TMZ Sports - Page 50

Rob Gronkowski did a pretty awesome thing last night -- he took center stage at an event to raise money for fallen firefighters ... and pumped up the crowd to fork over $20k in donations!!!

TMZ Sports has learned ... the New England Patriots tight end hit up the Paradise Rock Club in Boston to help fundraise for the families of two men killed in the 9-alarm fire on March 26th.

We're told Gronk had beers with some of the firefighters and even put on a hat from the Boston Fire Gaelic Brigade before taking the mic and saying a few short tributes to the men who "put their lives on the line all the time."

Gronk told the crowd, "They're our true heroes ... God bless America ... Let's get GRONKIN'."

Former Minnesota Vikings linebacker Erin Henderson says he "cannot be more grateful" that he was arrested for DUI 2-times in less than a month ... telling TMZ Sports it forced him to get the help he needed.

Henderson -- who was cut by the Vikings in February right after the 2 arrests -- just finished a stint in a rehab facility ... where he says he realized he had a bad substance abuse problem that had taken over his life.

"I was arrested and spent almost 24 hours in a holding cell and had nothing but time to think about the path my life was heading down. That night I had a vision of my future and knew I had to do something to better it."

Henderson says hours after he was released from jail, he checked into rehab -- and during his stint, he says he received incredible support from fellow patients and a Vikings teammate who visited him at the treatment center.

Erin says he will continue to pursue a career in the NFL -- but notes "the most important thing to me right now is maintaining my sobriety."

Henderson notes, "Sober Erin's light shines 100 times greater than 'using' Erin ever could."

Olympic swimming legend Ian Thorpe -- who won FIVE gold medals for Australia over the years -- has been hospitalized in Sydney after suffering a serious infection in his shoulder ... and his agent says he will never swim competitively again.

The 31-year-old's agent told local media, "He’s contracted two forms of bugs in hospital. He’s undergone two or three operations over the last two months so ... I mean bad luck. He’s quite sick but that’s the situation."

"It’s serious but it’s not life-threatening," he said.

Thorpe's agent says reports that he will lose his arm are untrue -- but does say, "From a competitive point of view -- he will not be swimming competitively again I don’t think."

Thorpe is a legend in Australia -- winning a total of 9 Olympic medals from the 2000 and 2004 games.

Apparently, Pharrell's giant hat is becoming a thing now ... because LeBron James was rockin' a dome piece just like the singer's at dinner last week in Miami.

'Bron hit up Seasalt & Pepper in Miami Beach on Thursday with a couple of friends ... and his brand new Smokey the Bear hat.

We're told LeBron and his boys had a blast -- ordering a ton of food and even requesting some songs from the DJ. Sources say he specifically asked for some Jay Z.

Jason Kidd also happened to be in the restaurant that night -- on a romantic dinner date with his wife.

Unfortunately, Jason must've left his giant hat at home.

Howard Stern just ripped Jeff Van Gundy apart -- calling the guy everything from a "douche bag" to an "asswipe" and even a "midget" ... after JVG went after Stern for leaving a Knicks game early.

9:55 AM PT -- Trump has responded to Cuban on Twitter ... saying, "Saw @mcuban try to hit a ball in Lake Tahoe while I played in tournament- he’s got no talent or strength!!!!"

Mark Cuban says Donald Trump is a liar -- claiming there's NO WAY Trump could have personally witnessed his terrible golf game ... because he's NEVER played ... not once.

Kanye West is spiking the football ... bragging that he defeated NBA and NFL players like Reggie Bush and Kris Humphries to win the rights to bang Kim Kardashian.

West just appeared on Future's new single, "I Won" -- and raps about his most prized conquest, Kim ... saying, "I want to dip that ass in gold, I want to dip that ass in gold."

Then comes the smack talk -- "I made it over NBA, NFL players ... So every time I score it's like the Super Bowl."

K's obviously referring to Bush, Humphries and NFL wide receiver Miles Austin -- who all dated Kim and all happen to be pro athletes.

