TMZ Sports - Page 50

Russell Westbrook was playing for Nipsey Hussle when he went OFF in his historic performance on Tuesday night ... dedicating his 20-20-20 game to the slain rap star.

The NBA MVP became the first player to have 20 points, 20 assists and 20 rebounds in a game since Wilt Chamberlain (in 1968) in the Thunder's 119-103 win over the Lakers ... and he explained the symbolic meaning to the milestone.

"20 plus 20 plus 20 .... they know what that means," Brodie told Jason Terry on the TNT broadcast. "That's for my bro. Rest in peace, Nipsey." Brodie said after the game.

Of course, Westbrook is referencing Nipsey's Rollin 60s Neighborhood Crips gang.

Brodie, who grew up in the L.A. area and was close to Nipsey ... and knew firsthand how important he was to the community.

"Grateful to play the game, but that wasn't for me, man. That was for my bro, man. That was for Nipsey."

"I'm just thankful to go out there and compete at a high level, man. Thankful to have these teammates. Thankful and humbled to go out there and play the game I love."

Westbrook also showed tribute to Nipsey with his clothing choice before the game, rocking a blue "Crenshaw" shirt, as well as writing a message on his shoes.

Brodie finished the game with 20 points, 20 assists and 21 rebounds.

Lonzo Ball is suing Alan Foster -- the co-founder of the Big Baller Brand -- alleging the longtime family friend conned them and swindled them out of more than $1.5 million.

TMZ Sports has obtained the lawsuit filed in Los Angeles on Tuesday ... in which Ball alleges Foster orchestrated a "fraudulent scheme" to take money from BBB and divert the money to his personal accounts.

Ball claims Foster intentionally got close to his family knowing he was one of the best basketball players in the country and would likely go on to make millions in the NBA.

The Balls also claim they had no knowledge of Foster's checkered past ... and that he spent several years in federal prison in the early 2000s for his alleged role in a ponzi scheme.

Ball claims Foster began conspiring against them shortly after his release.

It was reported last week that Foster -- who owns around 16 percent of the company -- allegedly stole the money and that Ball cut ties with him ... so it was only a matter of time before it went to court.

Zo also alleges when Foster was confronted, he threatened to expose the Ball family with false information to the public.

It's unclear how much Lonzo is asking for ... but it's well in excess of $2 million.

Hell yes, Meek Mill needs to get his own statue in Philadelphia, a la "Rocky Balboa" ... so says Rep. Dwight Evans who's giving the rapper praise for all Meek's done to transform the criminal justice system.

We got Pennsylvania's Congressman on Capitol Hill hours after Meek's Tuesday news conference introducing new legislation aiming to reform the state's probation and parole system.

As we reported, Meek, 76ers co-owner Michael Rubin and CNN's Van Jones -- who is also CEO of REFORM Alliance -- joined politicians to propose House Bill 1925.

Rep. Evans -- who's district includes Meek's southwest Philly neighborhood -- says the bill is commendable for several reasons. For starters, it provides hope for people who've given up on the system. He also admires Meek's determination to continue putting the spotlight on the problem ... even though he's long since put his case behind him.

As for Meek getting immortalized in bronze -- Evans says it's a move his constituents can get behind.

Fact is, the city already embraced his track, "Dreams and Nightmares" as an unofficial anthem during the Eagles' Super Bowl run ... while Meek was still locked up.

Kamaru Usman and Ali Abdelaziz ran up on Colby Covington before the manager threw a punch during their casino buffet altercation ... new video obtained by TMZ Sports shows.

We broke the story ... Usman and Covington -- who HATE each other's guts -- faced off at the Palms Casino Resort only hours after Kamaru beat Tyron Woodley at UFC 235 ... winning the welterweight title.

In the original video published by TMZ Sports in March, it was unclear -- outside of their disdain for each other -- exactly what sparked the fight.

However, the new video clearly shows Ali Abdelaziz confronting Covington -- who's in line at the buffet -- as Usman tries to hold Ali back.

