TMZ Sports - Page 50

Nearly $12 MILLION worth of fake championship and team rings are now OFF the market ... so say U.S. Customs and Border Protection officials -- who say they just seized 177 counterfeit pieces!

CBP officials announced Tuesday they found nearly 200 fake rings during an inspection of a March 11 shipment from China to the U.S.

The faux bling included Philadelphia Eagles and New England Patriots Super Bowl rings, New York Yankees World Series rings and much more.

And, we gotta say ... they do look pretty awesome.

But, officials say they caught the stuff before it could be sold to Americans -- claiming they saved U.S. consumers $11.7 MILLION with the seizure!!!

"This most recent interception of counterfeit sports rings demonstrates the ongoing vigilance and commitment to the mission by our CBP Officers and Import Specialists," officials said.

The Uber driver accused of killing former UFC fighter Rodrigo de Lima during an altercation in Brazil on Sunday has been fired by the rideshare company ... an Uber spokesperson tells TMZ Sports.

As we previously reported, the 26-year-old MMA fighter was a passenger in an Uber in Belem, Brazil with friends when he allegedly got into a verbal altercation with the driver.

The driver, later identified as Jefferson Roger Maciel, reportedly kicked Rodrigo out the car -- and despite initially driving away from the scene, turned around and smashed into Rodrigo from behind.

Rodrigo died from his injuries. He's survived by a wife and 2 young children.

A rep fro Uber confirmed Maciel was working for them at the time of the incident.

Uber says allegations are "horrible" -- adding, "As soon as we learned of this incident we immediately removed the driver’s access to the app and we stand ready to assist law enforcement with their investigation."

On Monday, cops said they were still searching for Maciel -- no word if they've located him yet.

De Lima was 9-3-1 as a pro -- and earned the nickname "Monstro" (which means monster) -- due to his fighting style.

Things are heating up between WWE superstar Charlotte Flair and fellow wrestler Andrade ... with sources telling us the couple is getting very serious, very quickly.

And, check this out ... we noticed Charlotte's been wearing a ring on her wedding finger.

We've been making calls to a ton of people to find out if the two are engaged but no one seems to know for certain. At the very least, no one is outright saying "no."

The two have been dating for a while and made their first public appearance together during Wrestlemania weekend earlier this month. That's when we first noticed the ring on Charlotte's finger.

The two have since gone on vacation together -- enjoying a romantic trip to the Dominican Republic ... where Charlotte continued to rock the ring.

So, are they or aren't they?? Unclear ... but one thing's for sure -- they're a good lookin' couple!

Robert Kraft just won a major battle in the war over whether that spa video ever sees the light of day -- a judge has granted a protective order that keeps it on lockdown ... for now.

In court docs, obtained by TMZ, the judge agreed with Kraft's attorneys that releasing the police surveillance video to the media would jeopardize the Patriots owner's right to a fair trial. As a result, the judge's order says the video cannot go public until the case is over -- whether that's by plea agreement or prosecutors dropping the charges -- or once a trial jury is sworn in for the case.

The order is a victory for Kraft's legal team because it means ... prosecutors can't use the potential release of the video as leverage to get Kraft to cave on a plea deal.

However, Kraft might want to keep the champagne on ice.

There's another hearing scheduled for Friday where the judge is expected to make a decision about suppressing the release of any evidence in the case -- including the spa video. In Tuesday's order, the judge says he's reserving the right to reconsider his decision after Friday's hearing.

Canelo Alvarez has some BIG fans in his corner -- LeBron James and Maverick Carter -- and to show their support, they just hooked the boxer up with some SUPER HOT kicks!!!

LeBron's business partner just took a trip to Canelo's training camp in San Diego where Alvarez is gearing up to fight Daniel Jacobs on May 4. And, you better believe he didn't come empty-handed.

Carter presented Canelo with a pair of the new LeBron 16 "Martin" shoes -- which have already become some of the most coveted shoes on the market.

"You like sneakers?" Carter asks ... "These just came out. Very special."

Canelo is stoked -- and tells Carter to give his thanks to LeBron.

As we previously reported, Bron and Carter are producing a docuseries on the fight for DAZN called "40 Days" which premieres Tuesday night ... and will show how Canelo is preparing for the bout.

