TMZ Sports - Page 50

The average WNBA player reportedly makes around $75,000 per season.

The average NBA player reportedly makes around $7.7 MILLION per season.

Which is why Hall of Famer Sheryl Swoopes tells TMZ Sports a BUNCH of WNBA hoopers are afraid they could be left financially "struggling" if they don't get paid for the 2020 season.

The 2020 Season was supposed to kick off on May 15 -- but it's been pushed back without a new target date due to the COVID-19 pandemic.

"The tough part is the unknown," Swoopes tells us ... "Not knowing when the season will start, if the season will start. Without getting too personal, a lot of [the players] have no idea if they will even be paid."

We asked Swoopes if she felt the super-profitable NBA (as a league) has a duty to help WNBA players during this unprecedented time.

"Should they do it? I would say yes."

Don't get it twisted, Swoopes definitely isn't upset with the NBA -- in fact, she praises the league for everything it's doing to help combat the pandemic.

"You look at everything that the NBA, they have done, that they're currently doing, donating money to other causes and trying to help find a way to fight this pandemic and help find a cure ... they are helping in other areas."

But, the fact of the matter is she's concerned for the WNBA.

"There are some WNBA players, not a lot, but there are some WNBA players because they've been playing for so long and played overseas for years, who've made some great money ... But for the most part, there are players in the WNBA who probably without a doubt will be struggling if the season does not happen this summer."

Edmonton Oilers center Colby Cave is fighting for his life after the team says he was placed in a medically induced coma after suffering a brain bleed.

The team made the announcement Tuesday ... saying the 25-year-old became ill overnight and has since been admitted into the critical care unit at Sunnybrook Hospital in Toronto.

"Please keep Colby & his wife Emily in your thoughts & prayers at this time," the Oilers said in a statement.

Cave -- who was undrafted -- made his NHL debut with the Boston Bruins in 2017, playing in three games. The Saskatchewan native later joined the Oilers in 2018.

Cave scored a goal for Edmonton this year... and in a tweet Tuesday, the Oilers said, "Colby is an awesome person who scored an awesome goal for us this season."

"The entire #Oilers family is sending you all our love & strength right now, @Cavemn10."

Cave's AHL team, the Bakersfield Condors, added in a statement of their own, "The thoughts of #Condorstown are with Colby Cave, his wife Emily, and his entire family."

Ronaldinho -- the soccer superstar accused of using a fake passport to enter Paraguay -- is finally out of jail ... but he ain't exactly home free.

The 40-year-old Brazilian was moved to house arrest Tuesday -- after spending the last month locked up in Paraguay for allegedly using a really bad fake passport.

As we previously reported, Dinho and his brother traveled to Paraguay back in March to promote a new book -- but officials say they entered the country illegally. Big problem.

And, why fake passports? The former FIFA World Cup All-Star reportedly had his Brazilian and Spanish passports confiscated in July 2019 over unpaid taxes.

Authorities raided the hotel where Ronaldinho and his bro were staying, seized the passports and threw 'em both in jail ... where they've been ever since, until Tuesday.

Bond was set at $1.6 MILLION ($800,000 each) -- which they can easily afford, considering the FORTUNES they made in contract and endorsement money over the years.

Don't feel too bad for Ronaldhino, he's been able to stay active in jail ... dominating in rec yard soccer games and reportedly winng a trophy pig for his performances!

Ronaldinho and his brother are expected to remain under the house arrest while an investigation into their alleged crimes carries on.

Awesome gesture by Kareem Abdul-Jabbar ... the NBA legend is donating 1,800 safety goggles to Southern California hospitals to help medical personnel during the coronavirus pandemic.

The former LA Lakers superstar says he was so moved by the bravery of doctors, nurses and medical professionals during the tough times ... he wanted to give back to them.

So, Kareem says he told his team to source high-quality medical products -- including goggles -- and donated them to UCLA Health, Scripps and other hospitals this week.

Of course, Kareem was famous for wearing rec specs during his Hall of Fame career ... and said before he gave away the medical supplies, "You guys can look as good as I did when I played!"

The 72-year-old added, "I want to thank all the doctors, nurses and medical professionals at Scripps Mercy Hospital in San Diego. You guys are awesome because you're risking everything to help the public the way you are."

Scripps said in response to the generous donation, "Thank you so much @kaj33, you truly are an MVP!"

Kevin Garnett is absolutely eviscerating Timberwolves owner Glen Taylor ... essentially saying he can take any olive branch and shove it -- and calling him a "snake motherf***er."

So ... what's the beef??

When Garnett made his return to the Wolves back in 2015, he mentioned to coach Flip Saunders he wanted to eventually take on a front office or ownership role with Minnesota one day.

After Saunders passed away later that year, Taylor brought Tom Thibodeau on board to lead the team ... a move KG thought was not honoring his plans with Saunders.

"Glen and I had an understanding before Flip died, and when Flip died, that understanding went with Flip," KG told Shams Charania. "For that, I won’t forgive Glen."