It's clear Colby -- who almost immediately retreats and takes out his phone to record -- doesn't want to fight.

At one point, Abdelaziz charges and appears to knock Colby's phone to the ground ... before later throwing and seemingly landing a punch to Covington's chest.

The heated altercation lasts about 2 minutes ... but Kamaru never puts hands on Colby.

Covington previously claimed Abdelaziz threatened to shoot him during the altercation ... but if that happened, it's not evident in either video.

The bad blood between Colby and Kamaru goes wayyy back -- several years -- with the 2 fighters getting into it almost every time they're in the same room.

As for a fight in the Octagon ... Usman recently told us he was already in talks to make a Colby fight with Dana White and the UFC.

We reached out to Abdelaziz ... who declined to comment.

7:20 PM PT -- The woman who drove the getaway car spoke with LAPD detectives Tuesday and was allowed to go free ... law enforcement sources tell TMZ. We've learned the woman went to cops Tuesday and after interviewing her they let her leave. Our sources say the woman could be arrested and/or charged at some point in the future.

One source connected to the case tells us, "Sometimes you have to give a little to get a lot." Translation -- if she talks, she walks.

As we reported, TMZ spoke with a woman who was connected to the ownership of the vehicle and told us she drove the getaway car, but did not know what Holder had done.

3:30 PM PT -- Holder's been transferred to LAPD custody now. He's being held without bail for Nipsey's murder.

2:25 PM PT -- Law enforcement sources tell TMZ, murder suspect Eric Holder is in custody. The man arrested early Tuesday afternoon is in fact Holder, who is suspected of murdering Nipsey Hussle. The woman who is the suspected getaway driver reportedly turned herself in.

1:35 PM PT -- A man matching Eric Holder's description has reportedly been captured in the L.A. suburb of Bellflower.

Law enforcement sources tell us L.A. County Sheriff's Dept. deputies nabbed him around 12:53 PM in the 9000 block of Artesia Blvd.

We're told he's been detained for now, and LAPD is responding to make a positive ID. Dispatch audio TMZ has obtained identifies a "possible 187 suspect," meaning homicide suspect. They then confirm they have a detainee in custody, matching Holder's description.

9:33 AM PT -- The LAPD's presser just wrapped, and a number of details in the Nipsey murder case were revealed. One of the most intriguing was an email that either Nipsey himself or someone at Roc Nation sent to L.A. Police Commissioner Steve Soboroff, which he read publicly.

As we reported, Nipsey wanted to get together with the police to work on ways to prevent gang violence in his neighborhood.

The email read, "Our goal is to work with the department to help improve communication, relationships and work toward changing the culture and dialogue between LAPD and the inner city. We want to hear about your new program and your goals for the department, as well as how we can help stop gang violence."

Soboroff says the meeting will happen in honor of Nipsey whenever his family and Roc Nation are ready to do it.

LAPD Police Chief Michel Moore says he doesn't believe Nipsey's murder -- allegedly carried out at the hands of Eric Holder -- was gang-related per se ... in that it wasn't a conflict between rival gangs. Moore says there was a personal dispute between them.

Chief Moore urged Holder to surrender, and anyone with information about his whereabouts to come forward.

8:00 AM PT -- The LAPD will hold a news conference at 8:30 AM PT to reveal developments in the case. We will be live streaming.

Cops think they have the guy who murdered Nipsey Hussle ... because they just named him as a suspect and apparently have issued an arrest warrant.

The LAPD says, "Eric Holder is wanted for the homicide in the shooting of Nipsey Hussle. He was last seen in a 2016 white 4 door Chevy Cruze, CA license plate 7RJD742. Anyone with information related to his whereabouts or this deadly shooting is urged to contact South Bureau Homicide at 323 786-5100."

