TMZ Sports - Page 50

Donald Sterling has finally found a lawyer who will take his case ... and has fired off a letter to the NBA refusing to pay the $2.5 million fine and threatening to sue ... this according to a new report.

Sterling has hired prominent antitrust litigator Maxwell Blecher, reports SI.com, who has already sent the NBA a letter saying Sterling has done nothing wrong and that "no punishment is warranted."

The report says the letter goes on to say that Sterling will not pay the $2.5 million fine the league levied on him, which is already past due.

Sterling's lawyer, the report claims, says the embattled Los Angeles Clippers owner has not violated any article of the NBA constitution and argues that Sterling's "due process rights" have been violated by the NBA.

It was a little chilly at Staples Center last night ... just ask Rihanna.

While the Oklahoma City Thunder/Los Angeles Clippers game was the main attraction, the real show was going on in the stands ... where a braless RiRi strutted around throughout the game.

With her pink hair and a tight white tank top, she made the night more memorable than Blake Griffin and Chris Paul did.

File Under: "WR Blames QB" -- because Kevin Connolly says it's Russell Wilson's fault he broke his leg on the set of "Entourage" ... due to a bad pass!!

Kev was limping around L.A. the other night -- still recovering after the injury he suffered during a game of catch with the Seattle Seahawks QB in between takes.

And when we asked who's to blame for the break, Kev pointed the finger right at Russell -- "I know he's the Super Bowl champion, but it wasn't a great pass."

Kev says he caught the ball -- because he's a friggin' playmaker -- but says, "It was a bad pass, I'm not gonna lie."

Callin' out your quarterback, huh? How very Terrell Owens of you.

Kevin Durant could have the "eye of the Jew" when he takes on the Clippers tonight in L.A. -- 'cause he received a "Triple Rabbi Blessing" hours before the game ... TMZ Sports has learned.

Durant and the Oklahoma City Thunder were training at the JEM (Jewish Education Movement) Community Center in L.A. before tonight's game ... and clearly rubbed some of the rabbis the right way, because they decided to give him a pre-game blessing.

"MVP Kevin Durant and his team received a triple rabbi blessing from the founder of JEM, Rabbi Hertzel Illulian, Rabbi Yossi and Rabbi Benjamin Illulian," the JEM Center says.

See, Donald Sterling couldn't drive a wedge between black people and Jewish people after all.

OJ Simpson may NOT be the biggest villain in sports history ... so says Norm Macdonald who tells TMZ Sports Aaron Hernandez has him beat -- but there's one guy who stands high above them BOTH.

Macdonald was at LAX when we told him that Hernandez was indicted for two murders for this morning -- to which Norm replied, "GOOD LORD, that's just murdering for murder's sake at this point."

Darren Sharper's lawyer just filed legal docs blasting holes in the multiple criminal cases in which the former NFL star is accused of drugging and raping women. In the legal docs -- obtained by TMZ -- attorney Blair Berk lays out some pretty interesting weaknesses in the cases:

1. Berk says in the legal docs the Miami Beach P.D. has declined to file ANY criminal charges against Sharper and the investigation is closed. Short story, the evidence just wasn't there.

Hero Cat -- the feline who fought off a ferocious dog to protect a child -- is gettin' called up to the minors ... and will THROW OUT the first pitch at a minor league baseball game next week ... TMZ Sports has learned.

The Bakersfield Blaze -- the Class A affiliate of the Cincinnati Reds -- has reached out to the cat's people hoping to get Tara (that's her name) to make the ceremonial first pitch at a game next week.

A rep for the team tells us ... the owner of the cat ACCEPTED THE OFFER ... and Tara (along with the boy she saved) will take the mound to throw out the first pitch on May 20th.

Unclear who will actually throw the ball (hopefully the cat!!) ... but we'll be sure to post the footage as soon as it goes down.

Congrats!

Michael Sam is doing himself a HUGE disservice by getting into bed with Oprah ... so says former NFL QB Shaun King who thinks Sam's reality show will seriously hurt his chances of making the Rams.

As we previously reported, Sam is doing a docu-drama for the OWN Network about his journey to the NFL -- and cameras have been rolling since before the NFL Draft.

Now, King -- who played in the league from 1999 to 2006 -- tells TMZ Sports he personally supports Michael Sam and is proud of the guy ... but believes teams will view the show as a distraction.

"After what happened with Tebow, the last thing an NFL team wants is a media circus. They just want to go about their business and focus on winning."

