TMZ Sports - Page 50

This video is amazing!!!

Kyrie Irving hooked up a homeless fan with more than $240 IN CASH before playing the Rockets in Houston on Thursday -- and the reaction is INCREDIBLE!!!

The guy who shot the video, Thomas Moreno, tells us ... the Boston Celtics superstar was walking to the team bus when he was approached by a man who was telling people he was destitute.

Kyrie stopped and chatted with the guy ... and then, the big moment happened -- Irving reaches into his pocket, pulls out the cash and hands it right to his new friend.

BOOM!!!!

The guy was so happy, he literally jumped for joy and started hugging random people! He also chased after Kyrie to thank him for the generous gift.

We reached out to Kyrie and the Boston Celtics for comment -- but so far, haven't heard anything.

But, the video basically speaks for itself.

WWE superstar Becky Lynch is already dreaming of "WrestleMania" dominance -- telling us she's dying to "slap the head off Ronda Rousey."

Lynch was supposed to battle Rousey at "Survivor Series" back in November -- but she suffered a serious injury to her face and was pulled from the match.

But, Lynch says she still has a sense of "unfinished business" with Rousey ... and wants to settle things once and for all on April 7 at MetLife Stadium.

Despite the rivalry, Lynch praised Rousey for all that she's done for women's pro wrestling, women's judo and women's MMA ... but warns that she "just hasn't faced a real test yet!"

Meanwhile, Lynch is training her ass off -- recently hitting up Conor McGregor's famous training center in Ireland, the Straight Blast Gym ... where she worked out with Conor's trainer, John Kavanagh.

"John Kavanagh put me through the ringer," Lynch said ... "It was great."

McGregor has raved about Lynch -- praising his fellow Irish superstar publicly and telling her to call "any time you need backup."

So, will the two connect and beat some ass as the greatest Irish tag team ever? Don't rule it out ...

Alexander Gustafsson says he's "ready for war" -- telling TMZ Sports he guarantees victory over Jon Jones at UFC 232 on Saturday ... "I will dominate every round."

Alex has been cool, calm and confident despite all the drama surrounding the rematch -- and explains he wasn't surprised when Jones tested positive for PEDs again.

"This guy gets confidence by putting sh*t in his body," Alex says ... "He's always been like that, I'm not surprised."

For his part, Jones denies using steroids for the Gustafsson rematch -- and says he only tested positive for an extremely tiny amount of oral Turinabol which was still in his system from a previous incident.

When a team gives you a guaranteed 3-year, $84 MILLION contract, you better give them a win in the playoffs -- at least, that's how Greg Jennings feels about Kirk Cousins' big contract.

The ex-Vikings WR tells us it doesn't seem like the QB's contract has been worth it to Minnesota based on the team's 8-6-1 record ... but there's more to his deal than wins and losses.

Jennings says what Cousins brings to the team in terms of leadership and other off-the-field qualities is valuable ... but the bottom line, he needs to get to the playoffs and win!

The Vikings are playing the Chicago Bears this weekend -- and it's an essentially must-win game.

There's more ... Jennings (who also played with Aaron Rodgers on the Packers) explains why the QB must share part of the blame for Green Bay's terrible season.

Antonio Gates disagrees with LeBron James saying NFL owners have a "slave mentality" ... 'cause the TE says players know what they sign up for and make a great living doing it.

Of course, LeBron went off on the NFL on his HBO show, "The Shop," last week, saying, "In the NFL they got a bunch of old white men owning teams and they got that slave mentality ..."

"And, it's a little like, 'This is my team. You do what the f*** I tell y'all to do. Or, we get rid of y'all.'"

When we got Gates out in Bev Hills ... he told us he ain't buying what LBJ's selling -- saying NFL players know what they're getting into when they ink their contracts.

"I don't know all the owners -- I know my owner. And, my relationship with my owner has been phenomenal. And, it's sports. You know what I mean? You get paid to play."

Gates added, "We all know what we sign up for."

As for the differences between the NBA and the NFL ... Antonio says he does hope one day his league can guarantee contracts like LeBron's -- but he still doesn't see NFL owners having a "slave mentality" at all.

Jon Jones says Daniel Cormier's attack on his wife's "flat" booty doesn't faze him at all -- telling TMZ Sports ... Cormier is right!

The UFC rivals have been going back and forth on social media -- but things got crazy personal on Dec. 23 when they brought their wives into the feud.

Jones started it ... saying to Cormier, "I could slap your wife on the ass and you could literally do nothing about it. You're my bitch D.C. that will never change."

Cormier responded ... "You couldn't do sh*t you steroid abusing junkie! I swear I would never touch your wife's flat ass lol."

So, when we saw Jones after the UFC 232 press conference on Thursday, we asked if Cormier crossed the line by going after his wife's cakes.

"He said my wife got a flat ass? She DOES have a flat ass ... but I love it!

He continued, "Oh, I love it. It's nice. It's good. I love my wife's flat ass!"