The series also features Canelo's promoter Oscar De La Hoya -- but if he wants a pair of LeBrons, he's gonna have to pay for 'em!!!

7:45 AM PT -- A judge ruled Mingbi will be released on $5,000 bond on the condition she surrenders her passport and does not work in the spa/massage industry.

Cops have arrested another woman in the Robert Kraft prostitution case -- a 58-year-old who allegedly performed a sexual act on the Patriots owner with another woman at the Orchids of Asia Day Spa.

Jupiter Police arrested Shen Mingbi -- who cops say was in the massage room with Kraft on January 19, 2019.

According to the police report, Kraft was joined in the massage room by 2 women -- one of whom was Mingbi.

Officials say the encounter was captured on surveillance and shows both Mingbi and Lei Wang using their hands on Kraft's penis.

Officials say Mingbi was also involved in sexual acts with several other men at the spa.

Wang had already been arrested and charged in the case -- but now, officials have busted Mingbi too.

Mingbi has been formally charged with 1 count of deriving support from prostitution and 8 counts of offer to commit prostitution. She's in court right now (Tuesday) to face the charges.

As for Kraft, he's got a hearing on Friday where he'll continue to fight to block officials from releasing the spa video to the media.

Kraft has claimed the release of the video would hamper his ability to get a fair trial because it would taint the jury pool.

Ronda Rousey says her wrestling career is up in the air -- admitting she could quit WWE forever after having her baby ... but she hasn't made up her mind yet.

As we previously reported, Ronda is taking a hiatus from WWE to work on starting her family with husband Travis Browne. In other words, they're humping with a purpose these days.

The two just gave a video update on RondaRousey.com -- Travis says there have been multiple attempts to get Ronda pregnant ... and they might be pregnant right now. They don't know yet.

As for Ronda's future, she opened up during the video ...

"As for WWE plans in the future, we want to have a baby first. I don’t know what it’s like to have a baby," Ronda said.

"I could look down at this beautiful child and be like, ‘F*ck everything, I don’t care about anything else other than this baby.’ And, you’ll never see me again."

"Or, I could be like my mom, who she trained until she was 8 months pregnant and then won the U.S. Open [of judo] 6 weeks after giving birth. Which was unbelievable."

"I don’t think I’m going to try and aspire to her level. But, I’m just saying, you never know, I don’t want to make any promises about the future when I don’t know how I’m gonna feel in the future."

Translation -- Ronda isn't making any promises either way ... which should probably scare Vince McMahon and Triple H because she's become one of the biggest stars in wrestling.

Teammates that go to hockey games together ... feed each other???

That's exactly what happened when Dak Prescott and Ezekiel Elliott hit up the Dallas Stars game Monday night ... 'cause the QB fed his running back a whole bucket of popcorn!!

It all went down in Dallas' playoff game against the Preds ... when cameras caught the two Cowboys stars taking in the action.

Zeke, of course, had to hit the jumbotron with his famous "Feed Me!" celebration ... so Dak obliged -- making an entire bucket of popcorn rain all over the RB's face!!

Seems the guys on the ice were motivated by the gesture ... 'cause the Stars finished off the series upset over Nashville, winning the game in overtime just a few minutes later.

Luke Walton has lawyered up in his sexual battery case -- and now the NBA coach and his attorney are blasting his accuser as a lying "opportunist."

TMZ Sports broke the story ... sports reporter Kelli Tennant is suing the Sacramento Kings head coach claiming he sexually assaulted her back when he was an assistant with the Golden State Warriors.

Now, Walton has hired attorney Mark Baute, who issued a fiery statement slamming Tennant's allegations.

"Luke Walton retained me to defend him against these baseless allegations," Baute said.

"The accuser is an opportunist, not a victim, & her claim is not credible. We intend to prove this in a courtroom."

In the suit, Tennant says Walton tried to force himself on her in a Santa Monica hotel room -- but she was able to escape.

The Warriors say they had no knowledge of the alleged incident during Walton's employment. Same with the Lakers and the Kings.

We spoke with Shannon Sharpe about the situation -- and reiterated the importance of withholding judgment until we hear both sides.

7:15 PM PT -- The Sacramento Kings tell TMZ Sports, "We are aware of the report and are gathering additional information. We have no further comment at this time."

