TMZ Sports - Page 50

The basketball net from one of the most legendary sporting events ever -- Willis Reed's miraculous comeback in Game 7 of the 1970 NBA Finals -- is up for auction!!!

The backstory ... Red Holzman's NY Knicks -- who had a great 60-22 season -- were favored to beat the L.A. Lakers in the Finals. However, the Knicks championship aspirations appeared to sustain a death blow when superstar Willis Reed tore his thigh muscle in Game 5.

Knotted up at 3 games each, no one expected Reed to play in the decisive 7th game. Somehow, he did ... limping onto the Madison Square Garden hardwood to a roaring ovation.

Reed scored the game's first 2 baskets ... and played lockdown defense on Wilt Chamberlain.

The Knicks won the game 113-99 ... and were NBA champions for the first time.

After the game, the net from one of the hoops was presented to Holzman ... and the Hall of Fame coach kept them until his death in 1998.

After he passed away, Red's family held the net until now ... when they put the historic piece of memorabilia up for auction at SCP Auctions.

Now, it can be yours, hoop fans ... bidding ends Saturday afternoon.

Robert Garrison -- the actor best known for playing Tommy in "The Karate Kid" and its sequel -- has died ... according to his family.

Garrison's sister-in-law tells TMZ ... he died Friday morning at a hospital in West Virginia. She says his passing wasn't sudden -- he had been in the hospital for over a month dealing with kidney and liver issues.

We're told the family is currently working on funeral arrangements.

Ralph Gracie -- 5th degree Brazilian Jiu-Jitsu black belt and ex-MMA fighter -- has been charged with felony assault ... after allegedly knocking a Jiu-Jitsu champion out cold with an elbow, and then kicking him in the face.

The alleged incident went down December 15, 2018 on the sidelines of the International Brazilian Jiu-Jitsu Federation World Championships in Anaheim, CA.

Officials say Gracie -- whose grandfather Carlos Gracie developed Gracie Jiu-Jitsu -- attacked 5-time world champ Flavio Almeida ... elbowing him in the face, knocking him unconscious before kicking him in the face at least once.

Almeida suffered a concussion and lost 2 teeth in the altercation.

A Grand Jury convened in Orange County, CA and decided to charge Gracie with felony assault.

He's facing serious time behind bars.

To make matters worse for Ralph -- who owns several BJJ schools -- the alleged attack was caught on video.

Gracie's been charged ... but there's a problem. After the incident, officials say he fled to his native country, Brazil.

Lonzo Ball has taken his career into his own hands ... saying he's "making all the decisions now" ... and taking control from LaVar.

The New Orleans Pelicans star -- who LaVar recently referred to as "damaged goods" -- told ESPN's Adrian Wojnarowski he's not letting his dad get involved in his business decisions anymore ... and their relationship will improve because of it.

"My dad has always been talking my whole life. It's nothing different to me," Zo says.

"I think what makes it easier is that I'm controlling everything now. You really can't tell me what to do. This is my life, my career. I'm making all the decisions now. I chose to go to CAA. I just think me becoming my own man is going to make it easier, honestly."

Zo also spoke about the career advice he's given his younger brother, LaMelo ... and he basically told the top hoops prospect to be his own man and not let Dad take over.

"I told him, make sure he takes control of his career. Now," Lonzo said. "Don't wait like I did. Hopefully that helps him. He seems like he's taking it all in. I'm excited for him."

Lonzo says if he could go back in time, he'd take meetings with shoe brands like Nike and Adidas instead of boxing them out for the family business ... although he doesn't regret sticking with BBB.

Zo also addressed the infamous "damaged goods" scene from their "Ball in the Family" reality show ... saying it's all out of love.

An Alaska Airlines passenger flying coach was arrested by federal authorities after he went nuclear because he was blocked from using the first-class bathroom.

The man wearing a Jets jersey was on a flight Thursday from JFK to LAX, when he got super frustrated over the long line for a coach head.

He ranted, "By making 7 people wait here to use the bathroom while the whole bathroom up there is empty, it's wrong."

The pilot got on the horn and tried to cajole the passenger -- who was decked out in a Jets jersey and matching hat -- to sit down ... to no avail. That's when the man allegedly threatens to kill the pilot and others onboard.

The plane made an emergency landing in Kansas City and passengers cheered as the guy was removed from the plane and taken into custody.

