TMZ Sports - Page 50

Emotional moment from ex-NBA star Sam Cassell -- who says he's "torn up" over the death of Flip Saunders ... and will always be grateful to the man who gave him his first shot as a coach.

Back in 2009 -- right after Cassell's playing days came to a close -- Saunders hired Sam as an assistant coach with the Washington Wizards, where he worked for 5 seasons.

Sam's coaching career has continued to blossom since then -- now he's with the Clippers -- and Sunday, Cassell told TMZ Sports he'll always remember the man who gave him his first opportunity.

Doc Rivers says there's NO BAD BLOOD between him and Matt Barnes -- despite alleged claims from Matt that Doc couldn't wait to ship him out of L.A.

The latest round of Barnes drama stems from an article on NBA.com -- in which Barnes reportedly said he and Rivers "never saw eye to eye" and that he "couldn't wait to get rid of me."

Barnes later claimed the report "twisted" his words.

So, when we asked Rivers about it last night at Mastro's in Beverly Hills -- Rivers actually VOUCHED for his former Clippers player ... calling him a good guy and saying he wasn't jonesing to ditch him.

Not everyone caught the cutsies when Dez Bryant posted a pic of his supposed new pet monkey -- several animal organizations are FURIOUS ... claiming the move is downright "irresponsible."

The monkey in the middle is "Dallas Bryant" -- who Dez snuggled up with earlier this week and called, "My new best friend." Several reports say he "adopted" the animal.

But it's a HUUUUGE mistake according to multiple animal groups ... groups begging the NFL star to give the monkey to an animal sanctuary as soon as possible.

One of the critics is April Truitt -- co-founder of the North American Primate Sanctuary Alliance -- who tells us, "A baby capuchin monkey is completely irresponsible to have."

"This animal can easily live 30 to 40 years of its life. I guarantee you it won’t be in his possession that long. Instead he will begging someone like me to take this animal off his hands. It’s inevitable."

"I guarantee you this was an expensive purchase and he will live to regret it I guarantee you."

We also spoke with Dr. Ian Robinson -- V.P. of the International Fund for Animal Welfare -- who says, "Having a monkey as a pet is a huge commitment. Appealing cuddly babies turn into troublesome 'teenagers’ and aggressive adults."

As for Bryant -- he has NOT clarified if he plans to keep the animal as a pet ... but we're told NAPSA plans to reach out to him to try and talk him out of it.

Lamar Odom was betrayed by several staffers at Sunrise Hospital in Vegas, and we've learned they've been summarily fired.

We're told the workers were all trying to sneak a photo of Lamar as he fought for his life inside the hospital. Our sources say some of them tried to access his medical records, in violation of HIPAA rules.

It's not the first time this has happened. Kim Kardashian and Britney Spears had their privacy rights violated during hospital stays, and the facilities fired the workers who hatched the plans.

A rep for Sunrise tells us, "We take all patient privacy very seriously and follow all HIPAA policies in compliance with federal regulations."

As we previously reported ... Lamar's now at Cedars-Sinai in L.A. ... where he's under 24/7 security.

Dr. Drew has some cautionary advice for Khloe Kardashian ... don't jump back into the marriage.

The doc was at LAX Sunday when our photog asked about Khloe and Lamar's decision to dismiss their divorce case.

None of the girls who partied with Lamar Odom set him up with drugs the weekend he nearly died...according to their boss.

Dennis Hof, owner of the Love Ranch Sourth, is defending his staff, insisting none of the prostitutes who work for him have a history with drugs...and they wouldn't be working at the ranch if they did.

As we reported...some girls at the Ranch complained management should not have pushed a known addict into choosing women who would lead him down the wrong path.

Minnesota Timberwolves head coach Flip Saunders has died at the age 60.

Saunders -- who announced he was being treated for Hodgkin's lymphoma in August -- passed away Sunday from the disease.

On Friday, the T'Wolves announced Saunders would miss the upcoming season after experiencing complications from the cancer.

Flip's coaching career spanned over 35 years -- including 17 seasons as an NBA coach with the Minnesota Timberwolves, Detroit Pistons and Washington Wizards -- where he won 654 games.

The NBA community has expressed sorrow ... with stars like LeBron James, Kevin Love and John Wall sending messages to the Saunders family.

Beyonce chose Storm from "X-Men" as her character for Ciara's superhero-themed birthday party.

Bey posed with comedian Jeff Dye Saturday night on the Warner Bros. lot.

Ciara came as Batwoman, accompanied by Russell Wilson, who came as her Batman. And, of course, they arrived in the Batmobile.

Ciara turned 30, which explains why Warner Bros. opened its lot to her.

Lamar Odom was set up for OD'ing at the Love Ranch brothel by being paired with a hooker who had a bad reputation for "partying" ... TMZ has learned.

As we reported, when Lamar arrived at the Ranch, the girls were put in a lineup so Lamar could choose his partners. One of the hookers who was standing there told us management influenced Lamar into picking 2 girls who were known to tolerate drug use.

We're told the girls who were left standing in the lineup complained bitterly that management should not have pushed a known addict into choosing women who would take him down a bad path.

In fact, we're told several of the hookers quit in protest, including Tristen Lace, who says she's convinced Lamar would not be in the hospital if he had chosen different, less ominous hookers.

