TMZ Sports - Page 50

NBA superstar Devin Booker was just named a Special Olympics Global Ambassador, and the Phoenix Suns guard credits his little sister, Mya ... for inspiring much of the amazing work he's done.

"I've celebrated the accomplishments and witnessed the challenges my sister has experienced as a person with intellectual disabilities," Booker said Thursday.

"She motivates me every day, and I'm humbled to be part of Special Olympics, a global organization with a mission to help spread awareness about the abilities of people with intellectual disabilities."

Booker's 18-year-old sister was diagnosed with DiGeorge syndrome -- a rare genetic chromosomal disorder that can lead to mild intellectual disabilities.

23-year-old Booker says he's been so inspired by what she's been able to accomplish in the face of the adversity ... he's deeply involved himself in the Special Olympics.

Booker has invited special needs fans to NBA events constantly and has even donated annually to Special Olympics Arizona as part of his "Devin Booker Starting 5" charity efforts.

"People like Devin who have a sibling with intellectual disabilities possess inherent empathy for the population we serve," Special Olympics CEO Mary Davis says.

"We are lucky to leverage his passion to inspire others around the world to join our all-out effort to end discrimination against and empower people with intellectual disabilities.”

"Doug Whaley can eat a d**k. Doug Whaley can die in a hole and drink bleach. I’m dead serious."

Ex-NFL running back Karlos Williams is opening fire on ex-Bills GM Doug Whaley ... going OFF on the guy for how things went down during his time in Buffalo.

Remember, Williams had an INSANE breakout rookie season in 2015 -- scoring 7 TDs in just 11 games -- but never played another down in the league due to substance abuse suspensions.

Now, the 26-year-old is looking to make a comeback via the Canadian Football League's Toronto Argonauts ... explaining he REFUSED to play in the XFL due to Whaley's role as the league's Senior VP of Football Operations.

"When I was in Buffalo, I knew something was wrong when they drafted Jonathan Williams," Karlos told The Athletic. "I knew something was up. Y’all had alternative plans."

"Y’all bring Reggie Bush to camp and allowed him to practice? Reggie Bush went negative rushing yards for the season. And y’all release me?"

Of course, Williams and fellow teammate Marcell Dareus were both dealing with substance issues at the same time ... but Whaley decided to only cut Karlos, which the running back took as disrespect.

Trent Dilfer thinks whoever drafts Tua Tagovailoa in two weeks is getting a future NFL legend ... saying the Alabama quarterback has straight-up Hall of Fame potential.

"He throws better than Aaron Rodgers and Dan Marino," Dilfer told The Washington Post this week.

Of course, the ex-NFL QB is a bit biased ... he's been a key figure in training Tua to get ready for the draft -- but he claims Tagovailoa is as good a prospect as he's ever seen, nonetheless.

"He throws the football better than anyone throws the football," Dilfer said ... "Whoever gets him wins the draft because you are getting a Hall of Fame player.”

Tua would have been in the mix for the No. 1 overall pick on April 23 if he hadn't suffered a dislocated hip during the Tide's game against Mississippi State last November.

But, the injury issue, coupled with other minor ailments he suffered during his Alabama career have made him less of a lock to go in the top 5 now.

Dilfer, though, says the 22-year-old is healing up nicely ... and claims the guy is a better prospect than Joe Burrow.

"There are some really, really good quarterbacks in this draft, but the best one is Tua."

Most mock drafts have Tagovailoa going No. 5 overall to the Miami Dolphins ... so could we really see the next Marino in Miami soon???

Michael Jordan is the one player EVERY hooper in NBA history wished they had the chance to team with during their careers ... right??

Nope!!! So says Jerry Stackhouse ... who reveals being Jordan's teammate actually SUCKED in 2002 ... and he wished it never happened.

"Honestly, I wish I never played in Washington and for a number of reasons," Stackhouse said on "The Woj Pod."

"It was really challenging to be able to be in a situation with an idol who at this particular point, I felt like I was a better player," Stack said.

It may sound crazy for JS to say he was ever better than the G.O.A.T. ... but let's remember, MJ was NOT the real MJ we all know and love during his Wizards days.

Jerry points out the season was off to a better start because the offense was running through him ... and then MJ had to take over.

"He wanted to get a little more isolations on the post, of course, so we had more isolations for him on the post."

