TMZ Sports - Page 50

Kobe Bryant's career was so amazing he never has to pick up a basketball again ... but if he does, former NBA star Glen "Big Baby" Davis hopes it's with the Ice Cube's BIG3 basketball league.

Mamba's reps told TMZ Sports he had no plans to play in the BIG3, this after a league honcho said he had on a "credible source" that Kobe was considering it.

We got Baby (a BIG3 player) out in L.A. and asked him if he thinks Kobe made the wrong choice, and he clearly DOESN'T, saying Kobe has accomplished so much he doesn't need roundball anymore.

The Big Ballers ain't gonna like this ...

Ex-NBA star Al Harrington says the Lakers made a HUGE mistake in the 2017 NBA draft ... because he thinks they should've taken Jayson Tatum.

You know how it went ... the Lakers took Lonzo Ball with the #2 pick, while Tatum fell to the Boston Celtics at #3.

Thus far, it's been a win for the C's, as JT was a finalist for last year's Rookie of the Year award, and Lonzo had a solid but inconsistent season.

Harrington says he LOVES Tatum's game ... and thinks if you re-drafted the class today, he'd go #1.

"Yes, the Lakers made a horrible decision ... That kid is the goods."

Harrington says it's not just the game either, telling us he likes what Tatum has between the ears.

"That kid wants to be great, you know what I'm saying ... sky's the limit for son."

Former NFL QB Erik Kramer wants to erase his marriage from the books ... claiming his 2015 failed suicide attempt left him with a lack of mental capacity to legally consent to marriage.

According to new legal docs ... Kramer says his wife, Courtney Baird, stole $50k of his money before they wed, and she's now filed for divorce.

He says before they got married, Baird "exerted undue influence upon me to convince me, given my weakened mental state, that her actions were not wrongful."

Now, Kramer claims his 2017 marriage -- which lasted less than a year and a half -- never should have happened in the first place ... because he suffered a traumatic brain injury when he shot himself in 2015.

Kramer was reportedly suffering from depression, which some believed was triggered by head injuries during his playing days, when he attempted to kill himself.

Kramer maintained he was not diagnosed with any concussions during his NFL career, and did not link his suicide attempt to CTE. Nevertheless, he says he has still not recovered from the brain injury from the suicide attempt so when he said "I do," it was without the necessary mental capacity to seal the deal.

Baird want the divorce judge to divvy up their earnings and also wants him to pay spousal support. She'd get neither if the marriage is annulled.

We broke the story ... Kramer's wife filed for divorce in June on the heels of his arrest for domestic assault. She also got a domestic violence restraining order.

Urban Meyer says he flubbed his news conference following the announcement of his three-game suspension Wednesday ... and is now trying to make up for it by apologizing to Courtney Smith.

"Let me say here and now what I should have said on Wednesday," the coach tweeted.

"I sincerely apologize to Courtney Smith and her children for what they have gone through."

As we previously reported ... Meyer was hit with a three-game ban after university officials say he "failed to take sufficient management action" when it came to the handling of assistant coach Zach Smith and his alleged domestic violence toward Courtney.

Meyer caught serious heat when discussing the suspension with reporters ... mostly for the crass tone he took when he was asked if he had a message for Courtney.

Now ... Meyer is realizing he messed up, saying he should have handled that question -- and the entire Zach Smith situation -- differently.

"My words and demeanor on Wednesday did not show how seriously I take relationship violence. I sincerely apologize. I was taught at a very young age that if I ever hit a woman, I would be kicked out of the house and never welcomed back."

"I have the same rule in my house and in the Football Program at Ohio State. Over the years, we have worked hard to educate and remind our coaches and players of the seriousness of relationship violence."

Meyer added, "I understand my lack of more action in this situation has raised concerns about this commitment. I once again apologize for this, and I extend my empathy to all women, men and families who are affected by relationship violence."

Justin Verlander's World Series ring nearly came with a $1 MILLION price tag ... 'cause an L.A. restaurant (jokingly) hit him with a HUGE "Dodger Killer" fee!!

The Astros ace -- who crushed L.A. in the World Series last year -- was dining at The Cabana Cafe in Bev Hills when, to his surprise, THE BILL CAME OUT TO OVER A MILLION DOLLARS!!

As Verlander read over the receipt, though ... it became clear to him, he just got punk'd.

"Beverly Hills Hotel really making me pay for that World Series win 😂😂," Verlander said of the massive charge.

"Thanks for the great lunch as always!"

As for why Verlander's grubbin' in L.A. this weekend ... he's in town for a series with the Angels.

So, rest easy, Dodgers fans ... for now.

Straight from the Mamba's mouth ... Kobe Bryant says he's NEVER returning to pro basketball.

The NBA legend set the record straight in an interview with Rich Eisen ... saying "I will never come back to the game. Ever. I am here to show people that we can do much more than that."

