TMZ Sports - Page 3

Athletes wasted no time making a statement against injustice as the Olympic competition kicked off this week ... with soccer players taking a knee before their matches on Wednesday.

Earlier this year, the International Olympic Committee released a strict policy for the 2020 Games ... banning any sort of demonstrations or protests on the field of play, during ceremonies or at the podium ... and anyone who broke the guidelines would face severe sanctions.

But, the IOC eased up on its rules leading up to Tokyo ... allowing athletes to "express their views" before or after the competition, as long as it is not disruptive or targeted against specific people, countries or organizations.

Members of Great Britain's and Chile's women's soccer teams took advantage of the relaxed policy by getting on one knee before their opening match at the Sapporo Dome hours ago ... a demonstration that would have resulted in harsh punishment if the amended rules didn't come into play.

Team USA and Sweden also dropped to one knee before their match ... as well as Australia and New Zealand.

It's apparently "Coach" Sanders or it's no Sanders for Deion Sanders ... 'cause the Jackson State headman allegedly shut down interviews Tuesday after reporters referred to him as simply "Deion."

The bizarre scene reportedly took place during SWAC Media Day in Birmingham, Ala. ... when The Clarion-Ledger claims Sanders went off on one of its writers, Nick Suss, for calling the coach by his 1st name.

"You don't call Nick Saban, 'Nick,'" the outlet claims Sanders told Suss, referring to Alabama's legendary head football coach. "Don't call me Deion."

"If you call Nick [Saban], Nick, you'll get cussed out on the spot, so don't do that to me," Sanders reportedly added. "Treat me like Nick."

The Clarion-Ledger says when the football coach was referred to as Deion a second time during the interviews ... it claims that's when Sanders stormed out of the event.

Sanders -- who's very active on social media -- has yet to comment publicly on the allegations.

What's interesting about it all is Sanders is well-known for his nicknames ... responding to both "Neon Deion" and "Prime Time" during and after his NFL career.

As we previously reported, 53-year-old Sanders took over the Jackson State football program in 2020 ... and posted a 4-3 record in his first season as headman.

JSU is slated to kick off its second season with Sanders at the helm in September.

Joe Pytka -- the director of Michael Jordan's original "Space Jam" -- is going off on LeBron James' reboot, calling it an uninteresting mess ... and that's about the nicest thing he has to say.

Pytka -- who's also known for directing popular music videos and commercials in the '80s and '90s, including the "I Am Tiger Woods" ad -- tells TMZ ... "Space Jam: A New Legacy" is so boring, he couldn't finish it in one sitting.

In fact, he says it took him 5 separate sessions to complete its 2-hour runtime.

The director has several issues with the reboot, starting with LBJ. Pytka points out when "Space Jam" was made in 1996, MJ wasn't just the best basketball player ... he was the biggest celebrity in the world.

Joe says LeBron's an incredible athlete and a very good actor, but adds ... "The truth is that LeBron ain't Michael." On top of that, Pytka says his film tied the plot to MJ's personal life -- retiring from hoops to play baseball -- while the new movie's missing a personal connection to LeBron.

Pytka's just getting started ... he feels the 1996 "Space Jam" featured a far superior supporting cast with Charles Barkley, Muggsy Bogues, Shawn Bradley and Bill Murray. In 'New Legacy' ... he says he can't even remember one thing Anthony Davis, Damian Lillard or the others did.

The director also thinks the reboot's soundtrack is "insignificant" while the OG's is classic, but his biggest beef is what happened to Bugs Bunny. No spoilers here, but Joe sees Bugs' role in 'New Legacy' as "heartbreaking."

Pytka says this new BB has no connection to previous depictions -- something they paid close attention to with the OG "Space Jam." In short, he says the new version "looked like one of those fluffy dolls you buy at an airport gift shop to bring your kid when your business trip has taken too long."

Take all this with a grain of salt, because Joe acknowledges his "Space Jam" was mostly panned by critics -- just like this reboot -- but it still became a cult classic.

Dozens of gunshots sent celebrating Milwaukee Bucks fans running for their lives after Tuesday night's NBA championship game ... and video from the scene is chilling.

It all happened near Fiserv Forum, where just minutes prior to the chaos, Giannis Antetokounmpo had helped earn Milwaukee an NBA title with a victory over the Suns.

Multiple cameras captured the terrifying images from the streets surrounding the arena ... and in footage from WISN12 News' broadcast -- you can see just how horrifying the situation was.

Gunfire erupted loudly and repeatedly near hundreds of fans who were celebrating the victory ... and it all grew so intense, people could be seen sprinting from the area in fear.

