TMZ Sports - Page 50

12:38 PM PT -- ESPN issued a statement ... saying, "LaVar Ball’s comment to Molly Qerim Rose was completely inappropriate and we made him aware of that."

LaVar Ball is adamant the comments he made on-air to ESPN's Molly Qerim on Monday were not intended to be "sexual in nature" ... despite the way it sounded on live TV.

The head of the Big Baller Brand appeared on "First Take" to discuss the blockbuster trade that sent his son, Lonzo Ball, from the L.A. Lakers to the New Orleans Pelicans ... when things went off the rails.

When Molly asked LaVar if she could "switch gears" and pivot to another topic, LaVar responded, "You can switch gears with me anytime."

Several people condemned the comments, including ex-ESPN star Jemele Hill ... saying, "Kudos to Molly [Qerim] for the professional way she handled LaVar Ball after his inappropriate comment. Maybe ESPN will have finally learned its lesson about putting him on TV."

Now, LaVar's rep, Denise White, is issuing a statement from the BBB camp ... saying, "[LaVar] was asked if he wanted to switch gears, in his mind switching gears was 'changing the subject anytime' and he said, 'yes, you can switch gears with me anytime.' At NO time was that intended or meant to be sexual in nature."

This isn't the first time LaVar has been under fire for comments he made on-air to a woman -- back in 2017, he told FS1's Kristine Leahy to "stay in your lane" after she questioned him about his parenting style.

A minor league baseball team in Kentucky celebrated Father's Day with some INCREDIBLE "Dad Bod" jerseys ... complete with back hair, man nipples and a tramp stamp tattoo!

The Florence Freedom -- which plays in the Frontier League in Northern Kentucky -- busted out the jersey promotion while hosting the Lake Erie Crushers at UC Health Stadium on Sunday night.

Yes, the players ACTUALLY wore the jerseys during the game ... until it was suspended in the 7th inning due to a lightning and rain storm in the area. The game was tied 7-7 when the game was stopped. Play will resume on July 5 -- and they'll pick right up from the top of the 7th.

But, before lightning struck, fans in attendance were able to BID on the jerseys worn by the players. Unclear if the players will still wear the special uniforms when play resumes next month.

The hairy unis weren't the only promotion that night -- the team also dropped hot dog prices to $1 and certain beers were only $3 (for dads only!).

Not a bad way to celebrate!

In St. Louis and thinking of booing Albert Pujols in his return to Busch Stadium this week??

Don't do it ... so says Cardinals star Matt Carpenter, who tells TMZ Sports Pujols deserves to be treated like a king in his first game back in STL.

"Like a hero coming back to town," Carpenter says.

Of course, The Machine famously put together a Hall of Fame career for the Cards from 2001 to 2011 ... but he didn't leave for the Angels on the best of terms following the '11 season.

Some have thought he might be welcomed with a bunch of boos because of that when he comes to town with the Halos this week ... but Carpenter says fans should stand up and cheer nonetheless.

"That guy had arguably one of the 10 best seasons that have ever been played in St. Louis," Matt says.

First pitch Friday is at 5:15 PM PT ... Pujols is expected to step into the batter's box in either the first or second innings.

Michael Irvin tells TMZ Sports if Jerry Jones doesn't break out his checkbook and pay Dak Prescott ... the rest of the Cowboys roster will riot!!!

"They're going to say, 'Why the hell should I give all my effort if you didn't take care of the top guy?!'"

Of course, Dak is entering the final year of his 4-year rookie deal ... and Dallas is reportedly at a standstill in negotiations for his next contract.

But, Irvin says if Jerry and the 'Boys keep playing hardball and don't get the deal done soon ... it could mean big trouble for Jason Garrett's locker room.

"If you don't pay him, let's all go home," Irvin says.

Dak's new deal is expected to be a huge one ... reports say he wants to be in the area of the $30-ish MILLION per year that Carson Wentz, Aaron Rodgers and Russell Wilson just got.

Will Jerry pay that up for a guy who's only made $2.7 million over the last three years TOTAL???

Wondering where LeBron James' head was at before the Lakers made one of the biggest trades in franchise history? All up in some WNBA hoops, along with his pals, Russell Westbrook and Chris Paul.

The game was a blowout, the Las Vegas Aces cooked the New York Liberty 100-65 Friday night, but the question is, was James even paying attention knowing the Anthony Davis trade was looming?

It was announced Saturday that the Lakers traded everyone under the age of 25 in Los Angeles County to pick up Davis on Saturday, and you gotta wonder if LeBron's mind was preoccupied.

As for Westbrook and Paul, they both have a lot to think about too ... their teams have uncertain futures after suffering early playoff exits and both men are kinda in the crosshairs of some criticism.

Dikembe Mutombo's fancy Rolls-Royce Phantom was smashed up while he was having a Father's Day dinner with his family ... and now cops are on the hunt for the culprit.

The 52-year-old NBA legend was dining at the Landmark Diner in the Atlanta area late Sunday evening -- when someone ran into the restaurant and yelled out that multiple cars had been vandalized in the parking lot.