To add insult to injury ... Stackhouse's old team, the Detroit Pistons, ended up winning the title 2 years after he was traded to D.C. ... and the Wizards never sniffed the playoffs.

Stackhouse says he never really had much fun that season ... and ended up losing respect for Jordan.

Ex-MLB star Josh Hamilton is now facing up to 10 YEARS behind bars ... this after the former MVP was formally indicted on a felony child abuse charge earlier this week.

Hamilton is accused of brutalizing his 14-year-old daughter back on Sept. 30 ... after he allegedly turned into a monster over a comment she made that ticked him off.

Court records, obtained by the Dallas Morning News, show a Tarrant County grand jury officially indicted the 38-year-old former Texas Rangers player on Monday.

Hamilton is now facing between 2 and 10 years in prison if he's convicted of the charge.

As we previously reported ... Hamilton turned himself in to authorities in October after his daughter told law enforcement he threw a full water bottle at her chest and later hit her during an argument at their home.

In the arrest warrant, obtained by TMZ Sports, the girl alleges Hamilton pushed her, hit her with an open hand and closed fist, left scratches on her and even tore her sweatshirt during the incident.

Hamilton's daughter also claims the ex-outfielder told her, "I hope you go in front of the f*cking judge and tell him what a terrible dad I am so I don't have to see you anymore and you don't ever have to come to my house again."

Hamilton has adamantly denied the allegations, with his attorneys telling the Dallas Morning News, "[He] is innocent of the charge against him and looks forward to clearing his name in court."

Geno Smith is firing back at Rex Ryan -- after his old NY Jets coach dissed him on ESPN ... and it's getting nasty.

It all started on "Get Up" on Wednesday morning -- when Ryan was trying to make the argument that he could have been as successful as Bill Belichick had he had a great QB like Tom Brady.

"Let’s give [Belichick] somebody else. Let’s give him Geno Smith. Let’s give him whoever, and let’s see how many Super Bowls he would have won. We saw the answer was zero in Cleveland,” Ryan said.

If it seemed personal, it was! Rex was the head coach of the NY Jets when they drafted Geno in the 2nd round of the 2013 NFL Draft. He spent 4 seasons there before moving on to the NY Giants.

After Rex made his comments, Geno responded on social media -- and even though he never mentioned Rex by name, it's obvious.

"My momma never liked dude he been a snake," Smith said.

"And y’all glorify it. Should’ve got fired after yr1. Truth is we won 8 games after ESPN had us winning two and he got his job back. Somehow I’m caught up in a feud and I’m the scapegoat. Same guy that drafted me. #TheBusiness."

He continued ... "I could easily go on and on about the bs I see but truthfully I’m so happy I don’t even bother. God put me in this position where even my enemies gotta mention my name. So I just sit back and watch the show!"

"Where I’m from if a man talk about another man while that man isn’t present, a man don’t listen!"

Ex-NFL star Chris Johnson is accused of funding murder-for-hire shootings that left two men dead in 2016 -- this according to explosive court docs obtained by TMZ Sports.

FYI, Johnson has NOT been formally charged with a crime -- and ADAMANTLY DENIES THE ALLEGATIONS -- but officials are clearly laying out their case against the running back ... and it's compelling stuff.

Long story short, officials believe CJ2K rewarded a gang member with cash after the guy allegedly killed two men who were suspected of gunning down Johnson's friend in 2015.

Here's the backstory ... Johnson nearly died in a shooting in Orlando, Fla., back on March 8, 2015 ... when Orange County Sheriff officials say someone opened fire on a Jeep that Chris was in at around 4 AM.

Johnson suffered a bullet wound to his shoulder and made a full recovery ... but the driver of the vehicle, his friend, Dreekius Johnson, did not survive the attack.

In new court docs ... law enforcement officials say "intelligence gathered suggested [the shooting] was a gang related murder attempt on Chris Johnson."

Officials also say ... months later, a noted Florida gang member named Dominic Bolden shot and killed two men -- one on Jan. 19, 2016 and one on July 24, 2016 -- who were believed to be the shooters in the March 2015 incident.

In the court docs, officials claim an informant told them as a reward for Bolden's alleged actions ... Chris helped the guy become a leader of a famed drug trafficking organization (DTO) in Florida.