Milwaukee Police have not given specific details surrounding the shots yet -- but officials did say in a statement Wednesday that 3 people were injured in shootings shortly after the Bucks won it all.

According to cops, a 19-year-old woman, a 32-year-old man, and a 22-year-old man all suffered non-life-threatening injuries.

Police added they've launched an investigation into it all.

Just before the gunfire broke out ... the scene was epic in Milwaukee -- with more than 60,000 fans cramming into areas near the stadium to watch the game and then celebrate the win afterward.

Some were seen climbing on street poles after the victory ... while others were caught on camera leaping into the Milwaukee River.

Sports fans are still demonstrating very bad behavior while attending games, but one Yankees fan really paid the price for his shenanigans ... by getting completely owned by a security guard after running on the field.

The chaos went down during the top of the 6th inning against the Phillies Tuesday night, when the fan made his way onto Yankee Stadium field and started racing across the outfield.

He made it to center field before a stadium security guard took him down with an impressive tackle ... then kept slamming him to the ground as he tried to escape.

The security guard's apparent wrestling skills were enough to contain the fan -- who NYPD has ID'd as 25-year-old Leonardo Lertora-Leiva -- until about half a dozen other security workers showed up to help escort the guy off the field ... to the delight of the crowd.

NYPD tells TMZ ... Lertora-Leiva was arrested for running onto the field of an active MLB sports event and disrupting it. He was booked for 3 misdemeanors, including criminal trespass.

As we reported, another Yankees fan was just banned for life from attending MLB games in the Bronx -- or anywhere else for that matter -- after he threw a ball onto the field Saturday night during a game against Boston, and hit Red Sox outfielder Alex Verdugo.

The Larry O'Brien Trophy is coming back to Milwaukee after a 50-year drought -- Giannis Antetokounmpo and the Bucks just eliminated the Phoenix Suns to win the NBA championship!!

The Greek Freak was nothing short of insane on the court during Game 6 on Tuesday ... earning 50 points, 13 rebounds, and 5 blocks. He also went 17-19 from the charity stripe.

The Suns kept it a close game -- the final was 105 to 98 ... but the Greek Freak and Co. proved to be too much for PHX.

The Deer District -- the fan zone outside Fiserv Forum in Milwaukee -- went absolutely insane as their beloved team won it all ... jumping up and down and chanting for the new champs.

The win all but certainly cements Giannis' spot in the Pro Basketball Hall of Fame -- the 2-time regular season MVP scored over 40 points in 3 of the 6 games in the series.

Giannis finished with an average of 35.2 points, 13.2 rebounds, 5 assists and shot 62% from the field on the series.

Of course, with those kind of numbers, Giannis was the obvious choice for Finals MVP -- the first of his career.

It's a devastating loss for Suns superstar guard Chris Paul ... who was just 2 games away from winning his first ring.

The celebration is just getting started in Milwaukee ... so be sure to check back for all the (probably) drunken debauchery in the morning.

Sha'Carri Richardson isn't competing in the Olympics -- but she's still making it onto millions of TV, phone and tablet screens across the world -- thanks to a new collab with Dr. Dre and Kanye West.

The Dre Beats commercial just aired during Game 6 of the NBA finals between The Milwaukee Bucks and Phoenix Suns.

The ad features Richardson donning a pair of the famous headphones while hitting the track and a never-before-heard Kanye song called, "No Child Left Behind" playing the background. West repeats the lyrics, "He's done miracles on Me" throughout the clip -- seemingly referring to God.

It's the first official listen the public-at-large has gotten of West's upcoming album, titled "DONDA" ... after his late mother. The Beats ad also worked as an announcement that the album will drop Friday.

Richardson has become the most talked about name in sports over the last few weeks after getting suspended and then disqualified from the 2021 Tokyo Game after a positive test for marijuana ... so it makes total sense why Kanye would want to collab for some album press.

Dog lovers will appreciate this ... New York Mets catcher Tomas Nido just showed major love to his adorable pup -- by getting a tattoo of the canine on his leg!

TMZ Sports has learned the baseball player wanted to get some ink to celebrate his beloved pet last week ... so he hit up artist Keith Hernandez from Bang Bang Tattoo in New York City.

We're told the 27-year-old handed over a portrait of his Yorkie, Louie, that he got 8 years ago ... and Hernandez then went to work.

The artist took a few hours to do the piece ... and it all ended up coming out pretty incredible!!

Check out the details ... the drawing of Louie -- which will now sit on the inside of Nido's shin forever -- looks SUPER real, right down to the fluffy hair and little dog outfit.