When Dikembe checked out his 2009 Rolls, he noticed both front windows and the rear passenger windows were busted, according to the police report obtained by TMZ Sports.

Cops say nothing appeared to be stolen and no one was injured -- essentially, it seems like the culprit just wanted to damage the cars like a jerk.

Cops dusted Dikembe's car for fingerprints but it's unclear if they got a hit. We're told, unfortunately, vehicular vandalism is pretty common in the area and local business owners and residents are furious ... and they're working with police to put an end to it.

We spoke with the general manager of Landmark who says he feels terrible for Dikembe -- and vows to hire private security to prevent situations like this in the future.

We also spoke with a witness who tells us Dikembe is a regular at Landmark and everyone there loves him -- it's not like he has any enemies looking to harm him.

Big weekend for tennis superstar Caroline Wozniacki ... who tied the knot with ex-NBA star David Lee in Italy -- in front of a TON of huge athletes ... including Serena Williams.

It all went down Saturday at the fancy Castiglion del Bosco Hotel in Tuscany -- the same place where Justin Verlander wifed up Kate Upton in 2017.

Caroline -- the #14 ranked singles player in the world -- wore a custom Oscar De La Renta wedding gown and custom Jimmy Choo heels. Her father walked her down the aisle.

The guest list for the Wozniacki/Lee bash was pretty amazing -- Serena was a bridesmaid and her husband, Alexis Ohanian, was there.

Other huge stars in attendance included NBA stars like Pau Gasol and Harrison Barnes, ex-NFL quarterback Jesse Palmer and tennis stars Angelique Kerber, Agnieszka Radwańska and Urszula Radwańska.

The party looked pretty incredible ... with dancing, photo booths and fireworks.

The couple met around 3-and-a-half years ago -- after Caroline's breakup with golf superstar Rory McIlroy. Lee proposed about 2 years later ... with an 8.88 carat diamond ring because 8 is Caro's "lucky number."

12:11 PM PT -- Drake did his best Rob Gronkowski impression at the Raptors' parade -- catching a full beer that a fan threw his way ... and chugging the hell out of it!!!

Drizzy has been raging on Kawhi Leonard's double-decker parade bus all morning long ... and when someone tossed a brew his way -- he went full Stone Cold Steve Austin on it!!!

He cracked it open ... poured it down the hatch -- and appeared to dab afterward!!

The parade is going on hour No. 5 ... but there's a chance we haven't seen the best from Drake yet -- he's supposed to address the crowd once the parade reaches the end.

... getchya popcorn ready!!

Sorry, Kawhi Leonard, it might be the Raptors' championship parade day ... but all eyes will be on Drake ... 'cause everyone wants to know -- how crazy will Drizzy get!?!

Toronto shockingly upset the Warriors in six games last week ... and the Canadian city is throwing a party to celebrate -- and we'll be live streaming the whole thing.

Kawhi, Kyle Lowry and Nick Nurse will all be there ... but the man we all wanna see is the 6 God -- 'cause he's been front and center of everything during this Raptors' run.

Will there be more Golden State trash talk? Some more coaching shoulder rubs? Maybe even another new rap song?!?

O.J. Simpson says he didn't do it ... making a VIDEO claiming he's NOT the real father of Khloe Kardashian -- because he NEVER hooked up with Kris Jenner.

Simpson -- who already shot to 600,000 followers in the 48 hours after joining Twitter -- says he wants to set the record straight on the Kardashian rumors, starting with rumblings that he and Kris got busy back in the day.

"I want to stress ... never in any way shape or form had I ever had any interest in Kris romantically or sexually and I never got any indication that she had any interest in me," Simpson said.

"So, all of these stories are just bogus and bad and tasteless."

Of course, O.J. and Kris' ex-husband, Robert Kardashian, were BFFs -- but O.J. is adamant he never tried to make a move ... even after they divorced.

As for Khloe ... people have been speculating that Simpson is her "real" dad for decades because she looked different than her sisters, Kim and Kourtney.

"Khloe, like all the girls, I'm very proud of," O.J. said ... "just like I know Bob would be if he was here."

"But, the simple facts of the matter is she's not mine."

UFC legend Daniel Cormier says he's tired of people thinking combat sports is a beauty contest, saying both him and Andy Ruiz Jr. prove the fact that FAT GUYS CAN FIGHT!!!

Ruiz set the Keto diet back 10 years when he knocked out Anthony Joshua a couple weeks ago ... making blubbery brawlers all over the world believe in the power of the ponch.

We talked to Cormier and he told our guy it's about damn time, saying fighting is less about looks and more about ability.

"All that physical sh*t don't mean nothing. Go be a bodybuilder if you think that your physique is what's gonna determine a fight."

As far as Ruiz, Cormier says anyone paying attention could see Andy was more than capable of beating Joshua, but they all got fooled by the fat.

"That dude's an athlete. Look at his Instagram, look at his work ethic. His feet are very quick, his hands are very quick, and he's got a killer's mentality."

D.C. left all you dieting jerks with one last message ... and he delivered it with passion.