"I thought he was a straight-up person, straight up businessman, and when Flip died, everything went with him."

KG says he LOVED his 14 seasons in Minnesota and his teammates, fans and the rest of the organization ... but there's no way in hell he's gonna reunite with Taylor.

"I’ll always have a special place for the city of Minneapolis and the state of Minnesota in my heart."

"But, I don’t do business with snakes. I don’t do business with snake motherf***ers. I try not to do business with openly snakes or people who are snake-like."

Of course, Taylor congratulated KG on making the Hall of Fame recently ... and when Garnett was asked if he'd be down for a jersey retirement ceremony in Minnesota -- the answer is a big, fat NO.

"Glen knows where I’m at, I’m not entertaining it."

Here they are ... the new Tampa Bay Buccaneers jerseys.

In other words ... here's what Tom Brady will be wearing next season!!!

It's gonna be weird to see TB12 suit up in anything other than the Patriots' color scheme ... but now we can officially start to picture it in our minds.

The new-look Bucs finally ditched the dumpster fire of a jersey design that they were stuck with since 2014 -- yeah, not many people liked them -- and it's a big improvement.

It's kinda a bummer ... 'cause a lot of folks were hoping the team would go back to its awesome Creamsicle look ... but it appears that ain't happenin'.

The Bucs debuted the new look on Tuesday ... and the biggest change is eliminating the zig-zaggy number font. They're VERY similar to the Derrick Brooks-era unis.

"This new but familiar look is a direct result of the valuable feedback we received from our fans," Bucs owner Ed Glazer said in a statement.

The funny part -- the Bucs sent out a hype vid for the new threads ... and had to post a disclaimer, considering Chris Godwin was spotted in his #12 jersey, which now belongs to Brady.

Bucs fans have to be happy ... and now they can finally get that #12 Brady jersey, which are already for sale on the Bucs team shop site.

UFC star Justin Gaethje says he's both excited and terrified about fighting Tony Ferguson at UFC 249 ... saying, "I’m facing my fears right now and I think that’s what we all need to do."

Justin is replacing Khabib Nurmagomedov in the April 18 main event for the interim lightweight title after the COVID-19 pandemic left the Russian unable to leave his home country. White says all fighters on the 249 card will undergo thorough medical screening before being allowed to fight.

The 31-year-old knockout artist says he's never taken a fight on this kind of short notice before -- but explains, "I’ve also never been offered a UFC title and that’s the only thing I’m working for."

"That’s all I’ve been working for since the beginning, so I’m ready to gamble."

So, why did Justin ultimately agree to take the fight?

Gaethje says he didn't immediately say "yes" -- telling his coach he wanted to sleep on it for a night to really think it through.

"The next morning I woke up and said, 'If I lose where are we at?' For me, it’s in the same exact spot I am right now. I’m going to go out there and get a paycheck, which is nice, but ultimately I get a chance at glory."

"Heroes live forever, legends never die and I’m literally here to make a statement. My name will be carried on far longer after I’m here because of my effort, because of my work ethic and because of the skills I possess."

He added, "There’s very few people on earth that would sign up for what me and Tony just signed up for, including most UFC fighters. A lot of guys will say that they’re ready, but a lot of guys would not put their name on the dotted line."

UFC star Anthony Smith -- who's beaten some of the best fighters on the planet -- says he fought off a man who broke into his Nebraska home this weekend ... and, "it was one of the toughest fights I've had in my whole life."

The story is insane ... around 4 AM on Sunday, Smith's wife heard a man in the house "screaming at the top of his lungs."

31-year-old Smith -- who lives in the home with his wife, 3 young daughters (8, 5 and 2)  and mother-in-law -- moved everyone to a room and decided to confront the intruder.

"I'm expecting that I'm gonna hear a gunshot or he's gonna stab me," Smith told ESPN's Ariel Helwani. ... "I figure I've got about two minutes before whatever he's got takes me out."

So, Smith charged hard and tried to subdue the man in his computer room -- but to Anthony's surprise, the man fought back ... HARD.

"No normal human is able to fight like that ... I'm by no means the baddest dude on the planet. But, he's a regular Joe and I had a hard time dealing with him."

"And he took everything that I gave him -- every punch, every knee, every elbow. He took every single one of them and kept fighting me."

During the scrap, Smith says his mother-in-law brought him a kitchen knife to use on the intruder -- but it didn't completely stop the guy.

Eventually, cops arrived and helped to subdue the intruder, identified as Luke Haberman -- who was already bloodied, beaten and cut up.

The craziest part of the story ... Smith says once Haberman was in custody, he apologized -- saying, "Hey man, I'm sorry."

What?!

"I'm not lying when I said it was one of the toughest fights I've had in my whole life," Smith said ... "I went into that fight ready to die."

As for Haberman, he was hospitalized and hit with a citation which requires him to appear in court in the near future.

Smith says the guy had been wreaking havoc in his neighborhood earlier in the night -- and broke into his home through an open garage door.