Of course, Black Mamba already has an Oscar for his animated short film "Dear Basketball" ... and has a bunch of other projects geared towards connecting youth to sports.

"There's about a 0-percent chance I come back and play," Bryant says.

There were rumors Kobe could come back to the Lakers when LeBron James decided to move to L.A., and most recently about joining Ice Cube's BIG3 league when co-founder Jeff Kwatinetz said he was told by a source that Kobe was gonna play next season.

But, Kobe's rep chimed in on his hoops future to TMZ Sports ... saying "NOT True. 100% not happening."

Regardless, Cube told us on Wednesday he was still hopeful Bryant would take the BIG3 bait.

Andrew Jones just dunked all over cancer ... with the Texas baller finishing his chemotherapy treatment and ringing the bell Friday!!

Jones -- a superstar on Texas' men's hoops team -- was diagnosed with leukemia this past January and called the last eight months of recovery "crazy and stressful for me and my family."

But, Andrew just wrapped up his rounds of chemo ... and is back on the road to playing for UT again this season.

"With the grace of god we can see a better day," Jones said after ringing the bell. "I’ll like to say thanks to all the fans and supports #hookem."

Jones recently told the Austin American-Statesman he'll now head back to his dorm at UT next Wednesday ... taking yet another step toward normalcy.

J.J. Redick says the Clippers turned from a title contender to a teardown project ... 'cause of "DONALD TRUMP-LEVEL" childishness from the team's stars!!

Seriously.

Remember ... the Clippers from 2011 to 2017 were LEGIT -- on the doorstep of a championship every year with Chris Paul, Blake Griffin and DeAndre Jordan roaming the floor.

Redick was a part of most of those squads ... and he revealed earlier this week that the downfall of it all was because of a level of pettiness similar to what he's seen from the White House.

"It's weird to think what we had the potential to accomplish and what ultimately derailed that was pettiness," Redick said on the "Pardon My Take" podcast on Barstool Sports.

"Like Donald Trump-level pettiness."

Redick says the team had a passive aggressive attitude toward everything -- and that's why Redick's in Philly, Paul's in Houston, Jordan's in Dallas and Griffin's in Detroit these days.

"I don't know that we hate each other. I don't know that," Redick says. "It was just passive aggressive bullsh*t."

The man who got pummeled by Kourtney Kardashian's ex says he's going to sue Drake and Odell Beckham Jr. ... because he believes they're responsible for the attack.

The victim -- Bennett Sipes -- has lawyered up and they don't just have Kourtney's ex, Younes Bendjima, in their crosshairs. TMZ broke the story ... Younes beat the crap out of Bennett outside Delilah restaurant in WeHo back in March, as Drake, Odell and their posses looked on.

Sipes' lawyer, Colin Jones at the Wilshire Law Firm, tells TMZ ... he learned from speaking to his client and witnesses that his client's girlfriend -- famed Instagram model Sommer Ray -- was hanging in the VIP section of the club during the evening, chatting with Odell. Toward the end of the night, Sipes -- who was an employee of Delilah, but not working that night -- went to the VIP section to get his GF, and Odell was none too pleased.

What happened next is unclear. It seems words were exchanged, but it did not get physical. Cut to around 2:30 AM, when Drake, Odell and their crews left through the back door. That's when Sipes appeared, said something, and Younes unleashed a barrage of punches, and was joined by another man.

Attorney Jones believes the other man who began punching was a member of either Drake's or Odell's security team, which would make them responsible for what the guy did.

Sources connected with the group say Sipes was the aggressor in the VIP area, and incited them as they left. They also say Drake and Odell had nothing to do with the fight.

Jones said he had no idea Younes was the guy who delivered the initial flurry of punches until he saw the video we posted Wednesday, and that was enough to commit to a lawsuit.

Sipes was pretty badly beaten as you can see. Jones says his client is still going through physical therapy, months after the attack.

As we reported, Sipes went to the L.A. County Sheriff's Dept. and filed a police report, but has been uncooperative since ... so the investigation's closed.

The Detroit Pistons were speaking slime language on Thursday night .... 'cause the team had a private party at a Malibu mansion ... and Young Thug had it gettin' LIT!!

The shindig appears to have been put on by Pistons owner Tom Gores ... with Blake Griffin posting a pic of Thugger onstage, captioned, "our owner is better than yours."

Y.T. performed one of his featured hits, "About the Money" ... and the players loved it, vibing along and rapping with him.

But, the "It's a Slime" spitter wasn't the only performance -- superstar center Andre Drummond grabbed the mic and performed some of his own music while Thugger watched.

See, Blake? Playing for Detroit ain't all that bad!!

Logan Paul and KSI just faced off one final time before they try to kill each other in the ring ... with the superfight weigh-ins going down Friday afternoon in Manchester ... and, of course, there were more insults.

KSI continued to go after L.P.'s girlfriend, Chloe Bennet ... walking onto the stage wearing a mask of the "Agents of S.H.I.E.L.D." star's face.

