TMZ Sports - Page 50

Touching tribute from Devin Booker to Kobe Bryant ... the Phoenix Suns superstar immortalized an autograph he got from the Mamba with a tattoo on his forearm.

Here's the deal ... back in March 2016, Devin -- a rookie at the time who grew up idolizing Kobe -- played Bryant in one of legend's final NBA games.

And afterward, Kobe had a long talk with the budding All-Star ... and gave him a pair of signed shoes with two messages on them.

One read, "To The Young Gun!" The other? "To Book Be Legendary"

Devin took the advice to heart ... and Tuesday, just over a month after Kobe tragically died in a helicopter crash, he got Bryant's "Be Legendary" autograph tatted on his arm.

"Somethin to live by," Booker said of the ink.

A bunch of NBA guys loved the tribute -- which appears to be Devin's first-ever body art -- with Kobe's former teammate, Matt Barnes, writing, "Killer."

Devin was one of the NBA players hit hardest by Bryant's death ... in the Suns' game against the Grizzlies hours after the chopper accident, he had to fight back tears on the court.

NASCAR driver Daniel Suarez felt the best way to honor Kobe Bryant was to give back ... so he's auctioning his personalized Kobe racing gear and donating the money to all the victims of the tragic accident.

"I became a Kobe Bryant fan not for everything he did in the basketball world, but for everything he did on the outside," Suarez tells us.

The 28-year-old says he admired the work Kobe did for the community and other athletes ... so when the tragedy happened on Jan. 26, he decided to honor him the way Mamba would want.

"I really wanted to do something to honor him," Suarez says, "in a way to give back, like how he used to do it."

Suarez hit up artist Salvador Amezcua to make the one-of-a-kind race gear ... and Amezcua tells us it only took 4 1/2 hours to make 'em that AWESOME!

Suarez put the gloves and shoes up for auction after the Auto Club 400 race Sunday in California ... and the bids started rackin' up, with almost $5,000 in 48 hours!!!

"I think the gloves and shoes were the perfect toast to do it and it's really great," Suarez added.

"The auction is still going on, we still have a few more days and it's doing amazing. Way better than what we were expecting!"

FYI -- the names of the nine victims were also displayed on his No. 96 Toyota Camry.

After the auction ends on March 6, all the money will go to MambaOnThree -- a fund for all the victims' families.

"[Colby Covington's] a prick. I don't care about this guy. He doesn't know how to act. He's not a real man."

That is UFC star Joanna Jedrzejczyk talking about Colby -- her American Top Team gym mate -- and it's crystal clear she hates his guts.

Earlier this week TMZ Sports talked to 32-year-old Jedrzejczyk -- who's fighting strawweight champ Weili Zhang at UFC 248 this weekend -- and asked about her inter-gym beef with the welterweight star.

"[Colby] was talking s**t about Dustin Poirier, Jorge Masvidal, who he was friends with. You can't do that, ya know?"

Joanna -- who got into an argument with Covington a few months back -- says the managers and coaches who run the ATT gym, and put in a helluva lot of work ... so fighters don't have to be best buds, but they do need to respect each other.

"We have so many athletes from all over the world, different cultures, different experiences. But, we are all working together, supporting each other. Sometimes you like someone more, sometimes less. But, show some respect to your teammate."

"Don't talk bad about your teammates. This is what Colby did and he's paying the price."

Despite the beef, Jedrzejczyk actually says she wishes CC luck ... before doling out this last dig when we asked if Colby needed a reality check.

"No, Usman already did that, and he humbled him. He's better."

Burn🔥

Garrett Whitley -- a former MLB first-round pick and current Rays farmhand-- was forced to go to the hospital Monday after he was terrifyingly struck in the face by a foul ball.

During the Tampa Bay Rays vs. Baltimore Orioles spring training game ... O's third baseman Renato Nunez uncorked a foul ball that beelined straight at Whitley.

The Tampa Bay outfielder -- who was at one time considered one of the game's best prospects -- was unable to move out of the way ... and took the ball right near his eye.

You can see in video of the at-bat ... 22-year-old Whitley immediately crumpled and required medical attention.

After the game, Rays manager said Whitley was diagnosed with a facial injury ... and was forced to go to the hospital to undergo further testing.

"[During initial tests] his eyes were moving fine," Cash told reporters. "He stayed coherent the whole time. That was pretty scary."

Whitley was drafted with the No. 13 overall pick by the Rays in 2015 ... but he's struggled to live up to expectations, batting just .236 in his minor league career.

The Nashville Predators are opening the doors of Bridgestone Arena to those affected by the devastating tornadoes that killed at least 22 people ... and serving pizza for everyone in attendance.

Tornadoes hit the area early Tuesday morning ... destroying part of the city and leaving many without power.

The local NHL team is stepping up to help those impacted by the tragedy ... offering pizza and a place to get away.

"We love you and we want to help," the Preds tweeted.

The Titans have also released a statement, saying, "We extend our deepest sympathies to those families who lost loved ones in the tornadoes last night and are heartbroken to see the damage across Nashville and Tennessee."