King says he believes teams may have gotten wind of the show before the draft and it could have been one of the reasons he fell to the 7th round.

"I had him pegged as a 5th round guy. I think the reason he dropped is because teams are afraid [of things like the reality show]."

Here it is ... surveillance footage showing Jameis Winston STEALING CRAB LEGS ... and it shows, dude is the most casual shellfish bandit of all time.

The footage, shot April 29th, shows the Heisman Trophy winner nonchalantly walking up to the seafood counter at Publix grocery store in Tallahassee ... grabbing $32.17 worth of crab legs and crawfish ... and walking out of the store without paying for it.

Note -- you can see Winston follows a security guard out of the store .... and hung an immediate right the second he left the building in what seems like an obvious attempt at a clean getaway.

Winston later admitted to jacking the food -- and was ordered to serve several hours of community service ... which he completed at a local YMCA.

Former NFL wide receiver Reche Caldwell had nearly 5 POUNDS of the drug MDMA in his possession when he was arrested this week ... law enforcement sources tell TMZ Sports

8:40 AM PT -- Officials say they HAVE the murder weapon ... a .38 caliber revolver ... which they believe Hernandez used to kill the two men.

Officials also believe Hernandez didn't know the victims before a "chance encounter" inside Cure nightclub hours before the shooting.

After an incident inside the club, Hernandez followed them out ... and trailed them inside his SUV. When the victim's car stopped at a red light, Hernandez opened fire. Killing 2 men and injuring a 3rd. Two other people inside the car fled from the scene on foot.

Officials say the men were "two young innocent victims" who had NO gang connections whatsoever.

Aaron Hernandez has been indicted on charges he MURDERED two people in a 2012 drive-by shooting ... in addition to the murder of Odin Lloyd.

Floyd Mayweather Jr. was on the hunt for diamonds this week ... hittin' 3 different NYC jewelry stores in 2 days ... and dropping more than $500k at one of the shops ... TMZ Sports has learned.
It all started on Tuesday ... when Floyd stopped by Rafaello & Co to check out some of the merch. We're told Floyd fell in love with some of the items but wanted time to figure out what he wanted to buy.

He left and went to another jewelry shop ... where he continued to browse ... though it's unclear if he made any purchases there.

The next day, Floyd was in the mood to SPEND -- going BACK to Rafaello, where he bought one ring, multiple watches and a pimped out bracelet. We're told he dropped around $500k.

Floyd also met with Jacob the Jeweler on Wednesday where he checked out two more watches -- though it's unclear if he pulled the trigger.

It's not like Floyd can't afford it -- dude raked in more than $32 million from his last fight.

"Attention Costco shoppers ... right now, we're having a great deal on a 24 gallon bucket of toothpaste ... and OH MY GOD IT'S COLIN KAEPERNICK!!!!!!"

For the first time since he was listed as a "suspect" in a sexual assault investigation, the 49ers QB made a public appearance yesterday ... signing autographs at a S.F. area Costco.

The appearance was a promotion for MusclePharm -- the supplement company that vowed to stick by Colin's side throughout the investigation.

Unclear if Colin addressed the investigation during the appearance, but he definitely signed a ton of autographs for fans ... many of whom tweeted about the situation ... in between stocking up on ungodly amounts of shampoo and band-aids.

Michael Sam is getting the Lindsay Lohan treatment ... as in, the openly gay football player is getting his own reality show on Oprah's TV network ... reps at OWN confirm.

The show -- produced by the same people who did Lindsay's show -- will chronicle Sam's journey into the NFL ... and we're told Sam has already been taping the show for weeks.

In fact, we're told Oprah's crew was in the room when Sam learned he had been drafted by the St. Louis Rams ... and clearly knew his big celebratory kiss with his BF would make for great reality television.

Oprah issued a statement saying, "We are honored that Michael is trusting us with his private journey in this moment that has not only made history but will shape it forever."

Carolina Panthers star Greg Hardy told a 911 operator his girlfriend attacked him with a high-heeled shoe early Tuesday morning ... making him bleed ... and says he thinks she may have been on cocaine at the time.

TMZ Sports obtained a copy of the 911 call -- in which Hardy sounds panicked and says his girlfriend refuses to leave his North Carolina apartment.

Hardy says his GF kicked him and scratched him -- striking him twice in the face -- and drawing blood.

"I think she's on coke or something," Hardy says ... noting she may also have been drinking.

Cops arrived to the scene a short time later and HARDY -- not his GF -- was arrested for domestic violence.