The informant told officials that Johnson supplied Bolden "with funds and an individual who could continually supply Dominic Bolden with as much narcotics as needed to supply the DTO."

The informant also told officials the "murder for hire elevated Dominic Bolden's rank, reputation and power within the DTO" -- eventually making Bolden the org's de facto leader.

At the time of the March 2015 shooting, Chris was tagged in a social media post that appeared to be a threat directed at the gunmen ... but Chris denied he was seeking revenge, saying, "I don't live that life."

In the docs, 34-year-old Johnson is also accused of helping with day-to-day operations of the DTO ... but court records show he has NOT been formally charged with any crimes.

We've reached out to prosecutors at both the state attorney's office and the attorney general's office in Florida for comment on the investigation ... but so far, no word back yet.

We also reached out to Chris -- and a rep for the former NFL star tells us he strongly denies the allegations ... saying, "There's no validity to any of these accusations."

Chris is considered one the NFL's most exciting players EVER -- recording 9,561 rushing yards in his 10-year career.

"5 championships. 5 NYT bestsellers. The Mamba strikes again."

Vanessa Bryant is celebrating Kobe's newest accomplishment -- his latest book in the Wizenard Series, "Season One" is a NYT Bestseller.

The book was released last week ... and follows the journey of a young hooper named Reggie, who faces incredible obstacles on his way to becoming a basketball star.

"My husband @kobebryant would have been so proud to see his work continuing on with The #Wizenard Series: Season One." Vanessa said on Wednesday.

Of course, it was a bittersweet day when the newest book was released after Kobe's tragic death, with the author, Wesley King, saying he was "grateful to see the words live on."

Bryant's other projects, "The Mamba Mentality: How I Play," "Training Camp," "The Legacy And The Queen" and "Epoca: The Tree of Ecrof" are all also received the honor of being NYT Bestsellers.

It's a Passover miracle for Julian Edelman -- the NFL superstar will NOT be prosecuted for drunkenly jumping on a car in Bev Hills back in January, TMZ Sports has learned.

Remember, the former Super Bowl MVP was arrested on January 11 after cops saw the Patriots WR jumping on the hood of a car (we're told a Mercedes) around 9 pm.

Cops say the car was leaving a parking lot -- and had stopped for pedestrian traffic -- when Edelman "slid across the hood" like he was Starsky and Hutch!

According to police, Edelman reeked of booze (duh) and he was busted for vandalism.

He was at dinner earlier in the evening in Bev Hills at Cantina FRIDA, along with Paul Pierce and Danny Amendola.

But that's all over now ... cops say the owner of the vehicle told prosecutors he does NOT want Edelman charged with a crime because "he has been fully compensated for the repair costs to the vehicle."

In other words, Edelman cut the dude a fat ass check and now it's all gooooooood!!!

Tiger Woods is being sued by a fan who says he tried to take a selfie with the golf superstar ... but claims all he got was a big shove and some serious injuries.

A golf fan named Brian Borruso filed a lawsuit in Florida this week ... where he claims he was a spectator at the Valspar Gold tournament in Palm Harbor, FL in March 2018.

Borruso claims he was on the green at the 13th hole when Tiger hit a ball near where he was standing. As Woods approached his ball, Borruso says he saw the moment as an opportunity to get a selfie with Tiger.

However, as he tried to snap the shot, Borruso says Woods' caddie, Joe LaCava, stepped in and "intentionally shoved" him ... pushing him back into other spectators, and injuring him.

As a result, Borruso's lawsuit claims he "suffered injury and damages" including "bodily and mental injury," "disability, disfigurement, mental anguish, loss of capacity for the enjoyment of life, expenses of hospitalization, medical and nursing care and treatment, loss of ability to earn income, and aggravation of a previously existing condition."

Borruso says his injuries haven't gotten better ... and he is still feeling the effects of the alleged attack.

He never claims Tiger touched him, but cites USGA rules that state a golfer is responsible for his caddies actions ... and because of that, Woods should be held financially responsible.

As for why the fan took over 2 years to file the lawsuit ... his attorney says he waited to get a better understanding of just how serious his injuries were.

There's video of the alleged incident ... where LaCava is seemingly heard telling a fan to "back it up." LaCava is seen extending his arm as Tiger attempts to practice his swing ... but it's difficult to tell if Joe ever makes contact with anyone.