Giancarlo Stanton, Miguel Andujar, Luis Severino, Dellin Betances and CC Sabathia are ALL injured ... but don't panic, Yankees fans -- Alex Rodriguez says they'll have a GREAT year.

Yankees had high hopes for this year's squad -- the Yanks were the favorites to win the World Series in many places -- but the season has gotten off to a rough start ... with the NYY dropping 2 out of 3 to the terrible Orioles AND losing several key players to injury.

If that's got you all worked up, take it from a World Series champ, 'cause TMZ Sports saw A-Rod leaving The Mandarin Hotel in NYC, and he ain't worried at all.

"I think the Yankees will be great," Rodriguez says ... "It's gonna be a great year."

Richie Incognito struck a deal in his funeral home threats case -- the one where he allegedly went berserk in a mortuary last summer -- and will avoid time behind bars ... TMZ Sports has learned.

We broke the story ... the ex-Buffalo Bills OL was arrested in Arizona last August after he allegedly threatened to shoot staffers in a funeral home following the death of his father.

Witnesses allege the 6'3', 320-pound ex-NFL star blew up on mortuary employees ... threatening to damage property and telling them he had guns in his truck.

When cops came ... Richie denied the allegations -- but they arrested the 35-year-old anyway ... booking him for disorderly conduct and threatening/intimidating people.

But, Richie cut a deal with prosecutors last week to have two of his charges -- threats and damage to property -- dropped in exchange for pleading guilty to disorderly conduct, a misdemeanor.

Richie's punishment? We're told he was hit with 11 months of probation and a 90-day suspended jail sentence ... which means he won't have to serve a day behind bars if he does a mental health evaluation and completes anything recommended after that.

Incognito also has to pay fines, fees and restitution ... and isn't allowed to have firearms or visit the mortuary during his probation period.

Paulie Malignaggi just "bitch slapped" and promised to kill Conor McGregor's good friend, Artem Lobov ... and the guys ain't even scheduled to fight yet.

Malignaggi -- a former world champion boxer in 2 weight classes -- was at a promotional event for Lobov ... a former UFC fighter who's fighting in the Bare Knuckle FC this weekend.

Paulie recently signed with BKFC as well ... and he wasted no time making his presence known.

The 2 fighters came face-to-face at Mendez Boxing Gym in NYC on Tuesday ... where Malignaggi smacked the hell outta Artem, before yelling, "that was a bitch slap for a bitch" ... and telling Artem, "I'm going to put you in a body bag."

This ain't random beef ... Lobov is one of Conor's best friends -- and McGregor and Paulie have major issues.

Remember, Paulie was one of Conor's training partners as he prepared for the Mayweather fight ... but the relationship went to hell after footage of The Notorious getting the best of the former boxing champ was published.

Lobov clapped back on Instagram ... saying, "I am told you got a sly cheap shot in, I thought that was a mosquito!"

"You know you get killed in a minute if the people werent there, You will be paying with your broken jaw!"

Michael Irvin is PLEADING with Americans to find a cure for cancer ... 'cause the NFL Hall of Famer tells TMZ Sports just the fear of having it alone "paralyzed" him.

"Think about that. I was paralyzed with fear. And, I just lived with the fear of it," Irvin told us hours after learning of his cancer-free diagnosis.

"We are too great of a country with the smartest people in the world -- we gotta do something to come up with a cure for this."

Irvin spent most of last week terrified he might have throat cancer after doctors were concerned about the way he lost his voice for a lengthy period of time during the NFL season.

But, Irvin got good news Sunday -- docs told him he was cancer-free ... and now, he's campaigning harder than ever for Americans to come up with a career for the deadly disease.

"Everybody has somebody that's gone through cancer in their life and they know the way it ravishes a body and ravishes a family and tears it apart."

As for his scare ... Irvin tells us he couldn't have been more grateful for the outpouring of support he received, saying, "I just thank God for all the people that were so kind out there, man."

The Alliance of American Football is still alive, but barely breathing ... 'cause the new league will suspend all football operations before completing its first season.

