaking of competitions ... the 1st Call of Duty League "Major" of the season kicked off Wednesday (and runs through Sunday) -- and both Kenny and Attach are looking to lead their teams to a 1st place finish.

Good news for Von Miller ... the NFL superstar is officially off the hook after a secret investigation into alleged criminal behavior.

The Douglas County District Attorney's Office in Colorado announced Friday it will NOT pursue criminal charges against the Denver Broncos star -- but officials are still quiet on why he was being investigated in the first place.

As we previously reported ... back in January, the Parker Police Dept. announced an investigation into Miller and later presented its finding to the Douglas County D.A.'s office.

Again, no one ever discussed what the nature of the investigation was ... or the specific allegations against Miller.

But, prosecutors ultimately decided the case against Miller wasn't strong enough to get a conviction -- so he's off the hook.

"Based on our review of information that is currently available, we cannot meet that standard [to prove guilt beyond a reasonable doubt] and must decline to file charges in this case," a spokesperson for the D.A.'s office said in a statement.

"It would be inappropriate to comment about details of an investigation in which there was never a citation, arrest or filing. The complainant, suspect and witnesses have a legitimate privacy interest and we will respect that."

In other words, whatever was being investigated will remain under wraps ... for good.

The first man to respond to the Tiger Woods crash scene was a local man who told law enforcement the golfer was unconscious in the driver's seat ... this according to new court documents obtained by TMZ Sports.

L.A. County Sheriff's Deputy Johann Schloegl submitted an affidavit which described an interview with a man who lives in the area where Tiger crashed his SUV on Feb. 23.

The man told law enforcement ... he heard the crash near the Rolling Hills Estates and decided to walk to the accident scene to check it out, where he saw Woods.

According to the affidavit, the witness tried talking with Tiger but the golfer was unresponsive.

L.A. County Sheriff's Deputy Carlos Gonzalez arrived at the scene shortly after -- and has publicly stated Woods was conscious and talking when he got there.

Deputy Gonzalez has also said Tiger did not appear to be under the influence of alcohol or any other substance.

As we previously reported, officials are now pulling data from the "black box" in Tiger's 2021 GV80 vehicle which could reveal details about Tiger's speed and driving pattern in the moments before the crash.

In the affidavit, Deputy Schloegl spells out, "I believe the data will explain how/why the collision occurred."

Neil deGrasse Tyson just rained all over Baker Mayfield's alien parade ... saying the Cleveland Browns quarterback most likely saw a meteor -- NOT a UFO.

Booooooooo.

Remember, Mayfield tweeted with "almost 100%" certainty he and his wife saw a UFO Wednesday night ... saying they saw a "very bright ball of light going straight down out of the sky."

But, Tyson -- certified science nerd -- says Baker needs to come back down the earth ... and suggests the QB brushes up on his meteor knowledge.

"Okay, so what he should do is go look at what meteors look like and most of them look like simple shooting stars," Tyson said Friday on FS1's 'The Herd' with Colin Cowherd.

"But, the occasional one, the occasional BIGGER one is called a bolide. We have special words for them and they flash through the sky. It takes just half a second! It flashes through the sky and at the end, sometimes they explode."

In other words, don't expect an alien invasion just yet, Bake.

Tyson says there are a bunch of amateur astronomers who spend countless hours looking in the sky ... and there would be a lot more hubbub if it really were anything out of the ordinary.

"I think if there were aliens visiting, the astronomer community would catch it immediately."

Amanda Nunes and Nina Ansaroff -- the most powerful couple in MMA -- tell TMZ Sports they're LOVING being new parents ... and they're already down to expand their family again!

As you may know, Nina -- the #5 ranked UFC strawweight -- gave birth back to the couple's daughter back in September.

Amanda -- widely considered the greatest female MMA fighter of all time -- says motherhood has been "amazing" so far ... "It's an experience that makes me very happy."

In fact, Amanda says it's been easier to parent their daughter than the 3 dogs they own!

"My 3 dogs worse than having a baby," Amanda said ... "She's a very good baby. She's really a good baby so that helps a lot."

But, the burning question ... when both of your parents are MMA stars, is the kid destined for a career in the octagon?

Nina admits she REALLY hopes their kids find another sport!

"I want her to play soccer or study or whatever she wants and really hoping she doesn't want to fight."

"Of course, will be easier for her because she has us as guidance but I don't wanna see her get punched in the face! Look at this little face! I think we're good with anything other than that."

Nina is slated to return to the octagon in April to fight Mackenzie Dern -- and she's STOKED to get back to work!

Bobby Shmurda's getting back to work for NBA All-Star Weekend in Atlanta ... and he's set to bank big bucks for his first performances since getting sprung from prison.

Sources close to the situation tell TMZ ... after the rapper takes the mic Friday night for his triumphant return at Compound nightclub in the ATL, he'll walk away with $125,000.

Bobby's hosting the event -- dubbed his "Welcome Home Party" -- with 50 Cent, but it's just one of several gigs he has on the books for the hoops and hip-hop weekend.

We're told Shmurda's also signed on for smaller, private events that will ultimately bring his haul to more than $300K for a few days' work.

Of course, Bobby's not the only rapper taking advantage of the All-Star festivities. Our sources say his pal Rowdy Rebel -- who was also released from prison early this year -- will make $59k for his show at Halo Lounge.

