TMZ Sports - Page 50

Deflate-gate -- or anything like Deflate-gate -- would NEVER happen in the NBA ... because Adam Silver doesn't SUCK like Roger Goodell ... so says ex-NBA coach Mark Jackson.

The former Golden State Warriors head coach strongly believes the issues in the NFL trickle down from horrible leadership -- and says the buck ultimately stops with Goodell.

"The issue is how poorly the Commissioner and the league is handling the entire situation [Deflate-gate]," Jackson says ... "It's been a horrible year."

Pro skier Henrik Harlaut was knocked out cold Saturday during an X Games Aspen event ... and the footage is frightening.

It all went down during the Men's Slopestyle finals ... when Harlaut landed a trick the wrong way and took a gnarly tumble -- leaving the 23 year-old motionless as medics rushed in to help.

The Swedish skier eventually sat up before being stretchered off the mountain ... and waved to everyone letting them know he's OK while plastering a giant smile across his face.

It's not just the Lakers who will take a hit with Kobe Bryant out the rest of the season -- local L.A. restaurants are also concerned ... telling TMZ Sports business is significantly slower when the Mamba isn't on the court.

FYI -- Staples Center is located right next to L.A. Live ... a major entertainment center packed with restaurants often trafficked by people before and after events at the arena.

But with Kobe going down with a torn rotator cuff, several restaurant staffers tell us everyone is going to suffer.

We spoke with Mike Zislis -- owner of Rock ‘N Fish at L.A. Live -- who tells us, "We feel like we’re gonna lose at least 10 percent of our sales per home game."

"Last year when Kobe was out we calculated we lost $250k in revenue," Zislis says, noting that Kobe only played in 2 home games during the '13-'14 season.

"Lakers fans generally spend more than Kings or Clippers fans so when they suck and Kobe isn’t there to draw fans, it hurts."

We also spoke with staffers at Katsuya at L.A. Live who echoed Mike's statements. One staffer told us, "When Kobe is out, the restaurant is empty and business is slow. It sucks for the staff because less people equals less tips."

Of course, there's one simple solution to the problem -- the Lakers could go on a winning streak and bring the fans back to the arena.

Roc Nation Sports boxer Dusty Harrison-Hernandez tells TMZ Sports ... being a part of Jay's company is AWESOME ... not just because it's blowin' up his career, but he also met Rihanna.

20-year-old DHH is 25-0 and recently headlined the Roc's first "Throne Boxing" event in NYC ... where some of the biggest stars from the Roc Nation family came out to support, including CC Sabathia, RiRi and Jay himself.

"They made a big entrance," Dusty says ... "They showed that they're here to make a big impression. They're not just gonna be some small company. They're gonna be a powerhouse."

Dusty admits he was a little apprehensive when he was first approached by Roc Nation Sports -- but says he quickly learned the concerns expressed by guys like Adrien Broner are non-issues.

"Everyone they have working for the boxing division has been involved in boxing. They have a lot of experience in boxing. They know what they're doing. They have a plan."

Some other fun facts ...

"Total Divas" star Paige says her menstrual cycle is good for business ... period.

The WWE wrestler was on her way out of Newark airport Friday when she told us the worst part about being a woman is that bummer time of the month.

But Paige says unlike most women ... it helps her in the ring, and any guy who lives with their significant other will understand her reasoning.

Cops were called to the L.A. residence of Jacksonville Jaguars star Marcedes Lewis Thursday night -- after his baby mama allegedly went berserk when she found out Lewis is gunning for sole custody of their child ... TMZ Sports has learned.

Lewis has a 5-month-old son with porn star Savannah Stern -- who decided to visit Lewis at his pad, which happens to be in a fancy private building in L.A.

We spoke with Lewis who tells us ... Stern was served with court papers during the visit -- informing her that he has filed official documents in an effort to obtain sole custody of their child.

Lewis says Stern began to flip out once she got served -- and began yelling and screaming ... to the point where building staffers decided to call police for help.

Law enforcement confirms ... cops arrived to the scene around 9 PM and took an incident report but no one was arrested. We're told Stern eventually left the building without further incident.

NFL Pro Bowlers might be bad asses on the field -- but when it comes to exotic reptiles, they're giant wussies ... and TMZ Sportsgot pics to prove it.

Antonio Cromartie, Drew Brees, Golden Tate, Chris Harris Jr. were among the players at a Pro Bowl welcome party at the Biltmore Hotel in Phoenix Thursday night -- and came face-to-face with giant snakes, lizards, and alligators.

The Phoenix Herpetological Society brought the creatures, and its prez Russ Johnson tells us most of the players hung back while their wives and kids rushed to pet the animals. He adds some NFLers did eventually come over ... after a couple drinks.

Liquid courage never hurts.

TMZ Sports just got our hands on a script for the pilot episode of Shaq's new sitcom -- and it's laced with hilarious adult-oriented humor ... including jokes about boobs, ISIS and crack.

The show is loosely based on Shaq's real-life business empire -- with people pitching him TV show ideas, products and endorsements.

In one of the scenes from a script that was circulating in December, Shaq is approached with an idea for a TV show similar to "Shaq Vs." ... a real show that didn't do very well on the air.

In the script, an associate explained to Shaq that no one knew what Shaq was "verse" -- and suggested that his new version of the show should include Shaq's foe in the title.

