TMZ Sports - Page 50

Natalia Bryant -- Kobe and Vanessa's oldest daughter -- has been granted legal protection from someone she says poses a serious risk to her safety.

Natalia had court in L.A. Wednesday, where she gave some powerful testimony about things she claims 32-year-old Dwayne Kemp has done over the last few months to put her at risk.

Natalia called into the hearing and testified she doesn't know Kemp, but is terrified of what he's capable of -- scared at any moment he could show up. She called his actions "unsettling" and claimed at one point he even contacted her eyebrow beautician, offering to pay for services Natalia had completed.

Natalia's attorney Nick Sanchez tells TMZ ... the judge was convinced Kemp is dangerous enough to warrant a 3-year order of protection. Just as the temporary restraining order required ... Kemp now must continue to stay at least 200 yards away from Natalia, her home, her job, her car, school and sorority house at USC.

As we reported ... the 19-year-old got the TRO last month, claiming he’d been stalking her and was under a delusion they were in a romantic relationship. She says he started contacting her 2 years ago, when she was still only 17.

Under the new 3-year order ... Kemp cannot possess or purchase any firearms, and he has 24 hours to surrender any weapons he currently owns.

As if making history wasn't enough for Raul Rosas Jr., the youngest UFC fighter ever tells TMZ Sports he wanted to return to the Octagon just 7 days after beating his opponent in the very first round!

Of course, at just 18 years and 63 days, Rosas Jr. etched his name in the record books when he stepped foot in the cage, becoming the youngest fighter to ever scrap in the UFC.

But, he didn't just show up ... Raul won, and needed just half a round to beat Jay Perrin, a 29-year-old full-grown adult.

And, when we asked Rosas Jr. when he wanted to fight again, it'd be an understatement to say he didn't want to wait very long.

"Thank God I was able to come out the same way I stepped in which was with no injuries. Thankfully, I feel good, and hopefully, I'm talking to my manager, seeing if I'm able to get a fight this weekend at the APEX. I know there's a show going on," Raul said.

"Hopefully I can step in there, whether it's 135 or 145. I want to step back in there as soon as possible, so hopefully I can fight this weekend, if not, we'll look at dates next year and see when I can step into the Octagon."

Rosas Jr. signed with the UFC after Dana White offered him a contract following his Contender Series fight in September ... a unanimous decision win over a 25-year-old opponent named Mando Gutierrez.

After his UFC 282 fight, Raul said he wanted to buy his mom a new van so she could drive him around.

We also talked to Raul about the van (he's getting it) and much more ... including how his friends reacted to their buddy winning in the UFC.

Luka Doncic did his best Santa Claus impression Wednesday -- throwing a surprise party for pediatric patients in Dallas ... while doling out a bunch of gifts!!

The Mavericks superstar planned and funded the special day for kids at the Scottish Rite for Children medical facility ... and check out all the pics and vids -- the tots loved it!

While Luka couldn't be there in person -- he had a game against the Cavaliers to prepare for -- he made sure around 200 patients got NERF basketball hoops, NERF blasters, Jordan Brand apparel and some chess-themed goodies.

He also made sure the patients had a day filled with cookie decorating, face painting, photo booths, hot cocoa and more.

"I hope this makes them happy and puts a smile on their face," Luka said of the afternoon. "They are so brave and strong, and I want them to know I’m thinking of them during the holidays and wishing them all the best in the New Year!"

Luka brought gifts for 25 health care workers, too -- hooking them up with lower-bowl tickets to the Mavs' Christmas Day game against the L.A. Lakers.

Doncic has plans to help out even more next week -- arranging the delivery of gifts and treats for around 150 pediatric patients in his home country of Slovenia.

Of course, the amazing charity work is nothing new for the 23-year-old ... just last year, he sent a bunch of gifts and autographs to patients in Ljubljana as well.

Morocco's time in the World Cup might be done ... but French Montana made sure this year's team will never be forgotten -- immortalizing the squad with a new song on Wednesday.

The Casablanca native dropped the new tune just before the national team's epic World Cup run came to an end against France ... and it's awesome.

French Montana rapped in fluent Arabic over a dance beat -- and spliced in highlights of the team in the song's music video.

The 38-year-old also included in the vid clips of his wild celebration with fellow Moroccans in Times Square earlier this month.

French had hoped the song would inspire the team against France in the tournament's semifinal game ... but he said he considered a loss still a win for his home country.

"If they lose, they still win because Morocco has never made it this far," French said. "I'm so proud of this team and to call Morocco my home."

Morocco was blanked in their contest with France ... but they still have a chance to win third place in the tournament -- when they take on Croatia on Saturday.