Some Eagles and Packers fans got into an all-out brawl in the stands at Lambeau Field on Thursday night ... and cops tell TMZ Sports some of the fighters were taken to jail.

At some point during the Philly-Green Bay game on "Thursday Night Football," fans in Eagles jerseys started wrestling with fans in Packers jerseys.

The brawl got pretty intense ... punches and kicks were thrown -- and bodies were dragged all over the bleachers.

Eventually, cops came in to break it up ... and a Green Bay Police Dept. spokesperson tells us the three main culprits in the brawl were all arrested.

NHL vet Mark Letestu didn't need a hot dog to enjoy his mustard on Thursday ... 'cause the Winnipeg Jets center downed that yellow stuff straight outta the packet!!

The 34-year-old Canadian turned heads when he was spotted chuggin' some mustard on the bench during the Jets' preseason game against the Edmonton Oilers ... leaving a lot of people wondering what the hell was going on.

Turns out ... it's all in the name of SCIENCE!!! 'cause apparently, mustard has some ingredients like turmeric and vinegar that help prevent cramps.

Hey ... we get it. It's preseason. A lotta dudes are probably cramping up on the ice out there after the offseason. But, it doesn't make it any less weird to see the guy straight-up dowinin' mustard like that.

It's actually not the first time this has been a thing ... NFLer Kerryon Johnson was spotted chugging mustard on the sidelines during his Madison Academy high school game back in 2014.

Dustin May's fastball is scary as hell ... but his costume at the Dodgers' dress-up party on Thursday was even more terrifying -- 'cause he made for an UNREAL Pennywise!!!

For some reason, L.A. decided to celebrate Halloween about a month early this year after their win over the Padres ... and we're all grateful for it.

May's Pennywise fit stole the show -- seriously, don't let your kids see it (get it!) -- but his teammates had some pretty incredible costumes as well.

Star hitter Cody Bellinger and reliever Joe Kelly dressed up as LeBron's "Taco Tuesday" ... and it's hilarious.

Incredible moment in Seattle on Thursday night ... after Felix Hernandez threw his likely last pitch ever for the Mariners -- he and his teammates cried their eyes out!!

The scene was surreal ... King Felix -- who's been a LEGEND for the Mariners for the last 15 years -- was pitching in what many believe is his final game in a Seattle uni.

He threw well ... but in the fifth inning after getting Robbie Grossman to line out -- the Mariners pulled him from the game.

What happened next was spine tingling -- 'cause Felix and his teammates began to cry on the mound ... and the crowd went CRAZY!!!

Felix had to wipe away tears ... and before he headed into the clubhouse, he took off his hat to salute all the fans in attendance.

"I was walking to the bullpen and my eyes started to [get] wet and I was like, 'Not right now.' It's hard to do it," Hernandez told reporters after the game.

"There were a lot of emotions out there. I've been here for 15 years, and there is a lot of stuff going on."

Felix compiled 169 career wins for the Mariners in his time in Seattle, and also won the 2010 AL Cy Young Award ... but most believe the team won't bring him back next season.

Great news for Eagles player Avonte Maddox -- head coach Doug Pederson says the cornerback is coherent and has feeling in his extremities after taking a scary blow from his teammate on Thursday.

Maddox was stretchered off the field with a little over 1 minute left in Philly's TNF win over the Green Bay Packers ... after his teammate, Andrew Sendejo, accidentally collided with him while trying to make a tackle.

FYI -- Sendejo has made a name for himself as one of the hardest-hitting players in the league ... and even wore a "Make Football Violent Again" hat during training camp last season.

Packers players JK Scott and Ty Summers took a knee and said a prayer for Maddox while he was put on the stretcher ... and the entire Eagles team came on to the field to make sure he was okay.

Maddox was taken to a local hospital to get checked out ... but was discharged and able to fly home with the team.

This wasn't the only violent moment in the game -- Packers running back Jamaal Williams was also stretchered off in the first quarter ... after a helmet-to-helmet hit with Derek Barnett.

Williams was taken to the hospital during the game ... and thankfully, had feeling in all extremities as well.

Jennifer Lopez runs her business like Tom Brady runs the 2-minute offense with the game on the line ... with fierce tenacity for a payday, which is the only way to describe her new perfume launch.