Sacramento Kings head coach Luke Walton is being sued for sexually assaulting a female sports reporter who claims he forced himself on her in his hotel room ... this according to a new lawsuit.

In legal docs, obtained by TMZ Sports, Kelli Tennant claims while Walton was an assistant coach for the Golden State Warriors, he asked her to come and meet him at the Casa Del Mar Hotel in Santa Monica to drop off a book she had published.

FYI, Walton worked for the Warriors until April 2016, when he left to become the head coach of the Lakers.

In her suit, Tennant -- who worked as a reporter for Spectrum SportsNet and SportsNet LA -- says the 2 had a business relationship that went back several years and that's why she had asked him to write the foreword in her book.

Tennant claims when she arrived at Walton's hotel, he convinced her to come up to his room so they could "catch up." But when they got to his room, Walton suddenly pinned her to the bed, placing his hips and legs over her body.

In the docs, Tennant claims Walton began forcing kisses on her neck, face and chest. She claims she screamed for him to stop and tried to free herself, but he held her down, groped her breasts and groin, and rubbed his erection on her leg.

Tennant claims she was "in shock and fear. She was afraid she was about to be raped," the suit states.

Tennant claims Walton eventually relented and let her get up from the bed, but as she was walking toward the door to leave, he grabbed her from behind and again forced his body up against hers.

Tennant claims when Walton finally stopped and released her -- he walked her out of the room as if nothing had happened.

"He smiled, laughed again and made the disturbing statement, 'Good to see you,'" Tennant claims in her suit.

Tennant claims she did not initially report Walton's conduct but was forced to continually interact with him because of her job. She says each time she saw him, Walton would make implied threats of additional physical threats through his conduct -- imposing himself on her with big hugs or a kiss, even though she thought she made it clear his advances were unwanted.

In the suit, Tennant claims in May 2017 -- while Walton was the head coach of the Lakers -- there was an incident when Walton greeted her by uttering "vulgar, guttural sounds at her" and said, "mmmm ... you're killing me in that dress."

She says Walton also forced an aggressive hug on her and rubbed his body against hers.

It's unclear, based on the docs, what finally prompted Tennant to come forward with her allegations.

Luke recently left his position as head coach of the Los Angeles Lakers and is now coaching the Sacramento Kings.

Our camera guys spotted Luke and his wife Bre leaving dinner at Avra in Beverly Hills over the weekend, but they weren't in the mood to talk. Unclear if he knew Tennant was planning to file her lawsuit at the time.

We reached out to Walton's reps for comment ... so far, no word back.

Amir Khan quit in the ring ... and he needs to man the hell up and apologize to boxing fans, so says boxing legend Roy Jones Jr.

Khan bowed out in the 6th round of his fight with Terence Crawford this weekend after getting hit below the belt ... insisting he was seriously hurt, and couldn't continue.

But, fans felt cheated by the ending ... and they were pissed.

And, they damn sure should be, according to Roy ... who says Khan flat out waved the white flag.

"Amir Khan quit."

Jones Jr. -- a multiple time world champ across 4 weight classes -- says he would NEVER quit inside the ring.

"When I go in the ring. Carry me out. I don't wanna go out on my feet if I lost. Carry me out. I rather give it all, or get it all taken away from me."

Still, RJJ says all ain't lost for Khan -- a fighter he likes and respects -- as long as he gets real about what happened.

"Amir, I love you as a fighter. I respect you since you were an amateur fighter. You went up 2 weight classes, took on Canelo. You did a lot of beautiful things to show that you have courage," Jones Jr. says.

"This time you were in a no-win situation, and you refused to continue," Jones tells us ... "You stopped at a time we know you could've given more. You didn't give it to us, the fans, your all."

Forget watches, luggage and fancy booze ... Russell Wilson just thanked his Seahawks offensive line with the most Prime gift ever -- $12,000 in Amazon stock each!!

Remember, Wilson just signed a 4-year, $140 MILLION contract -- making the QB the highest paid player in the NFL.

So, to thank the guys who protect his ass, Russell busted out the credit card and spent a grand total of $156,000 on his 13 offensive linemen, TMZ Sports has learned.

Each player got a letter with the stock gift explaining why #3 hooked them up.

"Every Sunday we go to battle together," Wilson wrote ... "You sacrifice your physical and mental well-being to protect me, which in turn allows me to provide and care for my family."