Logan hit back with a jab of his own by giving KSI some chewing gum ... to suggest his breath stinks?

It's no secret ... these 2 social media superstars have been training their asses off for this moment ... and tensions are high.

The undercard fighters -- little bros Jake Paul and Deji -- didn't meet face-to-face during Friday's event after the 2 got in an altercation at Jake's fan meet and greet earlier this week.

Legendary boxing announcer Michael Buffer asked Jake for a prediction ... he said he's gunning for a 1st-round KO.

Deji responded by calling Jake "delusional" ... and claiming it was Paul 's decision not to weigh in at the same time because he's scared.

The balls were flying at Clayton Kershaw's charity ping pong tournament on Thursday ... and if you've ever wanted to see your favorite celebs freaking out over some table tennis, you're in luck.

The Dodgers ace -- rockin' a retro outfit that would make the '80s proud -- hosted his closest celeb friends for the super competitive tourney at Dodger Stadium ... and it's clear nobody's taking it easy.

This year's tourney had Matthew McConaughey, Mila Kunis and Ashton Kutcher, Bryan Cranston ... and a bunch of Dodgers stars like Justin Turner and Austin Barnes.

While none of those stars listed above took home the W ... they didn't go down without a fight. And the "That '70s Show" couple was REALLY into it.

The Ping Pong 4 Purpose event is a yearly tournament and brings in HUGE stars to compete as part of Kershaw's Challenge, a faith-based charity focused on helping at-risk children and neighborhoods.

Hugo Lloris -- the star goalie on France's 2018 World Cup championship team -- was arrested for drunk driving in London, officials say.

The 31-year-old superstar -- who's also the goalkeeper for Tottenham -- was pulled over around 2:20 AM on Friday morning for a routine traffic stop ... but cops suspected he was plastered.

Officials say Lloris took a breathalyzer -- and failed -- and was arrested on the stop. He was hauled to the Charing Cross Police Station where he was booked and spent 7 hours in custody.

Lloris was later released on bail and is due back in court on Sept. 11.

Lloris was scheduled to play for Tottenham in their next game on Monday night -- unclear if he will be suspended due to the arrest.

The guy is an absolute stud on the pitch -- he's the captain of the French national team and Tottenham and is widely considered one of the best goalkeepers on the planet.

Aaron Donald sent a message to the Rams on Thursday -- six of them, in fact -- letting his abs say the words his mouth didn't ... PAY ME!!

The not-so-subtle memo to his L.A. bosses went down on Donald's IG ... where the superstar D-lineman -- who's still holding out -- posed shirtless with every one of his six abs flashing.

The caption might as well have had general manager Les Snead's name on it too ... 'cause it read, "Lookin good for 280."

Translation -- he's a 6"1', 280-pound monster in incredible shape ready to get back on the football field.

Beto O'Rourke has two pretty powerful athlete allies after his speech about the NFL kneeling issue -- LeBron James and Arian Foster.

FYI, O'Rourke is running for senator in Texas against Ted Cruz -- and started to become famous this week thanks to a video from a Texas town hall showing Beto explaining why kneeling during the anthem is NOT disrespectful.

"And so non-violently, peacefully, while the eyes of this country are watching these games, [some NFL players] take a knee to bring our attention and our focus to this problem to ensure that we fix it," O’Rourke said.

"That is why they are doing it, and I can think of nothing more American than to peacefully stand up, or take a knee, for your rights, anytime, anywhere, any place."

‏LeBron tweeted about the video on Thursday -- calling it a "must watch."

Foster -- a former star NFL running back for the Houston Texans -- took it a step further ... spending the day campaigning with O'Rourke in Houston.

Beto put out a statement thanking Arian for his support -- "Grateful that [Arian Foster] would spend the day with us in Spring and Houston. Grabbing smoothies, driving the truck, joining the discussion about how this community and this state leads the way on so many important issues. Hope you have a fun birthday tomorrow!"

Derek Holland has issued an apology for doing an insensitive Asian impression on an MLB talk show ... saying, "It's embarrassing what I did."

The San Francisco Giants pitcher went on MLB Network's "Intentional Talk" on Wednesday and brought along Giants staffer Haro Ogawa to be his "hype man."

Yet throughout the interview ... Holland solely used Haro as a prop for the offensive jokes ... including using an Asian accent and several martial arts-style bows.

After the Giants' win over the Mets on Thursday, Holland apologized vehemently for the offensive bit.

"I want to be held accountable for everything I've done and caused with all of this," Holland said.

"It's embarrassing what I did. I was just trying to have some fun. Haro and I just entertaining and just trying to take it to a different level and make the interview a little more exciting and I obviously crossed the line with that."

"Whatever I have to do to take care of the situation, I will do it."

Holland -- who also said he apologized personally to Ogawa and Japanese bullpen catcher Taira Uematsu -- made sure to tell reporters the act was solely his idea.