J Lo launched her new fragrance, Promise by Jennifer Lopez, Thursday night in NYC ... and just hours after she and Shakira were announced co-headliners for the Super Bowl Halftime Show. As you know ... artists don't get paid for the gig, but don't tell J Lo that cause the gig's gonna bring her even more attention, which could translate to big bucks.

As we reported ... J Lo has said performing at the Halftime Show had been a bucket list thing for her. Makes sense .... nearly 100 million people watched the Patriots beat the Rams in Super Bowl LIII. The gig guarantees a spike in sales for the artists performing during the break.

But, with the Super Bowl LIV still 4 months away ... odds are J Lo wanted to pounce and capitalize on the buzz surrounding her announcement.

Lamar Jackson's college coach, Bobby Petrino, says Jackson is 100% the real deal ... so much so, he has NO doubt LJ will hoist the Lomabardi Trophy one day.

Petrino coached Jackson during his Heisman Trophy run at Louisville, and told us he's always been impressed with Lamar's play at quarterback, despite early talk that LJ should switch positions.

"It wasn't how well he ran that impressed me, it's how well he threw the football."

Lamar's been tearing it up in NFL this season, sporting an INSANE 113.9 QB rating with 7 touchdown passes ... and Bobby says it's just the beginning of the ride.

"He said he wanted to win a Super Bowl, you see that commitment and drive there. He is very driven and works very hard, so I'm gonna expect him to win a Super Bowl."

Hold on, Ravens fans ... we're not sure if Bobby is talking about this year or sometime in the future, but his confidence is crystal clear.

A shirtless Philadelphia fan showed off the most incredible belly button tat ever during the Eagles-Packers game Thursday night ... and WE CAN NOT STOP STARING!!!

The ink is glorious ... it's a drawing of the Phillies' famous mascot, Phillie Phanatic, and because it fits so perfectly on the guy's stomach -- it's entrancing.

The face of the Phanatic lines up with the man's belly button ... which means where the mascot's nose goes, there's nothing but a black hole.

It's seriously hilarious.

Brandon Marshall says he's ready to bury the hatchet with Jay Cutler after 5 YEARS of not talking ... telling TMZ Sports he's down to get a beer with the guy -- if the ex-QB is buying.

"It would be an interesting conversation," Marshall says. "I've been killing him the last couple years."

Marshall and Cutler have had an epic feud that dates all the way back to their time in Chicago -- when Brandon was catching passes from Jay with the Bears.

Marshall says things soured in his final year with Cutler in 2014 ... telling us their personalities just stopped meshing and they could never talk it out.

Sorry, Tom Brady ... you AIN'T the best quarterback ever -- so says former NFL stud James Jones, who tells TMZ Sports Aaron Rodgers is the G.O.A.T.!!!

"I think Rodgers is the best quarterback that I've ever seen," Jones says. "Period."

Of course, James is a bit biased ... the 35-year-old ex-receiver played with Rodgers for 8 seasons from 2007-2015 -- but he swears he's NEVER seen a QB that tops Aaron.

"If it's a quarterback that can make special throws, and run out of the pocket and make throws on the run, the first guy you compare him to is Aaron Rodgers," Jones says.

"'Cause he's the first one that we've really seen do it consistently and do it at a very high level."

Rodgers' numbers don't exactly back up Jones' claim ... the Packers superstar is only 16th all-time in passing yards and just 9th all-time in passing TDs. Plus, he's only got 1 Super Bowl ring.

But, Jones says from a talent standpoint, there's just never been anybody better than Rodgers -- and now that Green Bay's got a defense ... Jones is telling the league to watch out.

Jennifer Lopez and Shakira's hips won't be lying in Miami come February ... the superstars are co-headlining the Super Bowl Halftime Show.

The singers made a cryptic announcement Thursday on social media ... posting images of each other in very similar outfits -- but without revealing their faces. They captioned their posts, "Get ready" and "This is happening."

Pepsi then posted the big reveal image showing both women's faces. BTW ... makes sense the NFL would draft co-headliners for the Miami event, because deuces are wild -- the Super Bowl date is 02/02/20.

When the NFL announced its new partnership with Jay-Z, it said his company, Roc Nation, would be helping secure talent for the Super Bowl Halftime Shows. We're told Roc Nation was heavily involved in closing this deal -- and we also hear ... there will be a few more surprise acts joining J Lo and Shakira.