"We could do 'Crack Versus Shaq.' That rhymes. [Shaq] smokes a bowl of crack and tries to dunk."

Another associate suggests, "Shaq Versus Iraq" ... where "[Shaq] goes over there and talks to those ISIS people. We bring in a few basketballs and boom! Peace in the Middle East."

Someone else pitches, "Yak Versus Shaq" ... which evidently involves the mountainous animal.

The script we read -- which was circulating in December -- is actually pretty funny ... with boob jokes, fart jokes and even a Tim Tebow zinger.

The NFL says it has already collected video, electronic information and physical evidence -- and have hired forensic experts to see if foul play was a factor in Deflate-Gate.

The league just announced it has hired Renaissance Associates -- which it describes as "an investigatory firm with sophisticated forensic expertise to assist in reviewing electronic and video information."

The league has also tapped NFL Executive Vice President Jeff Pash and attorney Ted Wells to head the investigation into the New England Patriots and to find out why 11 balls were underinflated at the AFC Championship game.

Denver Nuggets point guard Ty Lawson was arrested early Friday morning on suspicion of DUI.

According to the police report, a Denver PD officer spotted Lawson going 61 MPH in a 35 MPH zone, so he pulled him over. The officer says Lawson admitted to having consumed alcohol prior to driving.

The officer says Lawson had slurred speech, his breath smelled like alcohol, he was off balance and his eyes were bloodshot. When Lawson couldn't pass the field sobriety test ... that's when the officer arrested him.

Lawson was charged with DUI, speeding and careless driving.

He was taken into custody and has since been released.

Mike Tyson says he was inspired to sing by one of the most hated dictators of all time ... Benito Mussolini.

Tyson was talking to Rolling Stone about his vocal cameo on the upcoming Madonna song "Iconic" when he said he drew inspiration from the former Italian dictator.

"When I did it, I think about being some guy like [Benito] Mussolini and they're really arrogant, but you try to come from a positive perspective and be uplifting. You watch Mussolini on television — even though we don't understand what he's saying — he is so mesmerizing. I look at myself in that way."

But then Tyson ups his game ... by saying he can't blame Adolf Hitler for admiring the Italian leader.

Shaquille O'Neal could be the biggest sitcom star of all time ... 'cause the 7-footer has a brand new scripted TV show in the works.

TruTV has ordered a pilot episode of the show, tentatively titled, "Shaq Inc." -- a workplace comedy that's kinda sorta based around Shaq's real-life business empire ... according to multiple reports.

Shaq will also serve as one of the show's executive producers ... along with big time producer Mike Tollin, who's worked on stuff like "One Tree Hill," "Smallville" and "Arli$$."

"Shaquille and I have been friends for 20 years, and his growth as a businessman never ceases to amaze and amuse me," Tollin said.

Seems Cristiano Ronaldo has a lot more free time on his hands now that he's single -- 'cause the soccer star decided to go under cover as a fat guy to screw with some fans.

Ronaldo threw on a beard, mustache, sunglasses and some fat guy padding ... and went out on the streets of Madrid Thursday to juggle a soccer ball ... just to see how people would react.

Eventually, Ronaldo ripped off the disguise ... and the people went crazy ... especially one young kid who got a hug from Ronaldo and an autographed soccer ball.

He's so sneaky.

Maybe he really IS the most powerful man in the NBA ... because Justin Bieber's pal Kyle Lowry has been voted to be a starter in the NBA All-Star game ... and it seems Bieb's support put him over the top.

As we previously reported, Lowry was 3rd in All-Star voting for the Eastern Conference backcourt position behind Dwyane Wade and John Wall ... that is, until Bieber tweeted to his 60 MILLION followers to vote for the Toronto Raptors star.

Well, Bieber's plan worked ... with Lowry surging ahead in the voting at the last minute to secure a starting spot ... beating out Wade by 15,000 votes.

Justin Bieber is not shtupping the young women everyone thinks he's shtupping.

Hailey Baldwin and Kendall Jenner have been hanging with Biebs for a while now, and on the surface it looked like the chumminess was more than friendship. Turns out that's all it is.

As we reported, Bieber has been changing things up ... he hasn't been in trouble for months, he's not hanging with his old crowd and he's spending a lot of time on self-improvement.

Our Bieber sources say J.B. likes hanging with Hailey and Kendall because they're relatively drama free and positive. They go to church, restaurants, concerts and clubs, but it's not romantic.

The trio went to the Clippers game Thursday night, along with 3 Vine stars -- King Bach, Curtis Lepore and Nash Grier.

The trio went to see Bieber's pastor Judah Smith speak on Wednesday night and they hit up a comedy club afterward.

We're told Bieber's not with Selena either -- they see each other, but they're not a couple. Fact is ... he's single, and pretty happy.

Former UFC fighter Dave Herman tells TMZ Sports he's lucky to be alive after a violent encounter with police this weekend ... and says if he was black, he'd "probably be dead."

The video was insane -- showing cops using a taser on the 30-year-old heavyweight MMA expert during a stop in Indiana. Herman gets emotional when he tells us how the incident has affected his family.

The DeKalb County Sheriff's Dept. has previously said Herman was speeding and refused to pull over. They also say Herman was aggressive during the stop. Herman says BS.

Herman also says he's POSITIVE he never kicked an officer during the incident -- though he claims an officer put a knee in his back (and joked that his back may have injured the cop's knee).