TMZ Sports - Page 50

LeBron James is firing back at a report he's beefing with the L.A. Lakers -- saying it's "NOT TRUE" -- and he can prove it.

Bron was working out Wednesday morning when he saw an ESPN report by Dave McMenamin about how Lakers have a lot of work to do to "repair the relationship" with James.

Of course, there's been a lot of drama in Lakerville ... the season was a disaster, Magic stepped down, Luke Walton's gone and nobody knows who's gonna fill the head coach position.

But, is the relationship between LeBron and the Lakers really fractured?

"THAT. IS. NOT. TRUE," LeBron said on Instagram ... "It's not true at all!"

He added, "It's just not!"

LeBron also pointed out that while he saw the report, he was working out at the Lakers facility -- "I'm actually at the Lakers facility right now ... HAHAHAHA!"

There you have it. LeBron James loves the Los Angeles Lakers.

1:30 PM PT-- The D.A. announced he hasn't spoken with either the Kansas City Chiefs or the NFL regarding the investigation.

He did say the NFL reached out, but he hadn't yet responded to their inquiry.

1:25 PM PT -- District Attorney Steve Howe, in addressing the Hill investigation, said his office is "deeply troubled by this situation and are concerned about the health and welfare of the child in question."

He added, "We believe that a crime has occurred. However, the evidence in this case does not conclusively establish who committed the crime against this child."

"Criminal cases must be proven beyond a reasonable doubt by admissible evidence, not speculation, rumor or hearsay."

Even though no charges were filed, the D.A. says there is a child protection investigation that is ongoing to make sure that the child is safe.

1:05 PM PT -- Kansas City Chiefs star Tyreek Hill and his GF, Crystal Espinal, will NOT be charged after an investigation into 2 incidents involving their child at Hill's Kansas home ... the Johnson County D.A. announced.

The D.A. is currently spelling out the details of the case as we speak ... explaining they believe a crime occurred -- but there was not enough evidence to prove who had committed the crime.

Prosecutors are set to speak about an investigation into alleged child abuse incidents at Tyreek Hill's Kansas home ... and TMZ Sports will be live streaming it all.

As we previously reported ... the Johnson County District Attorney's Office has been investigating the Chiefs star and his GF, Crystal Espinal, for weeks after police were called twice to their Overland Park, Kansas home earlier this year.

In the first incident ... cops say there was a "child abuse/neglect" situation on March 5 -- with the case report listing both Hill and Espinal as "others involved."

That case was listed as closed on March 8.

But, a separate incident report was filed just days later on March 14, listing battery involving a juvenile victim. Hill is NOT named on that report ... but Espinal was listed again as "others involved."

Prosecutors AND the Kansas Department for Children and Families both launched an investigation into the incidents ... and now prosecutors are set to speak on their findings at 1 PM PT.

Luke Walton's attorney was clearly watching Kelli Tennant spell out her case against the NBA coach on Tuesday -- and his takeaway is simple ... YOU HAVE NO EVIDENCE!

"Yesterday's press conference was a poorly staged attempt to portray the accuser as a viable spokesperson for an important movement," attorney Mark Baute tells TMZ Sports.

"These claims are false and Luke’s innocence will be proven in court."

"[Tennant's] lawyers want to create a public circus to distract from their complete lack of evidence to support their outrageous claims. We will not try this case in the media or pay them a dime."

Tennant and her attorneys held a press conference on Tuesday -- where she fought back tears as she walked reporters through her sexual assault claim against Walton.

Tennant claims Walton pinned her down and forcibly kissed her in his hotel room during a 2014 encounter. She claims she repeatedly told Walton to stop and fought to escape.

During the press conference, TMZ Sports asked Tennant and her attorneys if they had any hard evidence -- injury photos, video, etc. -- and they essentially said no.

Clearly, Walton's team picked up on that -- and feel Tennant's case has no legs.

Walton has previously denied the allegations and said the accuser is nothing more than an "opportunist."

When Tennant and her lawyers were asked why she never went to police, she claimed she was too scared to come forward.