TMZ Sports has confirmed -- the league will make the news official on Tuesday ... which means guys like Johnny Manziel, Trent Richardson and Aaron Murray could be looking for work once again.

There were reports over the past few weeks that the AAF could fold, with owner Tom Dundon threatening to pull the plug if they couldn't make a deal with the NFL Players Association to get younger players to his league.

There was much debate about whether making a deal like that would create bigger issues for the NFL ... but it's clear Dundon didn't care.

Sources tell us people around the league are shocked and disappointed ... and the cofounders of the AAF do NOT support the decision -- but as a majority owner, what Dundon says goes.

Johnny's time in the league was SUPER brief ... like, if you blinked, you coulda missed it. He looked solid in his debut less than 2 weeks ago ... and was injured in the second game.

Johnny tweeted shortly after he got the news, saying, "If you’re an AAF player and the league does dissolve. The last check you got will be the last one that you get. No lawsuit or anything else will get you your bread. Save your money and keep your head up. It’s the only choice at this point unless something drastic happens."

He added, "Just the reality of this unfortunate situation.. great concept, good football on the field and fun for fans to watch. Just not enough money to go around which has been the main problem with “other” leagues for a long time."

The league seemed promising -- they were able to sign coaches like Mike Singletary, Steve Spurrier and Mike Martz.

Thinking of being a world-class skier??? Lindsey Vonn might have ya reconsidering ... 'cause she just posted a pic of the knee she tore up flyin' down a mountain -- and it's DISGUSTING.

Vonn -- one of the greatest female skiers ever -- ripped up her knee in a crash during training last November ... and shredded her LCL so badly, she required surgery.

Lindsey says she put off the operation until now 'cause she had some obligations to fill ... and it's pretty easy to see why she waited so long to go under the knife.

The pic of the operation is NASTY ... docs cut open the side of her knee, pulled her skin apart and did everything they could to stitch her ligament back together.

Good news for Lindsey? She says despite the gnarly pic -- surgery went well and she's doing just fine.

Better news for Lindsey? The 34-year-old is retired from competitive skiing now ... which means (hopefully) no more nasty injuries!!!

Joe Haden ain't pissed the Browns got stacked after he got traded to the Steelers ... matter of fact, he's HAPPY for the city -- telling TMZ Sports he CAN'T WAIT to line up against OBJ!!

We spoke with the NFL star about his ex-team's newest addition ... and he's stoked for several reasons -- one being the fans having something to be excited about again. (After all, the Browns were awful in Haden's 7 years in Ohio).

"I'm happy for Cleveland. That's a great football city," Haden tells us. "They deserve everything. Odell, that's one of my good friends ... he's gonna bring a lot of flash and flare there."

The other big reason -- Haden can now line up against his good friend, Odell Beckham, twice a year ... and it's got some extra sauce to it, considering Pittsburgh's huge rivalry with CLE.

"I can't wait. You gotta go against the best to be the best."

Of course, the Browns officially introduced OBJ on Monday ... and there's a lot of talk about Cleveland being serious contenders with guys like Baker Mayfield, Nick Chubb, Kareem Hunt and Jarvis Landry on offense.

Meanwhile, the Stillers traded away Antonio Brown and Le'Veon Bell jetted off to New York. Haden says it'll be tough to replace those guys, but they're ready for the challenge.

"It was a disappointing hiring cycle for someone who watches it like I do."

That's Pittsburgh Steelers coach Mike Tomlin responding to the NFL's lack of diversity in its head coaching ranks ... and yeah, dude clearly ain't too happy about it.

Remember, the NFL's annual league meetings were last week ... and the teams put most of their head coaches proudly on display -- but there was one problem ... the black representation was tiny.

Of course, Tomlin missed the photo ... but so did 5 other white coaches -- which only highlighted an issue Mike says the league needs to address sooner rather than later.