"We know the strength of our community and the Volunteer spirit that lives in us all. We will join the efforts to re-build in these areas and know our neighbors will join us."

Tragic news ... a top basketball recruit who was committed to play for Missouri State next season has died in an accidental shooting, TMZ Sports has confirmed.

19-year-old Ashley "A.J." James -- a 3-star prospect who had offers from Fresno State, Murray State and USF, among others -- was killed on Monday night in Chesapeake, Va., according to cops.

A police spokesperson tells us ... officers responded to an apartment just before midnight and found James with a gunshot wound "in the chest area" after he had allegedly been handling a firearm with another man when it accidentally went off.

The spokesperson says the basketball star received emergency medical care ... but later died from his injury. The spokesperson added foul play was NOT suspected.

"crazy really going to be my teammate next year praying for the James family," MSU freshman Isiaih Mosley tweeted Tuesday.

James -- a 6-foot-3, 170-pound shooting guard -- was playing at Hargrave Military Academy in Virginia Beach, Va. this season before he was scheduled to join MSU's roster later this year.

The prospect, who was also being recruited heavily by N.C. State and Virginia Tech during his recruiting process, had just committed to Missouri State in December.

"When he get in the NBA, within three years, I guarantee he's the scoring champ. GUARANTEE."

LaVar Ball is back to his old ways ... making a crazy prediction that his son will lead the league in scoring within 3 years ... and he ain't talking about Lonzo or LaMelo -- it's LiAngelo!!!

Papa Ball returned to FS1's "Undisputed" on Tuesday and let the takes fly ... like saying the Pelicans will beat LeBron James' Lakers in a potential playoff matchup.

However, that comment was pretty tame compared to the most scalding-hot take of all ... when LaVar guaranteed his middle son, Gelo, would take over the league if/when he jumps from the G-League to the NBA.

The topic got brought up when Skip Bayless asked if LaVar thought Zion Williamson could ever lead the league in scoring ... and that's when Ball brought up Gelo, who is currently on the OKC Blue practice squad.

"Zion could lead this league in scoring regularly until my other son get there," LaVar said. "When Gelo get here, you can forget it ... it's over."

FYI -- it may not be so far fetched, considering Gelo DID score 72 points in a game while playing pro hoops in Lithuania (although, that's def. not the NBA).

Shannon Sharpe even asked LaVar to clarify if he meant Melo, who's essentially a walking bucket ... but Dad made it clear it's all about GELO.

"Call me on it, baby. I'll be back up here when he does," Ball says ... adding, the plan is to get Melo and Gelo on the same team this summer.

We'll check back with LaVar in 2023.

UFC superstar Henry Cejudo says he wants to pull a Royce Gracie -- and fight TWICE in the same night -- and he's dead serious.

Triple C -- the reigning UFC bantamweight and flyweight champ -- is set to take on Jose Aldo at UFC 250 in May ... but he wants Dana White to add another fight to his workload.

"I would like to get [Deiveson Figueiredo] and Jose Aldo on the same night. Co-main event and main event! Allow me to make history!"

FYI, Figueiredo just defeated Joseph Benavidez at UFC Norfolk -- but since Figueiredo didn't make weight for the fight, he was not awarded the vacant flyweight belt.

And, since the belt didn't change hands ... Cejudo is bragging that he's "the only fighter in human history to defend my belt on the couch!"

Cejudo thinks the whole situation was "unfortunate" since the missed weight kind of throws a wrench in the division ... but Henry says there's one way to fix the problem -- set up a fight!

FYI, way back in the day ... UFC would allow fighters to scrap multiple times on the same night. Royce Gracie famously fought THREE TIMES at UFC 1 back in 1993.

More NY Knicks drama ... this time involving their biggest fan, Spike Lee -- who got into an altercation with security at MSG and told 'em, "You wanna arrest me like Charles Oakley?!"

The whole thing went down at Madison Square Garden right before the Knicks took on the Houston Rockets ... when security reportedly blocked Lee from using a restricted entrance into the building.

During the exchange (captured on video) you can hear Lee saying "no one told me" he wasn't allowed to use that particular entrance ... and he dug in his heels, "I'm staying right here."

A Knicks spokesperson has said the entrance was not designated for fans -- with sources saying it was supposed to be for media and staffers only.

The good news ... Lee met with Knicks' owner, James Dolan, and the two smoothed things over. And, even better for Lee and the Knicks, THEY ACTUALLY WON THE GAME!

The Knicks have been AWFUL this season -- one of the worst records in the NBA -- but they still manage to draw A-List celebs to their games ... including Chris Rock, Pete Davidson, Kenan Thompson and more.

In fact, NY Giants QB Daniel Jones and his RW, Sterling Shepard, were sitting courtside along with fellow NFL stud Jamal Adams.

Guess Michael Rapaport's call for celeb boycott ain't exactly workin' ...

As for the game, Knicks rookie RJ Barrett scored 27 points and Julius Randle had a 16-point, 16-rebound double-double to lead the team to a 125-123 win over Houston.

"Sometimes I feel like a bitch because I don't want that person to come out ... 'cause if he comes out hell is coming with him."