They also said their goal is not to put Walton behind bars -- but rather win a civil lawsuit against the NBA star. However, they did not mention a specific financial sum they're looking for.

Kelly Stafford returned to the hospital days after a scary, 12-hour brain surgery ... saying the pain had gotten too much to handle as she recovers from the serious procedure.

The Detroit Lions superstar QB's wife had surgery to remove a brain tumor over the weekend ... and managed to return home in time for Easter Sunday.

Kelly -- who has been very open about the challenges she's faced since the tumor was discovered -- says she was taken to the emergency room Wednesday morning ... after experiencing "pain and massive headaches."

"I thought I could power through the pain and massive headaches that were challenging me throughout the day," Kelly said.

"I thought I could do it. They told me tapering off the steroids was going to be very difficult."

Kelly says she looked to her husband for support and thought his strength would help her get through the suffering ... "I told myself the pain would succumb to me, I wouldn’t succumb to it."

"I was so wrong. The pain got so far ahead of me I couldn’t keep anything down, including meds. I ended up in the ER very early this morning, back on steroids and pain medication."

"At first, I felt like I had failed, like I couldn’t handle it.. but what I really failed at was listening to my own body. A lesson I feel like I am going to have to keep reminding myself of."

Kelly says she'll stay in the hospital overnight -- hopes to return home Thursday -- and thanks everyone who has reached out with kind words during her recovery.

Ex-pro tennis player Justin Gimelstob has filed court docs to get a restraining order against the man he beat up back in October ... claiming the man is hellbent on revenge.

Gimelstob was involved in a physical altercation with Randall Kaplan in Brentwood, CA on Halloween 2018. Kaplan claimed he suffered injuries from the incident. Gimelstob claimed Kaplan instigated the fight.

Gimselstob ultimately pled no contest to felony battery -- which the judge later reduced to a misdemeanor. He was sentenced to 3 years probation and 60 days of community service.

Now, 42-year-old Gimselstob wants a restraining order issued against Kaplan claiming he's convinced Kaplan is "willing to go to great lengths -- both physical and non-physical -- to hurt him."

In his petition for the order, Gimelstob also claims his attorney, Shawn Holley, was contacted by someone in Kaplan's "inner-circle" who said Kaplan is obsessed with Gimelstob and is "seeking to destroy him."

Gimelstob also wants the order extended to include his 5-year-old son.

Gimelstob's attorney Suann MacIsaac tells TMZ Sports, "Justin Gimelstob pled no contest to a misdemeanor battery charge to accept responsibility for his role in the events on Haloween and to move on with his professional life and focus on his family."

"Today, he filed a civil restraining order against Mr. Kaplan -- who has been obsessed with Mr. Gimelstob for years and provoked the events of Halloween evening to carry out his repeated threats to destroy Mr. Gimelstob. Justin simply wants Mr. Kaplan to stay away from him and his family so he can move on."

A hearing on the matter is scheduled for May.

This is the GREATEST reaction to Damian Lillard's game-winning shot Tuesday night -- his sister storming the court while screaming "That's my brother" ... and she got the whole thing on video!!!

LaNae Lillard was sitting courtside at the Moda Center in Portland to watch the Trail Blazers take on the OKC Thunder in Game 5 of their NBA playoff series.

And, almost like she KNEW Dame was gonna sink that buzzer-beater, she busted out her phone and began recording the whole thing to her IG story.

Dame shot. Dame scored. LaNae went WILD -- rushing over to the celebratory pile in the middle of the court while yelling at the top of her lungs, "THAT'S MY BROTHER! THAT'S MY MOTHER F**KING BROTHER!!!"

It's an amazing video -- the shot clinched the playoff series for the Blazers, eliminating Russell Westbrook and company ... which must have been especially sweet for Dame, considering the two had been going at it the whole series.

Congrats to the whole Lillard family -- amazing night!!!

Tom Brady wins EVERYTHING ... including fans' credit cards -- 'cause the NFL says the Patriots legend is its leader in merch sales AGAIN!!!

So, the big question ... where does the league's HIGHEST-paid player rank on the list? Russell Wilson isn't even in the Top 10!