Likewise, Lil Durk's set to score $100k for his Saturday night gig at Opera Nightclub.

Karl-Anthony Towns' newest car purchase features an incredible tribute to his late mother ... with the NBA star having her signature embroidered into the headrests.

KAT's mother, Jackie, tragically passed away back in April 2020 after a lengthy battle with COVID-19.

The Minnesota Timberwolves center's GF, Jordyn Woods, revealed his new red Maybach in an Instagram video Thursday ... showing off the touching honor to Jackie in the interior of the high-end whip.

"Baby boys new car 😍," Woods said. "Proud of him. One of the most intelligent and hardest working people I know!!"

The car appears to be a Mercedes-Maybach GLS 600, which reportedly comes with a $200k price tag ... that is, without all the bells and whistles that KAT likely added.

It's been a tough year for KAT, to say the least -- several family members have died from COVID, including his mother.

Karl and his father Karl Sr. later tested positive for the virus -- but they have both since recovered.

Plus, Karl was also hit by a drunk driver before the 2020-21 season ... he recovered from that as well.

So, yeah ... we're happy to see KAT happy. You deserve it. Enjoy the new car.

NBA star Donovan Mitchell says the refs straight-up "screwed" the Utah Jazz out of a win Wednesday night against the 76ers ... slamming the officiating as "f**king ridiculous."

The All-Star guard was booted from the game in the final minute of the Jazz's 131-123 loss to Philadelphia in OT ... after receiving two technical fouls for arguing with refs over calls.

Mitchell was LIVID as he headed to the locker room ... unleashing his frustrations on a nearby water cooler as he left the court.

After the game, Mitchell continued to blast the refs ... saying, "It's tough to go out there and see how we fight and compete, and to have a game like that taken from us."

"This whole refereeing stuff ... We're nice, we don't complain, like, we don't get frustrated, we fight through things, and the fact that we continually get ... screwed, in a way, by this. You know?”

Spida -- an MVP candidate for the Western Conference-leading Jazz -- had a fantastic game leading up to the ejection with 33 points, 8 rebounds and 6 assists ... and feels the Jazz should have gone home with the W.

"We won this game, in my personal opinion," Mitchell said. "But like I said, I’m going to give them credit. They won. Whatever. Cool."

"But it’s been a consistent thing, and the question is, ‘Can we do it? Can we sustain it? Are we for real #1? And, yeah, the hell we are. And it’s getting f**king ridiculous that this is what is happening."

Jazz big man Rudy Gobert had Mitchell's back after the game ... telling the media he hopes the refs are embarrassed by their performance.

"I think it's disrespectful, to be honest, to the game of basketball and to our team, and hopefully, they're going to watch the game when they get home," Gobert said.

"Hopefully, they feel ashamed when they watch the game."

It’s a good bet Mitchell and Gobert can expect a letter in the mail from the league in the near future.

Blake Griffin is officially a free agent -- the 6-time All-Star has agreed to a contract buyout with the Detroit Pistons ... and now the big question is: where's he gonna go next?!

31-year-old Griffin -- the #1 overall pick in the 2009 NBA Draft -- can now join any team he wishes ... and there are some serious contenders reportedly interested in adding Griffin for a playoff run.

One of those teams?? The Los Angeles Lakers, a squad that's already stacked ... but could really use the depth in the hunt to repeat as NBA champions in 2021.

There are 3 other teams that have expressed interest in Griffin -- the Miami Heat, Golden State Warriors and Brooklyn Nets, according to reporter Marc Stein.

Of course, Griffin hasn't played for the Pistons since Feb. 12 ... when Detroit announced he would remain inactive while they explored trades and the possibility of buying out his contract.

Considering Blake has a player option worth nearly $39 million for next season, it's no surprise Motor City couldn't find a suitable offer.

Griffin played in L.A. for 9 years with the Clippers ... but there's a real possibility he could return to his old home as a Laker this time around.

Alex Smith's run in D.C. is over ... the QB has officially been released by the Washington Football Team.

Now, the 36-year-old signal-caller with quite possibly the greatest comeback story EVER will try and continue his NFL career somewhere else.

Remember, Smith suffered a catastrophic injury to his right leg in 2018 -- a spiral and compound fracture to his tibia and fibula -- when he was sacked during a game against the Houston Texans.

The injury was so bad, Smith ultimately needed 17 operations to repair the damage -- and at one point, doctors seriously considered amputating the limb at the knee!

Smith missed the entire 2019 season -- but trained his ass off ... and ultimately returned to the field in 2020.

Miraculously, Smith got the green light from his doctors to resume football activities in July 2020 -- and was activated in August 2020.

Smith served as a backup for most of the season -- but when the starters all went down ... he stepped up and led the WFT in an unlikely Week 13 victory against the then-undefeated Pittsburgh Steelers!

Overall, Smith was 5-1 in games he started in 2020 -- and was named NFL Comeback Player of the Year.

His wife also commissioned an artist to turn his knee brace into a piece that resembled the Lombardi Trophy to commemorate his comeback.

So, what's next for Alex Smith? He reportedly still wants to play ... the question is, will any team make an offer??

Hey, he's defied the odds before ...