Ex-NBA stud Jay Williams has found a reason to come back to basketball ... to shut the mouth of "Guy Code" star Andrew Schulz who dared to challenge the former #2 pick to a game of 1-on-1.

This all started after Schulz claimed he could "put seven points" on Williams when Jay was a guest on "The Brilliant Idiots" podcast last month ... a show Schulz co-hosts with Charlamagne Tha God.

Jay took that as a challenge ... and immediately agreed to a 1-on-1 game to 7 points for $500. In fact, Jay's so confident, HE'S SPOTTING ANDREW 6 POINTS!!

If you think it's a joke YOU'RE WRONG. This game is happening in NYC on November 1st ... and when we spoke with both men about the hoops battle ... EPIC SMACK TALK occurred.

Andrew: "He's about to to get it. I'm willing to do whatever I have to do to win. I'll yell out the name of the motorcycle he crashed while he's shooting to throw him off. Whatever I gotta do, I have nothing to lose."

"I played ball in high school, plus the dude has a drop foot. I know I can get one bucket off him. Saying I won't score one is where he f**ked up."

Jay: "I'm serious. Let's hoop for real. People think I can't play anymore. I might not be able to chase around Kyrie and Chris Paul on back to back nights, but this is easy."

"I been trying to make this happen since he first opened his mouth. He made excuses like his ankle was sore yet I'm the one that's had 13 SURGERIES. He's scared."

It's on.

In the market for an authentic X-ray of Muhammad Ali's broken jaw??? Well, too bad ... 'cause it just sold at one of the coolest charity auctions we've ever seen.

It's a pretty cool piece of memorabilia -- taken right after Ken Norton busted his face during their big fight in 1973 ... a fight Ali actually lost.

Ali signed the X-ray, "To Carol & Russ From Muhammad Ali, 1973" ... and it ended up in the private collection of "Simpsons" creator Sam Simon, a HUUUUGE boxing fan.

Simon's massive collection was auctioned off to raise money for his charity organization -- along with a TON of other cool stuff -- with the X-ray raking in a cool $1,500! No word on the I.D. of the buyer.

All of the proceeds from the auction -- which raised more than $250k -- supports both animal welfare programs and poverty alleviation and disaster relief organizations.

WWE legend Booker T isn't dropping elbows anymore ... but he's got a brand new challenge ... creating the next pro wrestling superstar out of one of Tom Brady's ex-teammates.

TMZ Sports spoke with Brennan Williams ... who's decided to call it quits on a 3 year NFL career as a lineman for the Texans, Jaguars, and Patriots so he can take a shot at pro wrestling.

Brennan tells us that he won't be stepping into the ring blind 'cause he's gonna have Booker T -- a WWE hall of famer -- showing him the ropes (and turnbuckles) of the grappling game.

"He’s got a school in Houston called WXF that I’m joining (along with) his promo company."

Williams says he and Booker T have a vision ... one that involves him locking arms with the big boys very soon.

"I’m looking to get my feet wet while training with Booker and shooting for a contract with the WWE in January. That’s my plan."

We also spoke with Booker T himself who says Williams has all the tools to do what The Rock, Goldberg and Ahmed Johnson did ... that is go from big time football to the WWE.

"Brennan definitely fits the profile and athletic protocol of a WWE Wrestler. He fits the build perfectly."

He goes on to say Brennan might have an advantage over those guys ... cause he actually has a deep love and understanding of the sport.

"Most of the time with NFL players, wrestling is a sort of last resort but Brennan was actually a fan before anything. I’m more than glad to help him out."

NFL players have turned to elevation training masks to make sure their performance is tip top while playing sky high.

The training masks -- which gives you the benefits of high altitude training while remaining sea level -- are popping up all over social media and are def giving pros an edge on the competition.

Three people are dead and several others have been seriously injured after a car slammed into fans watching the Oklahoma State Homecoming Parade Saturday morning.

According to reports, the vehicle was moving at a "high rate of speed" and plowed through dozens of spectators. At this time, three people have died and 22 are injured ... according to police in Stillwater, OK. The driver, a 25-year-old woman has been arrested on suspicion of DUI.

Lamar Odom suffered 12 strokes early on in his medical emergency, TMZ has learned, and they affected his motor skills.

Doctors performed a series of brain scans on Lamar and discovered the strokes. Although the strokes didn't affect vital organs, we're told they did have an impact on his ability to walk and talk.

Lamar's medical team isn't saying if the impairment is permanent. He'll undergo months of physical therapy and doctors don't know the extent to which his motor skills and speech will be restored.

Rick Ross is a forgiving boss ... 'cause even though LeBron James took his talents back to Cleveland, the rap superstar is making a royal gesture that proves he's still down with the king.

Ross is building a new basketball court in his Atlanta mega-mansion ... and when it was time to choose greats to grace his floor, he picked a usual suspect ... Michael Jordan ... and a wild card ... LeBron James.

Why is James a wild card? Ross is a HUGE Miami Heat fan ... so you might think he'd be done with LBJ being that LeBron spurned MIA to return to his Ohio home last year.

He ain't done ... so much so that when we spoke to Jay Mack -- the artist tasked with creating the LeBron and Jordan murals -- he told us Ross moved heaven and earth ... flying him down personally to do the arduous month long job of getting the hardwood homages done.

Next legends to grace the court? Jay says Kobe and Shaq.