The NFL Player's Association just dropped the numbers which show fans spent more money on TB12 items from March 1, 2018 to February 28, 2019 than ANY other player.

How does the rest of the list shake out? It's interesting ...

#2 -- Dak Prescott

#3 -- Carson Wentz

#4 -- Ezekiel Elliott

#5 -- Patrick Mahomes

#6 -- Saquon Barkley

#7 -- Aaron Rodgers

#8 -- Deshaun Watson

#9 -- Khalil Mack

#10 -- Drew Brees

Some other notables on the list ...

Baker Mayfield was #12, Odell Beckham clocked in at #13 ... and Russell Wilson was all the way down at #19 behind guys like Mitchell Trubisky and Adam Thielen.

Some other shocking numbers ... JJ Watt was down at #34, Cam Newton was down at #39 and Matthew Stafford was at #43.

Jimmy Garoppolo -- who's only played 26 games in 5 years -- was #23 on the list ... though it might have to do more with people supporting his off-the-field game!

Ex-Baylor superstar and NFL prospect Shawn Oakman says legal expenses from fighting a false rape allegation broke him ... so much so that he had to sell one of his Bowl game champion rings.

The defensive end was accused of sexual assault in 2016, just days before the NFL draft would've likely made him a millionaire. He went undrafted and hasn't stepped foot on an NFL field yet.

Shawn was exonerated back in February -- with a jury deliberating just 45 minutes before finding him not guilty, citing evidence that the sex was consensual.

Oakman recently sat down for an interview with Ben Raymond for a special called "Shawn Oakman: The Rebirth" and opened up about what the entire ordeal cost him, and the cost was HIGH.

"I went through two paid lawyers. The second lawyer, it got all the way to trial. The week before she needed $60k just to step in the courtroom. I already gave her $60k ... but she needed $60k just to step in the courtroom, so she dropped my case. I didn't have it."

"That's when I got a public defender," Oakman said.

Shawn, who had yet to sign a pro contract, went on to describe exactly the way he came up with the cash for his defense.

"Before that, basically I had one of my bowl game rings. I sold my bowl game ring on eBay to pay for my lawyer."

Oakman is now 27, has lost three insanely important years of his career, and might not ever get his NFL chance ... but he insists he's not at all depressed about the situation.

"I think that it's perceived as kind of a douchey thing to do, but that's why it's funny!"

That's Steve-O -- the man who made getting tattoos of himself on himself famous -- weighing in on Ezekiel Elliott's tat ... and, spoiler alert, the guy LOVES what the running back did!

"Everybody's favorite topic of conversation is themselves," the former "Jackass" star tells TMZ Sports ... "So, why not just celebrate that?"

Remember, Steve-O once inked a GIANT pic of himself on his back ... and in case ya forgot what it looked like, watch the clip -- he showed us how it's aged over the years.

So, when got him out in L.A. on Tuesday ... we had to ask for his thoughts on the Dallas Cowboys superstar getting his mug etched into the side of his calf earlier this month.

No surprise here ... Steve-O says he's ALL FOR IT!!!

"You gotta have the ability to not take yourself too seriously. Poke a little fun at yourself. 'I'm self-centered, I enjoy myself,' and I think that's funny, you know?"

If Kyler Murray is thinking about using his first NFL paycheck to buy some crazy jewelry ... IT'S NOT A TERRIBLE IDEA!!!

... this according to Donald Trump's chief economic adviser, Larry Kudlow.

Kudlow -- the director of the National Economic Council -- was in D.C. when we asked if he could dish out some financial advice for the football stars about to become millionaires when the NFL Draft kicks off on Thursday night.

Of course, Kudlow encouraged all of the players to get good financial advisers and invest ... but he also got SPECIFIC about where the players should put their money!

"Buy the indexes and hold them," Kudlow said.

"Buy the broad indexes! They're cheap ... don't buy a million, but buy SOME and hold them ... and bet on America!"

As for the jewelry stuff ... Kudlow laughed at first, but then got serious and told us, "Actually, a good portfolio SHOULD have some gold!"

See that, GET THAT BLING!!!