A bunch of violent morons took to the streets in Storrs, Conn. last night -- and destroyed a bunch of property ... all under the guise of "celebrating" UConn's NCAA championship.

It all went down near the UConn campus -- where one dumbass climbed a light post and bashed the light until it shattered, while a crowd chanted, "F**k Kentucky!"

Officials say someone smashed a University office window and furniture was flipped inside the student union.

In the end, campus police say they made at least 30 arrests and used police dogs to break up the crowd. Officials say a lot of the trouble was "alcohol-related."

NBA superstar Joe Johnson has been threatened by a judge -- stop screwing your baby mama out of bonding time with your son or I'm throwing your ass in the slammer!!!

TMZ Sports has obtained court docs, filed in Georgia, which show Johnson just got HAMMERED by a judge after his baby mama claimed he's been breaking the terms of their custody arrangement for their 6-year-old son.

Forget the Silver and Black, Terrelle Pryor was all about GOLD this weekend ... at least judging by his hair.

The Oakland Raiders quarterback hit up Akon's birthday party in Los Angeles this weekend sportin' a bleached blond 'do that matched his Pittsburgh Penguins jersey.

There are reports Pryor wants out of Oakland so bad, he actually asked the team to release him as soon as possible so could play somewhere else ... somewhere that might appreciate him.

Maybe the new hair is Terrelle's first step toward establishing a new identity as a player.

UConn may have won the game, but it was a father/son duo that stole the show at the NCAA championship basketball game Monday night ... when they ROCKED OUT TOGETHER on dance cam!

It all went down on the big screen at AT&T Stadium in Texas -- when the cameras panned around to various people gettin' down in the stands -- that is, until these two popped on the jumbotron.

It was awesome ... the dynamic duo busted out a full choreographed dance to Pharrell's "Happy" -- and the crowd went wild!!!

Best part of the game for sure (well, unless you're a Huskies fan).

UPDATE: The dad is actually "Big Rob" -- the captain of the Dallas Mavericks dance team -- and he was with his 15-year-old son Trey.

The two told reporters they had practiced the moves at home in the hope of getting on the screen at the big game.

Mission Accomplished!!!

The woman who claims she engineered the intense P.R. offensive to save Royce White's NBA career says the former 1st round draft pick is totally screwing her over -- refusing to pay more than $70k in bills ... TMZ Sports has learned.

China Myers is suing White -- claiming she was hired back in 2012 when he was drafted by the Houston Rockets with a mission to strengthen his image and reputation.

Of course, White famously battled with the Rockets -- claiming they didn't make the necessary accommodations for his mental health issues ... which included an anxiety disorder that made him afraid to fly.

Myers says her P.R. company went into overdrive to save his image -- booking him on several TV shows and even getting HBO's "Real Sports" to do a feature segment on his situation.

But despite her best efforts, Myers says White refused to pay his bills -- $3,200-per-month -- and now she's going after him for 18 months of work ... plus other related fees, totaling $73,153.25.

Meantime, White's NBA career has seemingly fizzled ... he was recently dropped by the Sacramento Kings after failing to impress on their D-league squad.

Legendary WWE Superstar The Undertaker was rushed to a hospital in New Orleans Sunday night after suffering a severe concussion.

WWE says Taker was injured during his match with Brock Lesnar at WrestleMania XXX -- doctors conducted various tests, including a CAT scan.

The 49-year-old wrestler suffered a concussion ... and he stayed overnight for further evaluation. He was released Monday morning.

In case you missed it ... Undertaker lost his match at WM 30 -- his first loss in the event's history -- and angry wrestling fans exploded on the Internet. #ThankYouTaker is still trending almost 24 hours later.

The University of Kentucky has a huge fan pulling for them in tonight's NCAA Championship Game -- Muhammad Ali ... who, it turns out, is a HUUUGE basketball fan ... TMZ Sports has learned.

David Ortiz ruined it for everyone ... because when Team USA visited the White House last week, they were warned to NOT take selfies with the President ... multiple sources tell TMZ Sports.