Cleveland Cavaliers star Kevin Love -- one of the NBA's most outspoken proponents of mental health -- is mourning the loss of Stephen "tWitch" Boss on Wednesday ... and is urging people to reach out to their loved ones and to spread kindness to prevent future tragedies.

Love took to Instagram to send his condolences to the famed Ellen DeGeneres talk show DJ ... sharing a photo of Boss with an emotional message.

"Everyone is going through something that you can't see," Love wrote on the social media post. "Be kind. Reach out. Spread LOVE."

TMZ broke the story ... tWitch was found dead on Tuesday from an apparent self-inflicted gunshot wound. He was 40 years old.

Others in the sports world were rocked by the news ... former Philadelphia Eagles linebacker Emmanuel Acho shared a recent video of the two laughing and dancing on his Twitter page Wednesday morning.

"You’ll be missed by brother," Acho said. "You’ll be missed. Thanks for always laughing and smiling with me."

"Stephen 'tWitch' gone way too soon. RIP tWitch."

Added ex-NFL star Robert Griffin III, "Praying for Stephen 'tWitch' Boss' family and love ones today. Gone too soon."

Former Saints receiver Lance Moore, NFL reporter Michele Tafoya, and pro wrestler Red Velvet also shared their thoughts and prayers after learning of the news Wednesday.

Clipper Darrell -- the most famous L.A. Clippers fan -- was knocked out during an altercation at a game on Monday ... new video, obtained by TMZ Sports, shows.

In the footage, you can see Darrell -- real name Darrell Bailey -- in his famous half-red, half-blue suit ... standing with a Crypto.com Arena security guard following the Clippers' game against the Boston Celtics.

The two seem to be in some sort of argument ... where the man wearing a red polo appears to be preventing Clipper Darrell from moving through a concourse at the NBA arena.

At one point, the man can be seen in the video putting his elbow near Darrell's neck in what seems to be an effort to keep him from advancing. Darrell, the footage shows, then swiped at the man's arm to get it off of him.

That's when the man in the red balled up his fist and swung on Clipper Darrell -- connecting straight with the superfan's jaw.

Darrell crashed into a nearby trash receptacle ... and appeared to lose consciousness.

Crypto.com Arena President Lee Zeidman tells us ... the altercation all started after the security officer tried to direct Darrell and other departing fans to nearby exits.

"Clipper Darrell became involved in a verbal and then physical altercation," Zeidman said. "After receiving immediate medical attention, Darryl was transported to a nearby hospital for further evaluation and treatment."

"An investigation of the incident was launched which determined the employee’s behavior to be a direct violation of our training and approved responses resulting in the immediate termination and arrest of the employee by the LAPD."

Clipper Darrell told us on Wednesday morning he's suffering from headaches ... and is still in a lot of pain. He added that he's currently on medication to try to alleviate some of his symptoms.

Sources close to the Clippers, meanwhile, tell us the team is aware of the incident.

Clipper Darrell has been a Clips season ticket holder for two decades -- and has gained notoriety for loudly leading taunts and cheers throughout L.A. games.

Despite moving on to the World Cup final, not all things went smoothly for Kylian Mbappe on Wednesday -- the France superstar accidentally drilled a fan in the face with a warm-up shot ... and issued an apology immediately afterward.

The incident happened just before France took down Morocco in one of the tournament's semifinal games ... as the 23-year-old phenom was trying to get loose for the important tilt.

Mbappe peppered one of his shots over the goal mount -- and it, unfortunately, nailed a France supporter right in the noggin.

Pictures from the stadium in Qatar showed the guy was in a considerable amount of pain ... but, to Mbappe's credit, he ran over to make sure the dude was OK.

He grabbed the man's arm, and appeared to say he was sorry -- before bolting back to warm-ups.

Of course, we're sure the fan was feeling a whole lot better just minutes later -- 'cause France opened the game against Morocco with a goal in the first 300 seconds of the match.

France went on to win 2-0 -- and will now face Argentina in Sunday's finale.

Suns HC Monty Williams shared a powerful and emotional moment with Rockets HC Stephen Silas after Houston defeated Phoenix Tuesday night ... in the coaches first game back since his father Paul Silas died.

The embrace came moments after the final buzzer sounded ... Monty and Stephen converged near center court, where the Suns HC did more than congratulate Stephen on the W.

Monty and Stephen initially shook hands and hugged ... then Williams said a few words to the 49-year-old head coach before he grabbed him for a more extended hug.

As we reported, Paul, a 2x All-Star and 3-time NBA champion with the Boston Celtics, died on Sunday. He was 79.