That's Mike Tyson getting extremely emotional talking about the monster he used to be -- and although Mike says he's a changed man, he's deathly afraid of relapsing.

The boxing legend opened up with Sugar Ray Leonard on the "Hotboxin' with Mike Tyson" podcast ... saying he felt "empty" after his boxing career wrapped up.

"I know the art of fighting, I know the art of war. That’s all I’ve ever studied. That’s why I’m so feared, that’s why they feared me when I was in the ring. I was an annihilator, that’s all I was born for," Mike said.

"Now those days are gone. It’s empty, I’m nothing."

"I’m working on being the art of humbleness. That’s the reason I’m crying, 'cause I’m not that person no more, and I miss him."

Tyson continued, "And, it’s not funny at all. It's not cool like I’m a tough guy. It’s just that I hate that guy, I’m scared of him."

53-year-old Tyson says Leonard knew him back in his heyday -- and knows that he's changed his life -- but it's been a challenging process to get to where he is now.

Longtime jockey Richard Gamez has died after he suffered devastating injuries in a fall from his horse during a race Sunday at a famous Arizona track.

The 66-year-old was reportedly in the lead at Rillito Park Racetrack in the Tucson area when his horse suddenly bucked him from his saddle.

Gamez hit the ground ... and after he was trampled by another horse -- he was rushed to the hospital with serious injuries.

On Monday, track officials announced Gamez had died ... and in an interview with the Arizona Daily Star, a track spokesperson said the injuries were catastrophic.

"The accident was such that it didn’t really have anything to do with his age," Rillito Park Foundation president Jaye Wells said. "I'm no medical expert, but we believe the brain injury was such that he wouldn't have survived if he'd been 20."

Gamez's horse was reportedly not injured in the accident.

Gamez had been racing and raising horses for decades ... reportedly running in hundreds of events and winning more than $1 MILLION in prize money.

"He was a good guy. A hell of a guy. He loved horses," his friend, Hector Pinedo, told the Arizona Daily Star. "He loved the sport of kings, and he died doing what he did best."

UFC Hall of Famer Chuck Liddell -- one of the greatest MMA fighters of all time -- says he's finally "officially retired" from fighting ... for now.

The 50-year-old legend has been undecided about his fighting career for a while -- despite losing to Tito Ortiz in his last performance in Nov. 2018.

In fact, as recently as October 2019, Liddell told ESPN he was "undecided" about his future as a fighter.

But when we saw Liddell at LAX, he told us straight up, "I'm officially retired right now ... for now."

The former UFC lightweight champ had an amazing career -- with a 21-9 pro record ... including two historic wins over Tito Ortiz and two wins over Randy Couture.

Chuck was a pioneer in the world of MMA and is widely credited with helping to grow the UFC into the juggernaut it is today.

So, what's next for The Iceman?! Chuck says he's always been interested in the WWE ... and has tremendous respect for pro wrestlers ... "That would be a lot of fun!"

In the meantime, Liddell is still training like a maniac at Jay Glazer's Unbreakable Gym in West Hollywood where he works out with the likes of Wiz Khalifa and Demi Lovato!

UFC superstar Yoel Romero says he's not even close to retirement -- despite the fact he's about to turn 43 years old -- telling TMZ Sports he's got another 10 YEARS left in the tank!

The Cuban-born middleweight star is gearing up to fight Israel Adesanya at UFC 248 in Las Vegas on Saturday ... and Romero says he's laser-focused on winning Israel's belt.

There's no bad blood between these two ... Romero says he loves everybody, but he's ready to take care of business when they step in the Octagon on March 7.

As for his UFC future, Romero tells us he thinks he's good to go for another decade ... and made sure to show off his abs to let us know he means business!

We've done some digging and from what we've found, the oldest person to take a UFC fight is Randy Couture who was 47 years old when he battled Lyoto Machida at UFC 129 in 2011.

Couture lost that fight but had won a previous 3 matches. Randy was 46 years old when he defeated James Toney.

To our knowledge, it doesn't appear anyone over the age of 50 has ever competed in a UFC fight.

Eight deputies were involved in snapping and taking and/or sharing photos of Kobe Bryant's helicopter crash site ... according to L.A. County Sheriff Alex Villanueva.

The Sheriff made the revelation Monday, saying he's "shocked" by the scandal and calling it "a punch to the gut." Villanueva says the images have been erased and the deputies involved are facing disciplinary action and an investigation.

Villanueva also says there's a "sense of betrayal" to the families who lost loved ones in the tragedy. He claims there were only 2 groups at the scene authorized to take pics -- the coroner and NTSB investigators.

As you know ... Vanessa Bryant was devastated after hearing Sheriff's deputies took photos of the remains of Kobe and the 8 other victims, and she wants those responsible punished.

As we've reported ... some deputies took pics at the crash site and sent them to numerous people inside and outside the department. Law enforcement sources also told us a deputy trainee was inside a bar several days after the crash and showed a woman photos of the remains. The bartender overheard and filed an online complaint with the Sheriff's Department.

Villanueva says it's not a crime for law enforcement to take these photos, but he says it's still against department policy and says he's apologized to the families.