We're told Nido got one more tat while he was in the shop ... getting the letter "E" inked behind his ear -- a shoutout to his 8-month-old daughter, Eleni.

In total, Nido ended up sitting in the chair for about 3 or 4 hours ... and we're told he's planning to head back to the shop in the near future to get more ink done.

UFC's newest flyweight champ Brandon Moreno is hunting for his next big fight ... telling TMZ Sports he wants to take on the ex-bantamweight champ Cody Garbrandt -- if the dude's willing to drop some pounds.

We caught up with the 27-year-old Mexican star fresh off last month's huge win over Deiveson Figueiredo ... and while "Deus Da Guerra" wants an immediate rematch, Moreno says he's got some work to do before getting the trilogy fight.

"I think he needs to fight against another guy because the last fight wasn't even close," Moreno tells us. "Domination from the first through the third round."

"I'm open to fight against him, but I think he needs to fight again with somebody," he added. "Not because I'm scared or something like that -- it's hard to get scared in this sport because a lot of brave people here in this sport -- but I think it's not my next fight."

So, if DF is out of the question, who's next??

Moreno loves the idea of scrapping with "No Love" -- the guy who held the bantamweight belt in 2016 -- saying it's exactly the type of opponent he's looking for.

"I'm interested in that fight because he's a huge name. He's a possibility."

Of course, Moreno and Figueiredo's first fight in 2020 ended in a draw ... and "The Assassin Baby" got the W last month via 3rd round submission, becoming the first Mexican-born UFC champ.

L.A. Rams star running back Cam Akers is in good spirits after suffering a season-ending torn Achilles ... saying he'll be back and better in no time.

The team made the news official Tuesday morning ... solidifying the end of the 22-year-old's sophomore campaign before it even began.

Despite the devastating news, Akers kept a positive attitude on Twitter ... saying, "I just want to thank any and every person sending prayers my way and wishing me well."

"I hate this happened but I’m in great spirits and I understand God makes no mistakes. I’ll be back better than ever in no time I’m a soldier. Again, thank you 🙏🏾."

Akers was set to have a huge 2021 season after earning 625 yards and 2 touchdowns in 13 games in his rookie year.

Although his 2021 is over, Akers should be good to go in time for 2022 ... and it sounds like he's determined to put the injury behind him as soon as possible.

Longtime NFL coach Greg Knapp -- who's currently the NY Jets' passing game coordinator -- is reportedly in the hospital in critical condition after he suffered serious injuries in a bike crash over the weekend.

The 58-year-old was riding when he was struck by a car ... 9News' Mike Kliss reported late Monday evening. Kliss added that Knapp's agent, Jeff Sperbeck, is asking for prayers.

Further details regarding the incident are unclear ... we're working on it.

Knapp has been an assistant coach in the NFL since the late 1990s ... and is known for his ability to get the best out of his quarterbacks.

In his career, Knapp has seen success coaching Steve Young, Carson Palmer, Peyton Manning and Matt Ryan.

Knapp was just hired to be the Jets' passing game coordinator in January ... after NY brought in Robert Saleh from San Francisco to be its new head coach.

He was already being touted as having a significant influence during offseason workouts on New York's new quarterback, Zach Wilson.

Norway's women's beach handball players gave a big middle finger to their sport's uniform double standards over the weekend ... ditching their required bikini bottoms for shorts during a game -- and the stunt resulted in a fine.

The team had reportedly been planning the protest for weeks ... hoping to put the spotlight on the differences in what the men and women are told to wear during competition -- men can wear much longer shorts, while women are forced to wear skimpy bottoms.

The players decided on Sunday's game to make their statement ... with the whole team rocking shorts during their bronze medal matchup with Spain at the European Beach Handball Championships in Bulgaria.

The European Handball Federation fined each player 150 euros -- a tad short of $177 -- for the uniform violation ... which the Norwegian Handball Federation has vowed to pay.

Norway officials claim they've been pleading with the higher-ups for YEARS to adjust the regulations ... but the EHF says any change has to come down from the International Handball Federation.

There's been plenty of controversy surrounding what women can and cannot wear during competition -- as we previously reported, Paralympic star Olivia Breen claimed an official called her sprint shorts "inappropriate" during an event over the weekend.

Tiger Woods showed absolutely no signs of personal strife just 1 day before his February car crash ... laughing and joking with Jada Pinkett Smith out on a golf course.

New footage from Golf Digest shows Tiger was in great spirits less than 24 hours before he badly broke his leg in the roll-over accident ... playing golf and enjoying life.

Tiger was helping the actress with her swing ... and at one point, he even got her to make a birdie -- and celebrated with her with a fist bump and a giant smile.