2:45 PM PT -- Dana White says the decision to move UFC 232 from Las Vegas to Los Angeles cost roughly $6 million.

White says he did NOT want to cancel the fight and worked to find a venue where it could happen when problems arose in Nevada.

White says once they found out The Forum in L.A. was available, they booked it and the rest is history.

Alexander Gustafsson just went off on Jon Jones to his face -- saying the guy is a "terrible" cheater who's spewing "bullsh*t" about his positive PED test.

The two exchanged shots at the UFC 232 press conference -- Gustafsson says he's convinced Jones is a cheater, but didn't want to back out of the Dec. 29 fight because he wants to beat the guy's ass.

"I'm here to fight," Gustafsson said ... "He will eat it Saturday night."

UFC 232 was supposed to go down in Las Vegas -- but was moved to L.A. after Jones tested positive for Turinabol, an anabolic steroid.

Jones has insisted he only had trace amounts of the PED in his system -- remnants of the last time he tested positive. He's adamant the Turinabol in his system is not new.

The UFC -- along with the California State Athletic Commission and other officials -- believe Jones, which is why the fight was greenlit in CA.

During the event, Jones doubled down on his claim that he's not a cheater and will eventually be vindicated by tested organizations.

Jones says it's "hilarious" that people think PEDs are the reason for his success.

This is one clever way to avoid visiting family during the holidays -- Jean-Jacques Savin has boarded a vessel in an attempt to cross the Atlantic Ocean relying only on the current and wind.

After spending months to build a barrel-shaped capsule, the 71-year-old Frenchman jumped in his vessel off the coast of El Hierro in the Canary Islands. His mission -- to cross most of the Atlantic and ultimately reach the Caribbean ... either Barbados or the French islands of Martinique or Guadeloupe.

According to reports ... Savin's gonna spend the next 3 months inside his vessel that's already 11 miles away from his origin. He's reportedly gone just 1 to 2 miles per hour since leaving Wednesday.

Savin -- who funded the $66k trip through crowdfunding and a sponsor -- calls the expedition a "crossing during which man isn't a captain of his ship, but a passenger of the ocean." He reportedly loaded up his 10-foot by 6-foot vessel with a bottle of Sauternes white wine and a block of foie gras to celebrate New Year's Eve. He's also got a bottle of Saint-Émilion red to celebrate his 72nd birthday in January.

Dez Bryant is all about the wheel routes now ... 'cause dude's using a scooter to get around these days after that devastating leg injury back in November.

The ex-Cowboys superstar blew out his Achilles just hours after inking a deal with the Saints last month ... and the injury's expected to keep the WR off the field for the next year.

Dez underwent surgery days after the injury -- but it's clear docs want him to stay off the leg during the first part of the recovery process ... 'cause Dez was seen living the scooter life around DFW on Wednesday night.

We're told Bryant was in good spirits ... scootin' around the airport and even taking selfies with fans.

Good news ... high school wrestler Andrew Johnson is doing well and in "pretty good spirits" after the haircut incident earlier this month -- but we've learned the family is still weighing their legal options.

Johnson has gone under the radar ever since the Dec. 19 wrestling match when referee Alan Maloney (who is white) told the 16-year-old black wrestler to either chop off his dreadlocks or forfeit the match.

But, a source closely connected to the family put it this way -- "Andrew is in pretty good spirits. He hopes for things to return to normal and he's looking forward to competing with his wrestling team again soon."

There are reports the family has already decided not to pursue legal action over the incident ... but sources with direct knowledge say those reports are inaccurate.

In fact, we're told the family is considering all options. One thing they want before making any decisions ... the findings of the NJ Attorney General's Division on Civil Rights. That Division is in the midst of its investigation into the incident.

Johnson's teammates at Buena Regional High School in New Jersey had a scheduled meet Thursday -- but Johnson did not participate because he's felt overwhelmed by the media attention.

Several huge stars have tried to reach out to Johnson to lend their support -- and some UFC fighters have offered to personally train him -- but it's unclear if Johnson has spoken with anyone yet.

As for the ref, sources connected to Maloney tell us he's adamant he was following the rules and race had nothing to do with the situation.

Remember that awesome RV Baker Mayfield rented for the Cleveland Browns quarterbacks during training camp??

Lucky for crazy Browns fans, the mobile memorabilia is up for grabs ... if ya got at least an extra $200k lying around!!

The "QB RV" became a huge hit with the fans after it was featured in a segment on HBO's "Hard Knocks" earlier in the season. We're told Baker used 3 different RVs during training camp but this is the best one.

Baker, Tyrod Taylor and Brogan Roback would use it to take naps and eat snacks. Good times!

Well now, Neff Brothers RV in Lorain, Ohio -- the company that originally rented the RV out to Baker as part of his rookie hazing back in August -- confirms to TMZ Sports that the QB-mobile is on the market.