In addition to all his other basketball accomplishments, Silas was LeBron's first NBA coach. Altogether, he spent 23 seasons coaching in the NBA -- 12 as a head coach and 11 as an assistant.

Paul gave his son Stephen an assistant coaching job on his staff with the then-Charlotte Bobcats in 2012 ... and the two would coach together for one season.

Stephen became head coach of the Rockets in 2020 ... and has been at the helm for the last three years as the team tries to rebuild.

Ben Affleck made his annual visit to the Lakers-Celtics game in L.A., hitting the Crypto.com arena with his 10-year-old son, Samuel, where the guys sat courtside for an absolute thriller!

Ben, a huge Celts fan from Boston (and every other team in Beantown), and Sam, watched the Lakers battle back from 20 down, before rallying back. The game went to overtime and the Celtics ultimately won, 122-118.

Surprisingly, Ben and Sam weren't decked out in Celtics gear ... except for the actor's pair of green Nikes -- a nod to his home team.

Affleck wasn't the only celeb in the building ... Floyd Mayweather, Lou Adler and Hailey Bieber also attended the game.

For Ben, attending the Lakers vs. Celtics game in Los Angeles is somewhat of a yearly tradition. In fact, last December Affleck hit up the game with Jennifer Lopez ... and the couple packed on the PDA!

It looks like Ben and Samuel had a blast. As for the thousands of Lakers fans -- not soo much!

Draymond Green says the fan who he had booted from Tuesday night's Warriors vs. Bucks game hurled death threats his way from his courtside seat.

The Golden State superstar had animatedly exchanged words with the man in the third quarter of the Dubs' blowout loss to Milwaukee at the Fiserv Forum ... when a few moments later, he grabbed a ref's attention and pointed toward the guy.

Green appeared to insist that the man should leave the game -- and after a few seconds of arguing, security escorted the guy from the area.

After the contest, Green told reporters that at one point during their heated argument, the fan had said "some threatening stuff to my life."

The 32-year-old -- who previously punched his own teammate in a fit of rage earlier this year -- said he nearly went after the guy ("I was this close to really going back," he said) ... but decided to get the refs' help with the situation instead.

"When I told the official what he said," Draymond explained, "he was like, 'Oh, he's got to get out of here.'"

The Bucks said in a statement following the game that they were investigating the matter.

This is not the first time Green has had an issue with fans this year ... he was just fined $25K two weeks ago for getting into it with a man in Dallas.

He told reporters on Tuesday night that he hoped to see significant changes at NBA arenas to try to deter the contentious interactions going forward.

Grant Wahl's wife says "there was nothing nefarious" about the soccer journalist's death ... explaining on Wednesday that the 49-year-old died from a ruptured aortic aneurysm.

Dr. Celine Gounder -- an infectious disease expert and Wahl's wife since 2001 -- told CBS News in a sit-down interview that Wahl's dire condition "had likely been brewing for years."

"And for whatever reason," she said, "it happened at this point in time."

Wahl suffered a medical episode on Friday night -- while in Qatar covering Argentina vs. Netherlands World Cup game. Officials said he had collapsed in the stadium press room ... and later died.

His brother, Eric, said he suspected foul play was involved -- particularly after Wahl had been receiving threats over his open support of the LGBTQ+ community in the foreign country.

"I do not believe my brother just died," Eric said. "I believe he was killed."

Gounder, though, said Wahl -- whose body was repatriated to the U.S. on Monday -- underwent an autopsy in New York this week ... and "it showed that he had an aortic aneurysm that ruptured."

She added in a statement Wednesday, "No amount of CPR or shocks would have saved him. His death was unrelated to COVID. His death was unrelated to vaccination status."

Gounder said she wanted people to remember her late husband as a "kind, generous person who was really dedicated to social justice."

Floyd Mayweather isn't waiting until Dec. 25 to put on his Santa hat -- the legendary boxer gave a group of 5 kids $1,000 each as a Christmas present after the Clippers game!!

TMZ Sports is told ... Mayweather met with the kids following the Clippers' 113-93 victory over the Celtics at Crypto.com Arena on Monday ... and made their day unforgettable by surprising them with some holiday cash.

The video is really adorable -- the kids were ecstatic that Mayweather, who they refer to as "Uncle Floyd," chose to hook them up with the dough ... adding that "TBE" always looks out for them when they run into each other.

"You always help us out when we see you," one kid said ... as another added, "We love you, Floyd."

Of course, these are the same youngins who Floyd sent to the Clippers game against the Pelicans in October ... holding up on his promise that he'd give them the amazing experience on his dime -- after spotting them selling candy outside the Ritz-Carlton in LA.

Floyd also got some facetime with Celtics star Jaylen Brown while hanging in Crypto on Monday night - but the kids' reaction to his generosity was the best part of the night.