The two had long conversations about life during the lesson ... ones in which Tiger opened up about his son, Charlie, and his daughter, Sam.

Tiger, at one point, even revealed to Pinkett Smith that he loves to freedive in his time away from golf ... explaining he very much enjoys being in the water.

What's interesting ... 45-year-old Tiger also complained to Pinkett Smith about getting older -- saying his body just isn't holding up the way it used to.

"The body," Tiger told Pinkett Smith, while stretching out his surgically repaired back. "I've had 10 operations."

Golf Digest posted the video Tuesday with officials noting, "This series was filmed on February 22, 2021, the day before Tiger Woods' car accident."

"We're sharing this content with the blessing of Tiger and his guests. We thank everyone for their involvement and wish Tiger a continued speedy recovery."

As we previously reported, Tiger crashed in L.A. county on Feb. 23 ... and suffered severe injuries to his right leg.

He needed a rod, screws and pins to repair the damage ... and he's since called the rehab process "more painful than anything I have ever experienced."

While Tiger has been spotted recently moving around fairly well on crutches ... it's unclear if he has plans to ever play competitive golf again.

The Olympic Village will be a little less crowded during the Tokyo Games -- the USA women's gymnastic team has decided to crash at a nearby hotel instead ... after one of their members tested positive for COVID.

Head coach Cecile Landi says the decision came down after alternate Kara Eaker tested positive for COVID on Sunday ... and he hopes keeping away from the rest of the athletes will prevent any more health issues.

"We know it isn’t ideal for the Olympic experience but nothing is ideal during a pandemic," Landi said via Twitter.

"We feel like we can control the athletes and our safety better in a hotel setting!"

Gymnastics superstars, USA's Simone Biles and Jordan Chiles, did make a quick stop by the OV for some photo ops ... snapping shots with the Olympics logo on Monday.

Of course, the Olympic Village is a restricted area with housing and dining for the 11,000 athletes who will be participating in the next two weeks.

Officials are on high alert with the COVID re-emergence after two South African soccer players and a staff member tested positive inside the Village last week.

Team USA has had its fair share of issues as well ... with Bradley Beal, Coco Gauff and Sue Bird all backing out of the Games after testing positive for COVID.

According to CNN's Will Ripley, Tokyo 2020 CEO Toshiro Muto hasn't ruled out canceling the Games ... saying, "We can’t predict what the epidemic will look like in the future. So as for what to do should there be any surge of positive cases, we’ll discuss accordingly."

Khloe Kardashian and Tristan Thompson seem to be keeping their word to co-parent without issue, taking their daughter to dance class as a family unit.

The two exes were spotted walking 3-year-old daughter, True, into her class in Calabasas Tuesday. Tristan did the heavy lifting, while Khloe trailed closely behind.

We're told they were in separate cars. Still, the outing proves what we've already reported ... that they're dedicated to co-parenting True, despite not being romantically involved anymore.

You'll recall ... Khloe pulled the plug on their relationship not too long ago -- this after even more rumors of cheating had been swirling in recent months ... not to mention allegations of paternity against Tristan. For now, they're just playing mom and dad to True -- and are clearly civil with one another.

It's interesting to see them in this type of setting ... because it almost gives a bit more context to the hostility Tristan showed toward Lamar Odom when he commented on a photo of Khloe.

The G.O.A.T. is finally back at POTUS' pad ... Tom Brady has officially made the trip to the White House for the Buccaneers' Super Bowl party!!

Of course, this is an extremely rare sight ... 'cause the QB barely ever goes to these events -- you'll recall, the last time he attended a D.C. Super Bowl celly was way back in 2005!!

Brady skipped out on a trip to Barack Obama's White House in 2015, and he also ditched a visit to Donald Trump's White House in 2017.

When Brady's Patriots won it all again in 2018 ... the team as a whole never went -- meaning Brady has only capped off 3 of his previous 6 championships with 1600 Pennsylvania Ave. visit.

Unclear what made Brady want to go this time around -- particularly 'cause it's Gisele's birthday Tuesday -- but he's there nonetheless, and looking dapper as hell!!

Tom wore a dark suit with a tie and sunglasses for the occasion ... and he was front and center for a team pic with the Lombardi Trophy out on the South Lawn before the ceremony began.

His teammate, Donovan Smith, even got in a little joking with Tom about the event ... asking the QB, "You got residency here?"

Tom's response? "It's been a long time since I've been here. A long time."

The Bucs' trip marks the first time a Super Bowl winner has gone to the White House for a celebration since 2017 ... and we're sure there's going to be a lot of laughs at the event.

The official ceremony gets underway in just a few minutes ... stay tuned!!