The company says they're accepting offers for the 2019 luxury Class “A” Forest River Georgetown 377XL motorhome -- valued at $195k -- complete with an autographed mini fridge AND the original renter's contract signed by Mr. Dangerous himself!!

Not only does the lucky bidder get the cool piece of Browns history, they get a whip with ALL the bells and whistles -- a Furion fireplace, Corian tile countertops, three slideouts, heated and massaging theater seating.

A rep for the company tells us they'll listen to ALL offers in order to get the whip to a rightful owner -- but if Mayfield is interested in buying it, they're down to work out a deal.

Hey, with the way he's been playing ... might be a good luck charm.

Worry not Laker fans ... Halsey thinks Kyle Kuzma will hold the fort down while LeBron is out ... and we gotta admit, the singer really seems to know her basketball.

The whole sports world held their collective breath when LeBron injured himself on Christmas day and, now that we know he's gonna be out a while, the question is how will the Lakers respond?

We got Halsey at LAX and she has all the faith in the world in the young guys, saying they played the second half beautifully without LBJ, and she expects more of the same, especially from one guy.

"I think they did fine in the second half. I think Kuzma's a star."

Kyle Kuzma is BALLING this season ... averaging 18 points a game and providing the second guy LeBron has needed for the turnaround season.

Halsey seems to think he can now be the MAIN guy, and with LeBron sidelined for at least a couple games, he's gonna get his chance.

Stefon Diggs won Son of the Year AND Brother of the Year awards in just a couple hours on Christmas ... 'cause the WR got his mom a new car and his bros diamond chains!!!

The Vikings superstar started his Santa impression Tuesday with a Mercedes ... delivering it to his mom on the holiday in a fashion she'll never forget.

"You get 1 mom... here’s something for the lady that put up with all my craziness. Merry Christmas everyone," Diggs wrote.

But, his bag of toys didn't end there ... the dude also had diamond shovels (get it, Diggs??) made by Al the Jeweler for his brothers!!!

It's a huge Christmas haul for the Diggs fam ... but don't worry -- we got a feeling this is a trend that'll continue for years -- Stefon just signed a 5-year, $72-MILLION deal!!

The Pittsburgh Steelers' season rests on the Cleveland Browns beating the Ravens this weekend ... which is why Antonio Brown just became the new LEADER OF THE DAWG POUND, BABY!!!

Yeah, they're divisional rivals ... but forget all that, AB knows he needs Baker Mayfield and company to shut down Terrell Suggs or they can kiss the playoffs g'bye!

So, Antonio decided to make some slight tweaks to his Steelers jersey to show his commitment -- changing the name on the back from "Brown" to "BROWNS."

The WR posted pics of his gear on social media with the caption, "Who else has their #84 browns jersey ready for this weekend?"

Of course ... even if Cleveland takes care of business in Baltimore -- the Steelers still gotta beat the Bengals to get to the playoff party.

Sounds pretty easy ... but Pitt has lost 4 of its last 5 games -- so anything can go down Sunday.

Magic Johnson doesn't seem too concerned that his franchise player is sidelined with a groin injury -- telling TMZ Sports it's all gonna be okay!

Of course, LeBron James scared the entire NBA when he left the Lakers' Christmas Day game against the Golden State Warriors after coming up limpy after an awkward fall.

Bron later announced the injury was just a groin strain -- nothing more serious -- but still, people are wondering if this is the beginning of the end for a soon-to-be 34-year-old who's never had any serious injuries.

"We don't worry about what people say," Johnson told us on the way out of Craig's in Los Angeles ... "We're having a great season, you can't worry about what people say."

"I'm happy and we'll be okay."

We asked if the injury scare increased Magic's sense of urgency in getting another superstar to the Lakers -- to which he replied, "Nope. Nope. Nope."

So, what's the message to the rest of the Lakers who will have to soldier on without LeBron?

"Play hard, play together, play Laker basketball."

As for LeBron's return date, Magic wasn't specific -- saying James is "taking a little time."

We also asked Magic how he felt about LeBron's controversy regarding his "Jewish Money" comments earlier this week ... and the NBA legend seemed satisfied with how James has handled it.

"He apologized so that's a good thing," Magic said.

"He's a great man and he apologized and everybody moves on, right?"

The Buena Regional High School wrestling team announced it will NOT compete in events refereed by the man who forced Andrew Johnson to cut his hair before a match earlier this month.

The Buena Regional school board held an emergency meeting in New Jersey on Wednesday with board members and concerned community members ... and that's where the announcement was made.

As we previously reported, referee Alan Maloney (who is white) told the 16-year-old black wrestler to either cut off his dreadlocks or forfeit the match during a Dec. 19 event.

Johnson -- who was only given 90 seconds to make his decision -- opted for the haircut ... and video of the shameful moment went viral.

Maloney's camp insists the ref was only following strict guidelines about hair maintenance -- and was not being racist.

As for Johnson, Buena has a wrestling match scheduled for Thursday morning -- but an attorney for the student says he will NOT compete because he's overwhelmed by the media attention.