Aaron Rodgers is shouting out ayahuasca again ... this time, crediting the psychoactive tea for alleviating his "major fear of death."

The Green Bay Packers quarterback -- who previously said his use of ayahuasca helped lead to his two MVP seasons in 2020 and 2021 -- told Pat McAfee on Tuesday that the psychedelic trip he got from the brew made him much more comfortable with his mortality.

The 39-year-old explained ... while growing up as a young teenager during Y2K, he had developed a phobia of not accomplishing certain life goals before ultimately passing.

But, he told McAfee and A.J. Hawk on The Pat McAfee Show that ayahuasca changed all of that for him.

"I definitely had a fear of death," he said. "And ayahuasca, and psilocybin actually, really helped me with that and relieved a lot of the stress around the idea of needing to accomplish things before I actually die."

Rodgers said the trip forced him to "see the other side" ... which made "the idea of death more of a passage and less of an ending. More of just kind of the next chapter of life."

Rodgers initially consumed the ayahuasca during a 2020 trip to South America ... and told Aubrey Marcus in August that it was "a magical experience."

Deion Sanders may be heading to Colorado, but his love for Jackson State still seemingly runs deep -- Coach Prime congratulated JSU's new head coach, T.C. Taylor, for landing the coveted job!

The NFL Hall of Famer shared an emotional video showing the moment Taylor was named the new head coach -- and the players went absolutely wild!

"Congratulations [Coach Taylor] on being the new [Jackson State football] head coach!" Sanders wrote on Instagram. "You deserve it! Love ya and appreciate u my brother. #CoachPrime."

"It has been a dream of mine to be a coach here," Taylor told his players. "But to be a head coach with some of the names that have been through here: W.C. Gorden, James Carson, and Coach Prime. Those are big shoes to fill, but I am excited."

Taylor was a standout wide receiver for the Tigers during his playing days. During his senior year, he broke the JSU single-season record with 84 receptions ... totaling 1,234 yards and 11 TDs.

T.C. graduated from Jackson State in 2005 ... and in 2019, he reunited with the Tigers, joining JSU's coaching staff, where he coached tight ends and wide receivers until last year.

After Deion announced he was leaving, the NFL legend advocated for Taylor ... saying he was the guy he'd hire if the decision were up to him.

Taylor is following a tough act at JSU ... in three years with Jackson State, Deion led the Tigers to a 27-5 record and back-to-back SWAC championships.

Sanders is also taking some of his best players, including his son, star JSU QB Shedeur Sanders with him to Colorado ... meaning Taylor will have to recruit or develop a new QB.

Mississippi State will not pull out of its bowl game against Illinois despite Mike Leach's death ... the school's interim AD just said the Bulldogs will play in the postseason contest -- because, "We all know that's what Coach Leach would want."

Bracky Brett, who took over MSU's AD reins in October, told ESPN on Tuesday the football team's players are "100%" ready to play in the ReliaQuest Bowl on Jan. 2 ... and do "what Coach Leach would expect them to do."

"It's what we should do," Brett added.

Leach, MSU's head coach since 2020, tragically passed away on Monday night after suffering a medical emergency on Sunday. He was 61 years old.

The school announced following Leach's initial hospitalization that defensive coordinator Zach Arnett would fill in for the legend ... and Brett said Tuesday that plan will continue against the Fighting Illini after Leach's death.

"Coach Arnett has made it clear that we're going to finish what we started," Brett said, "and honor Coach Leach."

The game will go down in Tampa at Raymond James Stadium ... where, of course, Leach (nicknamed The Pirate) would have felt right at home -- something not lost on Brett.

New England Patriots wide receiver DeVante Parker is going OFF on the NFL ... saying officials need to "get on y'alls f***in' jobs" and take care of players who may have suffered head injuries during games.

Parker appeared dazed after getting hit with four minutes left in the first quarter of the Pats' "Monday Night Football" game against the Arizona Cardinals ... and teammate Nelson Agholor had to beg the referees to pause the contest so the veteran wideout could get checked out.

The NFL Players' Association is currently investigating why the league's concussion spotter didn't immediately stop the game ... especially considering the new protocols put in place following the handling of Dolphins QB Tua Tagovailoa's head injuries earlier this season.

Parker was visibly wobbly after he made the 10-yard catch -- he actually bumped into teammate Cole Strange as he tried to walk.

Parker thanked Agholor for looking out for him ... and it was for good reason -- #1 didn't return to the game after being examined by the medical staff.

The Pats are now dealing with a short receiving core ... as Jakobi Meyers also missed Monday's game due to a concussion.