"This does not go unnoticed and it is never forgotten."

Russell says he wants to help his teammates prepare for life after football and believes stock in Amazon will help these players achieve their dreams.

"When I sat down to think of ways to honor your dedication a dozen different ideas came to mind. Some were flashy, some were cool, but I wanted to give you something that had a lasting impact. Something that would affect the lives of you, your family, and your children."

"You have invested in my life ... this is my investment into yours."

Ezekiel Elliott will NEVER forget what he looked like when he dominated the NFL ... 'cause the Dallas Cowboys superstar got his own mug tatted on his leg!!!

The NFL's leading rusher just got the ink done this month ... and it's massive -- taking up nearly all of the outside of his (very muscular) calf.

The pic is a twist on a famous shot of a helmet-less Zeke ... with zombie eyes and a crown on top of his trademark afro.

Seems Zeke LOVES the artwork ... he put it on full display while hanging out with Von Miller and Erroll Spence at Miller's charity event this past weekend.

Of course, Zeke has some pretty unique ink all over his body -- there's an Ohio State logo on his shoulder, a portrait of his mom on his chest and even one of his dogs on his forearm.

Think Olivia Culpo is gonna let her ex-BF shame her out of posting hot photos on social media?

HELL NO!!

Just a few days after Danny Amendola bitched about Olivia's obsession with posting her life on Instagram -- the former Miss Universe doubled down ... posting another bikini pic on IG.

Remember, Amendola said Olivia's choice to live her life in the public eye was a "fundamental difference" in their relationship.

"Olivia chooses and wants to be noticed on the internet and in Hollywood to make money. Which was hard for me to understand but quickly had to learn," Amendola wrote.

But, Culpo wouldn't be detoured ... and Monday morning, posted an Easter pic from her family trip to Palm Springs ... and she just so happens to be in a bikini.

You want attention? You got it!

Amendola deleted his giant rant -- and replaced it with a message that read, "Fake people have an image to maintain. The real ones jus don't care."

That's when Amendola's former Patriots teammate, Julian Edelman, decided to chime in -- "Get off Instagram please ... thanks."

That post has been removed too.

Freddie Mitchell HATED his playing days with Donovan McNabb ... telling TMZ Sports the Eagles QB was a jealous hater who cost him $40 MILLION!!!

"He hated that people loved me more than him," FredEx says.

Of course, Freddie played with D-Mac for 4 seasons from 2001 to 2004 in Philly ... and while it might have seemed like the guys got along back then -- Freddie tells us that ain't the case.

Mitchell says McNabb was jealous of anybody who got more shine than him on the Eagles -- so much so, Mitchell says the QB straight-up refused to throw him the ball!!

In fact, Freddie tells us he thinks Donovan cost him and his family between $20 and $40 MILLION because of his antics ... saying, "It cost me a second contract, you know?"

Freddie is just the latest Eagle to come clean with his hatred toward the legendary Philly QB ... All-Pro right tackle Lane Johnson just called him a snake a few days ago.

And why? It all stems from McNabb saying Carson Wentz should be benched if he can't lead the Eagles past the second round of the playoffs.

For his part, Donovan doesn't seem bothered by the all the talk ... he posted a "Winning!" GIF on Twitter on Sunday night with a caption saying, "Deal with it."

Man ... we've come a long way from 4th-and-26.

Terence Crawford tells TMZ Sports ... Amir Khan was SMART to quit in the 6th round -- because the beating was only gonna get WORSE for the fighter.

We spoke with "Bud" about that smackdown he put on Khan on Saturday -- in a fight where Khan quit after taking an accidental low blow.

Crawford says Amir essentially "took the easy way out" -- because Terence was finally starting to open up and the beating was only going to get worse.

"I honestly feel like [Amir's trainer] stopped him before anything bad happened to him."

Crawford says Amir will have to live with his decision to quit for years because it's "something people will talk about for ages."

We also spoke with Crawford about the next big fight ... a potential matchup with superstar Errol Spence.

EVERYONE wants to see it -- but a behind-the-scenes feud between Crawford's promoter Bob Arum and Errol's promoter Al Haymon could prevent the fight from going down.

Crawford says he hopes everybody can be "adults" about the situation -- and if they are, he's confident the fight can get made.

#FingersCrossed