"It was a disappointing hiring cycle for someone who watches it like I do," Tomlin told the Pittsburgh Post-Gazette ... "knowing some of the deserving men I do who I thought should have gotten an opportunity and didn’t."

"But we’ll continue to work and fight for equality and opportunity.”

The NFL fired 8 head coaches this past season -- including FIVE African Americans -- but only hired one black coach (Miami's Brian Flores) when replacing them.

That leaves the league currently with just THREE total black coaches ... and that's something that has Tomlin searching for answers.

"We’ll continue to fight for [equality within opportunity], not only in terms of head coaching searches, but maybe other areas of the profession as well."

JuJu Smith-Schuster says there's "no bad blood" between him and Antonio Brown ... telling TMZ Sports, "That's my guy."

Of course, as of just a few days ago that didn't seem to be the case ... 'cause the two seemed to be taking some passive aggressive shots at each other all over social media.

It all started just hours after the Steelers traded Brown to the Raiders ... when JuJu posted a pic of him catching a TD (with Brown watching in the background), writing, "I'm ready."

Then ... after a very public spat between A.B. and Ben Roethlisberger -- JuJu weighed in with his own take on Big Ben's leadership, completely disagreeing with Brown's opinion.

"I was so blessed to enter the league and play with a Hall of Fame QB as a 20-year old," JuJu wrote ... "Ben has taught me so much, he’s a true Leader and I can’t wait to rock with my guy this season."

Didn't take long for Brown to respond ... 'cause he took to his own social media page to fire back.

"Do not listen to any NFL player who haven’t got paid yet! They will do and say anything to make sure they going to get paid even if it’s compromising integrity or anything ! sad but true."

That sound like beef to you??

Why the hell did Lonzo Ball cover his Big Baller Brand tattoo?

LaVar Ball is about to answer that question for the entire world, and reveal that despite the cover job, BBB is intact, and so is the Ball family.

We spoke directly to LaVar (he was in a loud arena -- that's why he's so close to the phone), and he told us that after Lonzo learned a former business partner allegedly defrauded the company of $1.5 million, he made the decision to dissolve the brand.

"We had a meeting before the story came out, man. And, everybody was in they feelings. What I mean by that is, we're not really thinking. 'Cause I told them we're shutting down everything, 'cause I don't want him to get nothing."

"So, I said it was shut down. And, that's why DMo and everybody heard what I said and was going on them things. Okay, triple B's is done."

LaVar says he came to his senses and decided to keep the brand alive ... but not before Zo's tattoo was covered.

Still, LaVar has no problem with Lonzo covering his BBB tat, 'cause the art was a distraction anyway.

"Lonzo had to cover that Triple B up anyway. You can't play with no band-aid when you not even hurt. It feels weird playing like that. So, you gotta cover it anyway."

As far as stories that the family is estranged ... LaVar calls B.S. on those too.

"The media's making it a big deal, man. Our family stick together. Everything is good. The games still going on, man. My boys still going forward, and my family is still in tact. So, I'm good."

Demaryius Thomas is lucky to be alive today -- let alone healthy and ready to play in the NFL -- 'cause TMZ Sports has obtained pics of his car crash ... and the scene is gnarly.

Thomas was doing 70 MPH in a 30 MPH zone in Denver at around 12:20 AM on Feb. 16 when he lost control of his SUV and crashed it into a curb.

One witness tells us the car flipped several times before coming to a stop right-side-up ... dozens of yards from where it took off from.

Thomas and his two passengers somehow escaped from the crash okay -- which seems like a miracle when you see the damage that was done.

The pics show a mangled car ... the back is completely smashed in while the engine is in pieces, falling out of the front.

Thomas was hit with a felony charge of vehicular assault for the incident, but he reached a deal with prosecutors this week to avoid jail time.

The former Broncos star pled guilty to a lesser misdemeanor charge of careless driving resulting in injury in exchange for having the felony charge dropped.

DT's punishment? One year probation and 50 hours of community service, plus fines and restitution.