TMZ Sports - Page 50

NBA legend Bill Russell is recovering at a hospital near Lake Tahoe after collapsing during a speaking gig early this morning ... the Boston Celtics tell TMZ Sports.

Russell was doing a speaking engagement when he "felt faint" ... and collapsed. We're told an ambulance was called to the scene and transported the 80-year-old to a nearby hospital.

Damn you, Tom Brady.

There were no ESPY after-parties for Floyd Mayweather last night -- just sweat and Gatorade -- 'cause the champ went straight from the awards show to the boxing gym ... and we got the footage.

Sources close to Floyd tell us ... Mayweather has his game face on when it comes to his upcoming fight against Marcos Maidana ... and knows there's no time to screw around.

So, instead of the nightclubs or the private mansion parties, Floyd hit up Ten Goose Boxing Gym in Van Nuys, CA -- where he worked out for nearly 3 HOURS.

Rihanna and Dwight Howard may say their tweets in support of Palestine were accidental -- but D.L. Hughley thinks they only hit delete because of social media pressure.

Hughley told us he believes the #FreePalestine tweets were intentional, and Dwight and RiRi should never have backed down -- with excuses and apologies -- if that's how they really feel.

But the comedian, who's been known to get political himself, added they shouldn't be bullied ... "I don't think they should be shouted down, no matter whether I agree with them or not."

Michael Sam is impressing his St. Louis Rams teammates -- on and off the field -- so says superstar Chris Long who tells TMZ Sports he's proud of the guy and can't wait to play with him.

After Sam was honored with the Arthur Ashe Award for Courage at the ESPYs last night, Long says he was getting a lot of positive text messages from other players on the Rams.

"I've been hearing a lot of really great feedback," Long says ... "To be able to go up there, when he was nervous I'm sure, and speak about such an emotional topic is impressive."

During the speech, Sam thanked the Rams for supporting him as he tries to become the first openly gay football player to take the field in an NFL game. Long says he's heading in the right direction.

Long also says Sam has done a great job managing the media circus that's been surrounding him ever since he went public with his sexuality.

"When he's been on the football field, it's been all business ... and the team supports him."

Long adds, "He's a great kid."

Stand down, strippers ... Carmelo Anthony tells TMZ Sports he will NOT be taking up Scores NYC on it's "Free Lapdances for Life" offer ... though he is open to another kind of free pie.

We broke the story ... Scores made the generous offer to 'Melo when he was deciding where to play next year -- and said if he picked the Knicks, he's be taken care of FOREVER.

So, when we saw 'Melo in L.A. last night after the ESPYs we had to ask if he would claim his prize -- and he told us straight up," I ain't messin' with that."

Evander Holyfield has fought some of the toughest men to ever step in the ring ... Mike Tyson, Lennox Lewis, Riddick Bowe -- so who punches the hardest??

Easy ... none of 'em.

The Real Deal was out in L.A. last night when he told us ... when it comes to punching power, there's one boxing legend whose fists are simply superior to everyone else.

Hold on to your singlets, because Sting tells TMZ he wants to WRESTLE at WRESTLEMANIA ... even though his new contract with WWE is just a video game deal ... and he's even got an opponent in mind.

It's HUGE news ... considering the ex-WCW legend has never stepped inside a WWE ring before in his nearly 30-year career.

Sting tells us he's pumped about his new business relationship with the McMahon family -- which came together so Sting could be a playable character in the upcoming WWE2K15 video game.

But he doesn't want the relationship to end there -- Sting says he wants to hammer out a deal so he can face off against Undertaker at Wrestlemania 31 in March 2015.

Sting adds, "At my age, it's now or never! The wave is coming into the shore."

They called him the "Jolly Green Giant" ... "Gumby" ... and "Walking Pool Table Material" ... but Kevin Durant had a message for everyone who hated on his ESPY fashion last night ... and TMZ Sports has the video.

Maria Sharapova is such a badass ... she hit the sand dunes BEFORE the ESPYs to sneak in a killer workout ... and we've got the pics.

The tennis superstar was out in Manhattan Beach where she ran up the sandy hills for about an hour ... showing off her killer abs in the process.

A short time later, Sharapova swapped out the gym clothes for a fancy dress and went to the award show -- where she towered over her co-presenter Floyd Mayweather in a pretty hilarious segment.

Drake threw a party after the ESPYs ... with a ton of celebs who drank and ate at one of the most outrageous estate's in L.A.

Mack Maine, Jessica Alba, Blake Griffin, Johnny Manziel, Colin Kaepernick and others partied at the home of Mohamed Hadid ... an L.A. real estate mogul who was once married to Yolanda Foster from "Real Housewives of Beverly Hills."

It's a 50+ million dollar compound that sits on more than 2 acres. The main house -- where Drake threw the party -- is 48,000 square feet.

It's no Versailles ... but close.

Chris Brown and Drake killed it with a comedic sketch at the ESPYs -- which is way better than when they were ACTUALLY trying to kill each other.

It went down like we called it -- after a long setup to establish the Breezy/Drizzy's beef … Drake ends up on an operating table where "Dr." Blake Griffin appears to be performing surgery … that is until Brown menacingly pops up with surgical tools ready to do the work.

Afterward ... Griffin and Brown were live on stage, where Chris introduced himself as, "America's Sweetheart."

Welcome to the "Terrell Owens Guide to Pulling Chicks" ... where T.O. himself gives men some advice on how to get lucky with the ladies.

Lesson 1 -- Hygiene.

Terrell was out in L.A. yesterday ... when he told us about the specific body parts that need to be carefully maintained in order to impress the fairer sex.

Ex-University of Miami linebacker Ramon Buchanan thinks he's found the prescription to cure societies ills ... telling TMZ Sports smoking weed won't just give you the munchies, it might just SAVE THE FREAKIN' WORLD.

Buchanan -- who was a big NFL prodigy before injuries in '12 and '13 killed his draft stock -- was at Bootsy Bellows in L.A. this week when our photog asked how he felt about recreational pot being legal in WA.

Let's just put it this way... he supports it..

Floyd Mayweather says people who are shocked by his friendship with Justin Bieber are simply "racial profiling" ... and need to stop making assumptions about him because he's black.

Mayweather was in Chicago promoting his upcoming rematch with Marcos Maidana when a reporter dared to ask if Bieber and Johnny Manziel were really his friends ... or marketing partners.

Money artfully negotiated the Manziel question ... but when asked what about his "odd" bromance with the Biebs, Mayweather threw the race card like a it was a left hook.