TMZ Sports - Page 50

Scottie Pippen says he's a fan of Luke Walton -- but tells TMZ Sports, if his old pal, Phil Jackson, was coaching the Lakers, they'd be well on their way to an NBA title already.

Look, this definitely ain't an aggressive shot at Luke -- but, Pippen kept it 100 telling us, "That's all he [Phil Jackson] do is win."

Scottie was braving the frozen tundra of Bev Hills (it was 58 degrees) on Monday when we asked about the situation with the Lakers ... currently in 10th place in the Western Conference.

Pippen told us he'd love to see 73-year-old Phil come out of retirement for another crack at a Larry O'Brien Trophy ... and he's confident LeBron, Lonzo and Kuzma could get the job done.

Scottie won 6 NBA rings under Jackson during his run with the Chicago Bulls. Phil went on to win 5 more with the L.A. Lakers.

Of course, there are reports of turmoil in Laker Nation -- with members of LeBron's camp allegedly pushing for Magic Johnson and Rob Pelinka to replace Luke ASAP.

We spoke with Luke on Sunday -- and he denied friction with LeBron, telling TMZ Sports, "LeBron and I get along just fine."

So, what happens now? Luke says he's confident he can right the ship and lead the Lakers to the playoffs.

Floyd Mayweather is TRIPLING DOWN on Gucci ... rocking the brand from neck-to-toe -- but he ain't about to hear comments on the matter -- dude disabled 'em from his social media!!!

Gucci has faced major criticism over the past month after the apparel giant released a sweater that many called "racist" because it appears to be blackface -- but Floyd's still riding with them.

Mayweather backed them on a massive shopping spree last week ... he backed them on his private jet just a day later ... and on Monday, he took it one step even FURTHER.

The boxing legend posted a pic in a Gucci shirt, Gucci socks AND Gucci shoes -- writing, "BORN A LEADER."

The most interesting part of the post? Floyd disabled all comments.

Remember, Floyd's been ripped by all kinds of celebs for backing the brand ... with 50 Cent attacking the guy on social media and T.I. making a whole rap song devoted to the issue.

Seems Mayweather's done hearing their take.

For Gucci's part, François-Henri Pinault -- the guy who runs the brand's parent company Kering -- explained, "We didn’t understand the sensitivities of the African-American community, which is reflected in that mistake."

Draymond Green spared no expense when he proposed to his girlfriend last month -- TMZ Sports has learned the ring he used to pop the question is worth $300,000!!!

Remember, Warriors coach Steve Kerr accidentally broke the news a few weeks ago that Green got engaged to actress and "Basketball Wives" regular Hazel Renee ... but now, we've got deets.

There was a helicopter. There was a yacht. Oh yeah, and a big ass ring.

Turns out, Day Day hit up Jason of Beverly Hills for the 6-carat flawless diamond ring ... and the NBAer had his fingerprint on the whole thing.

"Draymond was very involved in the design process," Jason Arasheben, CEO Jason of Beverly Hills tells us.

"I took multiple trips up to the Bay to show him stone options and to choose the setting. He was very particular about the quality of the center stone. He wanted only the best for Hazel."

... and he got it!

Congrats to the couple -- and if you're wondering when the two will actually tie the knot, maybe ask Steve Kerr (he seems to know things).

Normally, UFC fighter Vicente Luque wouldn't give two craps how his face looked after going to war in the Octagon -- but this time it's different, he's getting MARRIED next month!

Luque was the winner of that INSANE 3-round brawl with Bryan Barberena on "UFC on ESPN 1" on Sunday night ... a fight that was so violent, each guy won a $50,000 fight of the night bonus!

Luque tells TMZ Sports ... he was in A LOT of pain after getting home Sunday night and could barely fall asleep because his face hurt so much.

"I was in a lot of pain, man. So, I would sleep like 10 minutes on one side and then my face was hurting and I would move!"

The 27-year-old -- who born in New Jersey -- says his fiancee has been encouraging him to ice his face in the hopes that his bruising and swelling will go away by the time he's got to pose for wedding pics ... but we think the damage will make the pics look that much cooler!!!

"I'm not gonna have the best face for the wedding, but we're gonna have a good time."

Despite the damage, Luque says he had a BLAST during the fight and can't wait to get back in the Octagon again as soon as possible.