It's Father's Day -- and as the rest of us give a big hug to our papa bears ... these famous folks are pretty much doing the exact same thing.

Lots of stars took to social media Sunday to celebrate the holiday -- whether that meant honoring their own dads with a selfie, or snuggling up with their kids. Take, for example, Tom Brady -- who's got three children of his own -- cozying up with the tykes in his bed.

You also got Chance the Rapper, who shared an adorable photo of his daughter coming up to him for what seems like a goodbye kiss while he sat in the driver seat of his car.

Tons of other celebs honored Father's Day as well -- Rob Lowe got a photo with his pops, as did Bret Michaels, Ryan Seacrest, David Beckham and Paul Stanley.

Other A-listers posed with their kids, such as Magic Johnson, Omar Gooding, James Van Der Beek, Slim Thug and more.

A pro MMA fighter nearly had his leg cut off his body in a gruesome car accident last year ... and now he's suing the California Department of Transportation, claiming it's responsible for his tragic injuries.

It's all in court docs obtained by TMZ Sports ... Chris Bonilla -- a former Muay Thai champ who also fought with the Glory kickboxing promotion -- says he crashed into an unmarked barrier on the side of a freeway last year.

Bonilla -- 31 years old at the time -- claims he was driving on the 10 Freeway in West Covina at around 6 AM when he needed to pull off to the side of the road for an unspecified reason.

But, Bonilla says when he did that ... he accidentally crashed into a K-rail that was NOT properly marked.

Bonilla says the results of the accident were devastating -- his car was split down the side ... severing his leg and breaking his clavicle in the process.

Chris says doctors were able to reattach his leg, but he's facing life-long issues and could have to have the leg eventually amputated.

Bonilla is now suing the California Department of Transportation for unspecified damages ... claiming it did not properly provide the necessary protections to prevent these of types of accidents from happening.

Michael Pena has played everyone from Cesar Chavez to Luis in "Ant-Man" ... but the one role you WON'T see him in is heavyweight boxing champ, Andy Ruiz.

... and why?

"Because I'd have to gain a lot of weight, my wife would kill me!"

Don't get it twisted, Pena has a ton of respect for Ruiz and thinks he has a great story to tell ... but Ruiz is 270 lbs -- and Pena is wayyyyy smaller.

Of course, Ruiz shot to superstardom by knocking out undefeated heavyweight superstar Anthony Joshua -- despite being a HEAVY betting underdog.

What's interesting ... Pena -- who's been in a TON of movies -- says he doesn't think Ruiz's story is ready for the big screen yet because he'd like to see the guy win a few more fights first.

So, who SHOULD play the new champ?

Jake Paul says he ain't just talk when it comes to fighting celebrities -- telling TMZ Sports he'll throw hands with ANY famous person who wants smoke ... as long as they "pull up" to his house.

Of course, Jake's brother, Logan Paul, DID fight a guy who showed up to his L.A. home looking for a scrap recently -- an Ivan Drago wannabe who got the CRAP beat out of him in Logan's backyard.

Now, with celebrities like Justin Bieber calling out Tom Cruise for an MMA fight (even though he later backed down) ... we asked Jake if he's serious about some celebrity fighting action.

"I will box anybody," Jake said outside Bootsy Bellows in Hollywood ... "I'll box anyone."

Jake wasn't kidding -- telling us he'd even take on pro fighters like Deontay Wilder ... if Wilder was actually serious about that fight (which he never would because he's a pro).

In fact, Jake says he doubts anyone will actually take him up on his offer -- "When it's actually time, no one's gonna pull up."

The St. Louis Blues' Stanley Cup run will HELP the city's baseball team ... so says Cardinals manager Mike Shildt, who tells TMZ Sports the hockey champs have "inspired" his guys!!!

Of course, nobody gave the Blues a chance to win Lord Stanley back when the season began ... but they improbably made their way through the league to hoist the trophy Wednesday.

When we got Shildt out in NYC just a couple days later ... he told us the Blues' season is motivating as hell -- and the Cardinals are definitely taking notice!!!

"We're always inspired by great stories," Schildt says ... "And the Blues are a great story."

Schildt added, "[The Blues] had heart and grit and kind of represent the city of St. Louis."

Drake was where he's always been lately ... smack in the middle of all things Raptors.

Canada's NBA champs celebrated Friday into Saturday AM in a big way at the Wynn in Vegas.

Drake walked in cradling the trophy and then took the mic to ferociously pay homage to his team, all the while clutching a bottle of Dom.

The team, along with Champagne Papi, all wore championship hats.

Security swarmed the entire celebration, but at Encore Beach Club during the day, the only normies who were allowed in were women in bikinis.

The nighttime celebration went down at XS Nightclub at the Wynn hotel, where Drake has his residency.

As you know, the Raptors closed the book on the series in Game 6, beating the Warriors by a score of 114 to 110. Drake wasn't at the game, because it went down in enemy territory, plus there were security issues.

BTW ... Drake dropped 2 songs Friday night, but neither reference the Raptors or the NBA championship, but the cover art displays the championship trophy.

Congrats Canada!!!