TMZ Sports - Page 50

Here's some quality white-collar smack talk ... courtesy of the Phoenix Suns.

A Suns exec grabbed a mic and addressed the crowd during the end of the Suns game last night -- and apologized to fans for having to watch the crappy Spurs.

It was so bad, the exec -- Managing Partner Robert Sarver -- told fans to send in their tickets and he would send them a special gift.

Sarver was so pissed because 5 big Spurs players -- and the Spurs coach -- didn't make the trip to Phoenix for rest and recovery reasons and he felt San Antonio screwed his fans out of their "hard-earned money."

No Tim Duncan. No Manu Ginobili. No Kawhi Leonard. No Patty Mills. No Tiago Splitter. No Gregg Popovich.

Don't put a fork in Matt Barnes and Gloria Govan's marriage just yet ... 'CAUSE IT AIN'T OVER ... so says Gloria's sister Laura Govan -- who knows what it's like to be in a relationship with an NBA star.

Laura -- who has 4 kids with NBA star Gilbert Arenas -- was out in Calabasas when our photog asked if there was chance her sister would ever reconcile with Matt now that they've separated.

War Machine tried to kill himself in his Las Vegas jail cell this week ... but his attempt was foiled by a corrections officer.

Law enforcement sources tell TMZ ... Tuesday night around 9:30 an officer was walking by War Machine's cell in Clark County Jail. The officer saw him sitting on the ground with his feet up on the bunk bed. When the officer called to him he was unresponsive.

The officer went into the cell and found the ex-MMA fighter had a piece of linen around his neck which was tied to the leg of the bed -- and his face was purple. The officer cut the linen, removed it ... and we're told War Machine's breathing became less strained and he attempted to speak.

He's currently in a medical isolation cell on suicide watch. We're told officers found what appeared to be suicide notes in the cell.

War Machine is in jail awaiting trial for the attempted murder of his ex-girlfriend, porn star Christy Mack, and her friend Corey Thomas.

War Machine's attorney tells us one of the letters found in the cell was written to Christy.

Paul George has a new lady in his life ... his 5-month-old daughter Olivia ... who he met for the first time Thursday -- and now TMZ Sports has learned the NBA star is gunning for joint custody of the child.

As we previously reported, George swore that he would "do the right thing" if a paternity test proved he fathered a child with a woman named "Daniella" who he had a relationship with in 2013.

Now, we've learned George is convinced he IS the daddy ... and his attorney is currently in the process of hammering out a joint custody arrangement with the mom.

Paul's attorney tells TMZ Sports ... "Paul has always wanted to accept responsibility and play a role in his daughter’s life -- and wanted to make sure it was handled properly through the legal system."

Muhammad Ali is sick ... but he's alive ... so says the Champ's daughter Laila Ali.

"He's good," Laila said at LAX on Thursday ... "Rumors about [his health] every year come out."

The latest rumors were spawned from an interview Muhammad's brother gave at a screening of "I Am Ali" last week -- where he reportedly said the 72-year-old icon is in bad shape and housebound.

But Laila says there has NOT been a drastic change in her father's condition recently -- explaining, "He is sick, but he's alive."

FYI -- Muhammad was diagnosed with Parkinson's syndrome in 1984 and his health has been in a steady decline ever since.

As we previously reported, Ali hung out with boxing champ Andre Berto back in April -- and Berto told us he was alert, intelligent and rooting for Kentucky to win the NCAA tourney.

We know Shaquille O'Neal rolls big, and now his pet fish do too -- in a massive $50,000 aquarium he had custom built into a freakin' big rig truck! Yeah, tropical fish can be badass.

Shaq posted a pic of his giant self yesterday next to his new baby -- a 3,000 pound tank complete with the Superman logo (a Shaq fave). It's framed by the cab of a tractor trailer ... which would dwarf any other fish tank owner.

The hosts of the Animal Planet show "Tanked" -- Wayde King and Brett Raymer -- designed and built the saltwater pad which houses dozens of exotic species like Miniature Groupers, Clown Triggers, Mappa Puffers, and even Dragon Eels!

Wayde and Brett told us it was one of the most unique projects they've ever worked on -- especially because hey had to load in the Dragon Eels ... which they called "a bit aggressive."

Mickey Rourke played a fake fighter in "The Wrestler" -- but he was scrappin' FOR REAL this week during a hardcore MMA training session in L.A. with Jay Glazer.

The "NFL on Fox" star hit the mats with Rourke at his "Unbreakable Performance" MMA gym -- the place he co-owns with retired NFL star Brian Urlacher.

Glazer says Rourke's been "training his ass off" ... though it's unclear if he's doing it for fun -- or if he plans to actually compete ... which is unlikely since he's 62-years-old.

FYI -- Rourke is no stranger to combat sports ... he famously boxed back in the '90s after he had already established himself as a Hollywood star.

The Lance Armstrong image makeover continues ... now with more bikini photos!!!

The disgraced cyclist was out in Miami Beach this week with his longtime GF Anna Hansen -- who also happens to the mother of 2 of his 5 children.

Anna looks damn good ... and in the pics, she's all over Lance -- suggesting that if a hot chick with a hardbody can forgive the guy, maybe we can all move on too.

Then again ... he did cost us 7 frickin' titles!!!

Luke Wilson is reportedly close to inking a deal to play Roger Goodell in a movie about the NFL -- but can he really make the jump from "Old School" party boy to NFL Commish???

Make sure to check out the brand NEW episode of "TMZ Hollywood Sports" on Reelz -- every weekday at 8pm ET, 5pm PT.