We asked if he'd be down for a rematch with Barberena -- but he told us he wants to get a shot at a Top 10 fighter first ... and then maybe a rematch down the line.

He's got a ton of respect for Barberena -- telling us no one has hit him as hard as that guy -- but his main focus is climbing the ranks and getting a title shot.

Good luck!

Anthony Hamilton says the NBA wanted a pre-screening of his All-Star game National Anthem performance -- most likely to avoid another Fergie-ish disaster.

Anthony came on "TMZ Live" to break down the reasons why he sang "The Star-Spangled Banner" the way he did -- which got rave reviews Sunday night ahead of the tip-off. AH says Colin Kaepernick actually played a role in how he arranged it.

Check out his explanation ... it's interesting, especially now that Kap has settled with the NFL.

We also asked him about the elephant in the room -- his predecessor's widely mocked version from last year. He says the league had some specific guidelines, including getting a preview of his rehearsals for the gig.

Turns out the NBA's got good taste in music ... because Anthony won over the crowd in Charlotte -- his hometown, BTW -- and also everyone watching at home ... based on the immediate reaction on social media.

It's a miracle Demaryius Thomas wasn't killed in his car crash Saturday morning -- with a key witness telling TMZ Sports he watched DT's car flip 3 times ... and was SHOCKED when he saw the NFL star get out of the vehicle mostly unharmed.

We spoke with Michael Tafoya who happened to be driving in the Denver area around 12:20 AM when he saw the vehicle lose control, hit a curb and launch 20 feet into the air. The car then rolled 3 times before finally landing in a grassy median.

Tafoya -- who's a registered nurse -- says he ran over to the crash scene to help out and tried to get the door open to help the passengers, but it was stuck.

Cops arrived to the scene a short time later and took over -- managing to free Thomas and both of his passengers. Tafoya says officials used the Jaws of Life to help free Thomas from the car.

The ex-Broncos star and the 2 passengers are expected to be fine, according to officials -- but Tafoya tells us Thomas had a "hellacious knot" on his head.

Michael tells us the whole thing looked like a scene out of an action movie ... adding, "I thought those people were dead."

Thomas played for the Broncos for nine seasons before being traded mid-way through this past year to the Texans. He's now a free agent after Houston released him last week.

Cops say the cause of the crash is under investigation.

Tennis legend Martina Navratilova says she's done her research and now believes more than ever transgender athletes physiologically born as men should NOT be allowed to compete against women.

"It's insane and it's cheating," Martina says in an op-ed posted in The Sunday Times.

"I am happy to address a transgender woman in whatever form she prefers, but I would not be happy to compete against her. It would not be fair."

Martina has become passionate about the issue after an online spat with transgender cyclist Rachel McKinnon -- who won the Masters Track championship in L.A. back in October. The woman who came in 3rd place, Jennifer Wagner-Assali, said the fact McKinnon was allowed to compete against women is "not fair."

Martina initially sided with Wagner-Assali -- which led to McKinnon labeling the tennis great as "transphobic."

So, Martina says she decided to dedicate months of her life to researching the topic -- and now feels even STRONGER that trans women have an unfair advantage and shouldn't be allowed to compete against cisgender women.

"Simply reducing hormone levels -- the prescription most sports have adopted -- does not solve the problem. A man builds up muscle and bone density, as well as a greater number of oxygen-carrying red blood cells, from childhood," Martina wrote ... "Training increases the discrepancy."

"Indeed, if a male were to change gender in such a way as to eliminate any accumulated advantage, he would have to begin hormone treatment before puberty. For me, that is unthinkable."

Martina says she's up for having the tough conversations on the issue -- but feels there's a "growing tendency among transgender activists to denounce anyone who argues against them and to label them all as 'transphobes.'"

Conor McGregor vs. Donald "Cowboy" Cerrone is NOT a done deal, as some reports have indicated -- Dana White tells TMZ Sports, "Not true. Not even close."

Both Conor and Cowboy have publicly shown interest in the fight -- and White recently said he's down to make it happen. Fans are excited.

In fact, UFC announcer Joe Rogan was talking about the matchup on "The Joe Rogan Experience" podcast Sunday night ... and said, "It's a done deal, as far as I know."

But, White tells TMZ Sports ... that's just not the case, "It's not even close to being done."