We also asked Kudlow if Russell Wilson buying $12,000 in Amazon stock for all 13 of his Seattle Seahawks linemen is a good idea ... and you gotta hear Kudlow's response.

Remember, Kudlow's boss, Donald Trump, HATES Amazon's top guy, Jeff Bezos -- which makes Kudlow's answer all the more interesting.

Not everyone is a fan of Wilson's gift -- we spoke with actors Michael Ealy and Meagan Good ... and it's clear some people think Russ should have cut BIGGER checks, considering he just signed a $140 MILLION contract.

But hey, a gift is a gift ... right?

Justin Bieber PRAYED TO GOD his Toronto Maple Leafs would emerge victorious in Game 7 of their NHL playoff series ... so, when they lost, he REALLY needed comfort from his wife Hailey Baldwin.

Justin and Hailey were sitting in a private VIP box at TD Garden in Boston to watch his Canadian team take on the Boston Bruins.

Before the game, Justin offered up a prayer for his players on IG -- saying, "Dear lord please be with Austin Mathews, Mitch Marner and all of the Toronto Maple Leafs tonight as they play game 7 against the Boston bruins."

JB's prayers went unanswered -- his Maple Leafs got SHELLACKED in a 5-1 blowout.

You can see video of Hailey rubbing Justin's shoulders as she quickly realizes things aren't going his way ...

After the game ... Boston Bruins star David Pastrnak rubbed the win in Bieber's face -- tweeting, "Not today [Justin Bieber] #BostonStrong."

And, get this ... Justin's out of Canadian teams to root for in the NHL playoffs -- the Winnipeg Jets and Calgary Flames were both eliminated, too.

It's over for Marshawn Lynch -- and this time, it's for good!

Beast Mode is reportedly hanging up his football cleats ... again ... retiring from the NFL after 11 seasons in the league, according to ESPN's Adam Schefter.

The Oakland Raiders running back just turned 33 years old this week -- which is old for an NFL running back -- and "is not planning to play football again."

The timing is interesting ... the 2019 NFL Draft kicks off on Thursday and now Raiders head coach Jon Gruden and GM Mike Mayock can focus on bringing in a fresh set of legs to take over the role.

Lynch is a legend -- he racked up 10,379 rushing yards in his incredible career and 93 total touchdowns ... which would have been 94 if Pete Carroll would have called a RUN PLAY at the end of Super Bowl XLIX!!!!

Marshawn has retired before ... he stepped away from the Seattle Seahawks back in 2016 -- and around that time, we tried to ask him if he would ever come back to the game.

His response is one of the best burns on a TMZ photog ... EVER!!

The man Conor McGregor boxed in an exhibition match in Ireland last week tells TMZ Sports ... Conor started off the fight with the WORST cheap shot he's ever seen ... and we got the video!!!

"It was the cheapest shot I ever caught in me life, man," Michael McGrane tells us.

Here's the deal ... McGrane took on McGregor in a 4-round fight in Dublin on Friday, April 19. Conor is in the red trunks, Michael is sporting blue.

When officials rang the bell to start the match, McGrane says he expected Conor to touch gloves ... but instead, the UFC superstar unleashed a left hook that caught him flush in the eye.

"You're meant to go back to your corner, but Conor never went back to his corner," McGrane says ... "Conor leaped at me with a left hook."

You can see the damage McGrane says he took from the shot -- still visible days after the fight.

"Conor McGregor hit me a cheap shot in his own hometown!!!"

McGrane says he got no help from the ref that day -- because even the official was obviously rooting for Conor.

"The ref was on his side. There's no way I would have won that fight unless I knocked him out."

By the way, we're told the fight ended in a DRAW.

Despite the controversy, McGrane says he's greatly appreciative of the opportunity to fight someone as HUGE as Conor McGregor and hopes the experience will make him better in the long run.

McGrane -- an electrician by trade -- says he's hoping to give up the electric game to focus on boxing full-time because he thinks he has potential to be a world champ!!!

4:57 PM PT -- We asked if there was any video or photo evidence to help prove Tennant's case, and her attorney essentially told us no.

4:53 PM PT -- When asked what they want to get out of the case, Tennant's attorney says they have no particular sum in mind.