Blake Griffin says he's THRILLED the Clips are finally rid of Donald Sterling -- saying the guy was "like a weird uncle" who was clearly "off his rocker."

Griffin just spilled his guts about his former boss on The Players Tribune -- saying his relationship with Sterling was bizarre from day 1 ... when the old man tried to hook him up with two women at a Malibu beach party who were likely paid escorts.

"Two blonde models showed up on either side of me. They had clearly been hired for the event. I knew this because they were wearing size XXXX-L Clippers T-shirts tied at the stomach. I looked at Sterling. He had a big dumb grin on his face. I looked at one of the girls, as if to say, “Uhhh, you don’t have to do this.” She looked back: “Uhhh, yes I do."

In the article, Griffin also talks about how he felt the first time he heard the infamous Sterling audio recording -- saying:

"It was shocking to actually hear what he said, but not really that surprising to me."

There's more about Sterling ... here are some of the highlights:

-- "The guy was off his rocker."
-- "He kind of sounds like a combination of Walter Matthau and Michael Jackson."
-- "[Steve Ballmer] is a good dude. He’s like a cool dad who gives you candy. Donald was like a weird uncle"

Griffin concluded his tell-all with this nugget:

"Someone asked me the other day if I’m mad that he made out with $2 billion for selling the team. Maybe a little bit. But in the end, I’m just happy he’s gone."

It's been a rough week for Beyonce's hair -- it's been under fire for days after the singer debuted her new short bangs .... but now, an NFL hair expert is finally stepping up to DEFEND B's new do.

The man who's got Bey's back is former Washington Redskins linebacker LaVar Arrington -- who tells TMZ Sports everyone needs to take a deep breath and CALM DOWN about the haircut.

"If she feels good about it, I feel good about it."

Hey, if it's good enough for Lloyd Christmas ...

Marlon Wayans finally weighed in on the Snoop Dogg-Iggy Azalea battle -- which he got dragged into -- and his take is HYSTERICAL!

If you missed it, before yesterday's truce ... Snoop posted a side-by-side of Iggy and Marlon's "White Chicks" character.

But last night outside Cecconi's in WeHo ... Marlon called out Snoop, saying ... "I don't think it's a fair comparison. She's way more f**kable than I am." Trust us ... you MUST see his delivery, plus he breaks down the shape of Iggy's ass. It's like a geometry class, if geometry were hilarious.

Marlon also explains why Iggy's Lakers BF Nick Young should be pissed about the "White Chicks" comparison. Man's got a point.

Don't judge Drew Brees by his Fantasy numbers -- he's still "ONE OF THE GREATEST QUARTERBACKS IN THE WORLD" ... so says Brad Pitt.

The Sexiest Man Alive (1995, 2000) was leaving an event in Washington D.C. last night when we asked if he had any advice for the New Orleans Saints QB -- who hasn't exactly been posting those legendary Fantasy stats we're used to.

That's when Pitt -- a HUUUGE Saints fan -- set our TMZ Sports photog straight with a strong defense of the former Super Bowl champ.

Pitt and Brees happen to be friends -- earlier this year, they were spotted throwing a football around with Matthew McConaughey from the balconies of their expensive Bourbon Street pads.

But the bottom line, if you're even THINKING about benching Brees on your Fantasy team this weekend -- as one ESPN article suggests -- you might wanna consider Brad's advice first.

Seems the "trust issues" in Matt Barnes' marriage may be coming to light ... because his estranged wife Gloria Govan has been accused of forging the NBA star's signature to take out a $150k loan ... this according to a lawsuit obtained by TMZ Sports.

The woman behind the lawsuit is Nina Rawls -- the widow of R&B legend Lou Rawls -- who claims Gloria approached her back in March and asked to borrow $150k for a TV project produced by Gloria and Matt's production company.

Rawls says she agreed -- but the loan had to be repaid in full just 2 MONTHS later. According to the suit, May came and went ... and Gloria (who stars on "Basketball Wives: LA") never ponied up the dough.

Eventually, Nina says Gloria ADMITTED that she forged Matt's signature on the loan docs in the first place. It's unclear if Matt ever knew about the loan in the first place ... but our sources tell us Barnes was completely in the dark about the alleged deal.

Now, Nina wants the full $150k back -- plus damages.

We called Matt and Gloria's reps for comment -- so far no word back.

Jenni Rivera's husband wants $35 million from the owners of the plane that crashed and killed her ... even though the couple had filed divorce papers prior to the crash.

Jenni filed for divorce from former MLB pitcher Esteban Loaiza more than 2 months before the plane she was on went down in December 2012 ... but the paperwork hadn't been finalized when she died, so they were still married.

According to court docs ... Loaiza is suing Starwood Management for $25 million in lost future income, $5 mil in past earnings, and -- get this -- $5 mil more in loss of companionship.

Remember, they'd already separated ... so you'd think the S.S. Companionship would have sailed long before Jenni's death.

Gotta hand it to him -- pitcher's got balls.

Artie Lange cares about one thing more than NY sports -- keeping it real when NY sports teams blow ... and the diehard Big Apple fan tells TMZ Sports his beloved Yankees are SCREWED ... especially with Alex Rodriguez coming back.

Lange was out in NY when we asked him the question on every Yankees fan's mind ... now that "Number 2" is out to pasture -- and he's showing the Bombers ZERO fanboy love.

Watch the clip -- Artie blasts everyone ... from A-Rod to Eli Manning. Yeah, he's that down on the state of Empire State sports.