McGregor hasn't fought since October 6 when he lost to Khabib Nurmagomedov at UFC 229. Conor has been posting photos and videos showing himself training in his MMA gym while everyone anxiously awaits the UFC to officially announce his next opponent.

White has previously told TMZ Sports he expects Conor and Khabib to rematch in 2019 -- after they each fight other opponents.

White has suggested Khabib's next fight could be Tony Ferguson, who's an absolute monster in the Octagon.

Conor has previously talked about fighting Anderson Silva -- but it seems he's on a collision course with Cowboy first.

No shirts were taken off, twisted around hands and spun like helicopters at NBA All-Star Weekend in Charlotte ... and Petey Pablo is pissed.

Remember, Pablo's 2001 hit, "Raise Up," is all about North Carolina pride -- and the NBA even used the song in an All-Star game promo.

But Pablo, who's from NC, wasn't invited to perform during the ASW festivities -- and it's clear he's upset about it, calling out the NBA, TNT and the Charlotte Hornets on social media.

"To all my fans thank you guys for all the love and support. You will have to ask @NBA @NBAonTNT @hornets @NBAAllStar why I wasn’t added as a performer this year for all star.

"I guess they just wanted to rock the building and not tear the whole roof off."

Instead, ASW featured performers like Meek Mill, J. Cole and constant tributes to the Curry family (Steph, Seth and Dell all have deep ties to NC).

The players didn't seem to miss Petey -- as evidenced by this pic of LeBron James and his teammates coming out of the locker room at halftime to watch J. Cole perform.

Would you pay more than $2,000 for Julian Edelman's discarded beard shavings?!?

That's the going rate for the NFL star's recently shorn facial follicles -- which Ellen DeGeneres famously shaved off earlier this month after the Patriots won the Super Bowl.

Ellen collected the trimmings off the floor of her show and donated them to CharityBuzz -- which is now hosting an online auction with the proceeds benefiting the Boys & Girls Clubs of Boston.

The opening bid was $1,000 ... but that was quickly surpassed and as of the time of this post, the leading bidder has offered up $2,100!!!!!

Think it's gross to buy someone's used beard?? Maybe ... but Edelman's face fuzz was a piece of Patriots history.

The WR rocked the scruff during his Super Bowl MVP performance in New England's SIXTH Lombardi Trophy-winning game.

Besides the cash raised from the auction, both Julian and Ellen donated $10,000 each to the Boys & Girls Clubs ... so, props to them!!!

The bigger issue ... what does the winning bidder do with the beard? Display them? Throw them away? Clone Edelman?

Baker Mayfield says he hasn't linked up with his newest star running back ... telling TMZ Sports he's yet to talk to Kareem Hunt since joining the Browns.

The star QB -- along with his fiancee, Emily Wilkinson -- was at LAX over the weekend and we asked if he's had a chance to connect with Hunt after the team signed him last Monday.

Of course ... it's been a busy week for Bake -- he had a romantic Valentine's dinner with Emily ... and just got back from a trip to Denver with his Oklahoma teammates.

As for Bake's teammates, we spoke with David Njoku about the new addition ... and he says he's excited to welcome Hunt aboard. So, we're assuming the guy won't be getting the cold shoulder.

How's Sean McVay getting over the Rams' devastating Super Bowl loss to the Patriots??

You're looking at it ... and we gotta say -- it's getting tough to feel bad for the L.A. head coach now.

McVay and his smokin' hot GF, Veronika Khomyn, hit up what appears to be Hawaii (for the second offseason in a row) ... and seems she's helpin' him get through his dark times.

There's a tiny bikini ... a pool ... the Pacific Ocean ... and shining sun.

Yeah, what Super Bowl L?????

The two have been mostly hangin' poolside in paradise ... but don't worry, Rams fans -- Veronika said last week she was havin' a hard time getting McVay to stop studying plays on his iPad!!!

The trip to the islands seems to be an annual thing for these guys ... last year, they were in Maui to get over McVay's first-ever playoff loss with the Rams.

If ya need a reminder of how Veronika helped back then ... you're welcome.

Lakers' head coach Luke Walton says he doesn't know ANYTHING about reports of friction between him and LeBron James ... telling TMZ Sports, "LeBron and I get along just fine."