4:49 PM PT -- Tennant says she did not go to law enforcement because she feared it would jeopardize her career.

Tennant's attorney says they do not intend to file a police report because they do not want to put Walton in jail.

4:43 PM PT -- Tennant says she didn't come forward at first because, "I was scared."

"I was scared for my job, my safety and what my job would be like."

She claims she's spent years trying to move past the incident and "bury it" -- but she couldn't. She says she finally mustered up the courage to tell her story.

4:40 PM PT -- Kelli Tennant got emotional while telling her story ... recounting how she felt Walton was "going to rape her" during the hotel encounter.

Tennant says she begged Walton like crazy to let her go but he ignored her pleas ... until finally giving up and letting her out of the hotel room.

"This type of behavior cannot be condoned," Tennant said.

4:33 PM PT -- Kelli says the alleged sexual assault took place in 2014, when she was 25-years-old.

Her attorney says she was uncomfortable coming forward back then but she's comfortable now.

Kelli says she met Luke Walton about 10 years ago through the volleyball community.

The woman accusing Luke Walton of sexual assault will speak with the media at 4:30 PM PT ... and TMZ Sports will be live streaming the whole thing.

Kelli Tennant and her attorney, Garo Mardirossian, will hold a press conference at his office in Los Angeles, they announced. They are both planning to speak.

Mardirossian has just issued a pre-press conference statement saying, "By way of this lawsuit, Ms. Tennant is speaking out and saying #timesup to the culture of abusing women in the NBA."

We broke the story ... Tennant -- a longtime sports reporter -- claims Walton sexually assaulted her in a Santa Monica hotel room while he was an assistant coach with the Golden State Warriors.

Walton has lawyered up and adamantly denied the allegations -- with his attorney attacking the accuser as an "opportunist."

There are TONS of unanswered questions ... what was the date of the attack? Is there any photo of video evidence? Witnesses? Etc.

A Ty Cobb baseball card more than ONE HUNDRED years old just sold for -- are you sitting down??? -- a whopping $504k!!! ... TMZ Sports has learned.

The card is Ty Cobb's 1915 Cracker Jack card ... and it's one of only three of its kind to ever receive a Mint 9 rating from PSA ... which is just one step below the perfect Gem Mint 10.

If you think coughing up half a milli for a baseball card is insane, just remember the Honus Wagner card holds the record for the most expensive baseball card at $3.12 million!!!

The Cobb card -- sold via Heritage Auctions -- fetched $504k, which is around $70k more than when another was sold back in 2017.

Odell Beckham had every right to go scorched earth on his former team and his ex-boss in a Twitter rant ... so says DeAngelo Hall -- who tells TMZ Sports the Giants deserved it!!

The ex-Redskins star -- who's doing NFL Draft coverage this week for FS1 -- says, "I'm cool with [Odell] venting because I felt like the Giants GM was out of line!"

Of course, if you haven't been keeping up ... Odell and the Giants have been in a tiff since Big Blue traded the star WR to the Cleveland Browns in March.

But, things really heated up in their beef last week ... when Giants GM Dave Gettleman told reporters he feels like the G-Men have no more culture issues now that Odell is gone.

Beckham didn't take kindly to that ... blasting Gettleman and the Giants on Monday in an epic Twitter rant:

Enter Hall ... who tells us he's just fine with Beckham going hard on the keyboard, because he says point-blank he doesn't think Gettleman is doing a good job.

"I think you gotta be blind to think that Eli Manning is still the answer at quarterback. And then, you hear them not wanting to draft Dwayne Haskins, and you just kind of scratch your head like, 'Man, does this team really want to win?'"

Hall added, "It's just not adding up to me when I put my GM hat on, but that guy gets paid to be the GM. So, we'll see what decisions he makes and we'll see if it works out."

As for Odell panning out in Cleveland, Hall has no doubts he'll be a fine teammate there ... and ya gotta hear why.

By the way, Hall also says he thinks Kyler Murray should be the #1 overall pick Thursday night ... saying he sees "a little bit" of his old Falcons QB Mike Vick in the Oklahoma star!