The 38-year-old head coach had just touched down at LAX where he let us ask some Lakers questions -- and couldn't have been nicer about it.

On how the season is going so far, Luke told us he thinks it's "good" but points out how injuries to guys like LeBron, Lonzo and others have had an impact.

Still, Luke is optimistic -- telling us, "We'll be alright."

In fact, Walton told us he still thinks the 28-29 Lakers (currently in 10th place in the West) could make the playoffs ... saying, "We have some work to do, but we can do it."

ESPN's Jackie MacMullan recently reported about tension in the Lakers locker room between players and the head coach ... saying in late January, "It's clear to me ... that LeBron's camp would prefer a coaching change. They're not too subtle about that."

Luke cracks a smile when we asked about those reports -- probably because there's more to the story he's just not ready to say publicly yet.

If Floyd Mayweather wants to do business with undefeated boxing star Ryan Garcia (17-0) ... he's gonna have to break out the checkbook!!

Garcia just watched our video where Floyd tells TMZ Sports he wants the 20-year-old to fight one of his rising stars, Rolando "Rolly" Romero, if he wants to get the BIG money fight with Gervonta "Tank" Davis.

Garcia says he's down to scrap with Rolly -- but he's got demands of his own ... namely a $1 MILLION bonus if he knocks Rolly out.

"On the Floyd situation, you have always been the biggest mouth in the room," Garcia says ... "Talk is real real cheap!!!!"

"No more talk," he added ... "actions speaks louder then words I will fight your fighter but I’m going to need 1m if I knock him out and I’ll take that 200k to beat him."

Hey, it's progress!!

Remember, in Floyd's offer ... he told us he's willing to cut Ryan a $200k bonus check if he beats Rolly -- plus, he'd greenlight the "Tank" Davis fight.

But, Garcia's counter is the "knockout bonus" -- a cool $1,000,000 if he ends the fight early with a K.O. -- in addition to the $200,000 victory money.

4:02 PM PT -- A rep for Josie Harris tells us she's also not connected with the project.

10:31 AM PT -- Delicia Cordon also denies involvement with the show. Still, our production sources tell us producers still plan on moving forward with the project.

7:30 AM PT -- Evelyn Lozada's camp tells us she was contacted by producers and had discussions about joining the show, but ultimately turned down their offer to appear in the program.

The woman accusing LeSean McCoy of masterminding a violent robbery at her Georgia home is now trying to take her story to TV ... and she's not alone.

TMZ Sports has learned Delicia Cordon -- along with Evelyn Lozada, Josie Harris and Micaela Sanchez -- are all working on a TV project about surviving abuse.

Cordon is currently suing the NFL running back -- claiming he orchestrated the July 2018 incident when someone broke into her home and pistol-whipped her while stealing valuables. McCoy has denied all wrongdoing.

Evelyn Lozada married NFL star Chad Ochocinco in July 2012 -- but filed for divorce 6 weeks later when he headbutted her during an argument.

Josie Harris was attacked by her baby daddy Floyd Mayweather in 2010. Floyd was convicted and spent 2 months in jail for domestic violence.

Micaela Sanchez has a child with Baltimore Ravens cornerback Jimmy Smith. They're locked in a legal battle because she claims he's been violent towards her. He's adamantly denied her allegations.

We're told the series was partially inspired by "Surviving R. Kelly" -- and producers are still looking for other women to join the project. Sources tell us producers are currently speaking with TV networks and other digital media outlets in hopes of making a deal.

Cops nabbed a guy they say pulled the home invasion that forced Magic Johnson's daughter to run for her life.

Law enforcement sources tell TMZ ... LAPD identified the suspect after reviewing surveillance video from the neighborhood where Elisa Johnson's friends were renting a house back in December.

We broke the story ... 2 armed men got inside the home and started terrorizing Elisa's friends, holding them at gunpoint and making off with a Rolex, cash and electronics. She was able to escape out of a sliding glass door at the back of the home.

Our sources say the suspect is a 25-year-old man with a long rap sheet. In fact, we're told he was at his parole office when cops picked him up. He's now facing multiple robbery charges for the home invasion and is being held without bail. We're told the 2nd suspect remains at large.

As we reported, Elisa -- who appears on her brother EJ Johnson's E! reality show -- ran down the street and knocked on neighbors' doors, until she got someone to call 911.