TMZ Sports - Page 50

Draymond Green says he's "really tired of seeing [female athletes] complain about the lack of pay" -- insisting the time for griping is over, and there needs to be more action.

Maybe not the best choice of words -- but ultimately, Green is arguing that women DESERVE better pay, and need to change their PR strategy in order to achieve their goal.

Draymond explained during a Wednesday interview why he believes female athletes -- specifically WNBA players -- are "doing themselves a disservice by just complaining."

NBC Sports Bay Area reporter Kerith Burke pushed back and told Green "the women are doing more" than voicing their displeasure ... and that's when the Golden State Warriors star explained his position.

"They’re not laying out steps that they can take to change [the pay disparity]," Draymond explained ... "So, it’s coming off as a complaint."

"Because the people that can change it, they’re just going to continue to say, 'Well, the revenue isn’t there. The revenue isn’t there. So, if you don’t bring in the revenue, we can’t up your pay.' They’re going keep using that."

Green argued that female athletes need to band together to hold sports leagues, advertisers and other influential organizations responsible for effectively marketing women's sports -- including putting real time, energy and money into promoting talented superstars like WNBA legend Diana Taurasi.

Bryce Harper's pheet looked phantastic on MLB's Opening Day Thursday ... 'cause the Philadelphia superstar rocked some custom Phanatic cleats for the occasion -- and they were INSANE!!

One of the spikes was covered in green fur, fake eyeballs and had the word "Phanatic" written across its side.

The other shoe had a little miniature Phanatic sewed into it ... with the mascot's baby feet popping out by Harper's toes!!!

The heat was created by custom shoe artist Soles By Sir ... who said of the spikes Wednesday, "Yes, we did a little something!"

Of course, Harper's no stranger to custom gear ... he's famously rocked Kobe Bryant tribute cleats in the past as well as some ultra-patriotic 4th of July footwear back in 2016.

As for the rest of Harper's Opening Day 'fit ... it was all just as on point as his cleats -- he showed up to the stadium in an Allen Iverson jacket that was clean as hell!!

Incredible scene on the NBA hardwood Wednesday night ... THREE Antetokounmpo brothers -- including Giannis -- played in a game at the same time!!

And, the embrace the trio shared afterward will hit ya right in the feels!!

The awesome moment all went down late in the 4th quarter of the Lakers vs. Bucks game in L.A. ... when Giannis and older bro Thanasis were pouring it on the home team.

Then, suddenly, with 2:18 left in the blowout ... the Lakers sent in the youngest Antetokounmpo, Kostas -- and the party was ON!!

For close to a minute ... the three bros hooped, with Kostas at one point even guarding Giannis!

Eventually, Giannis was subbed out, but Kostas and Thanasis still went at it ... and Thanasis even splashed a 3-pointer in Kostas' face!

After the Bucks sealed the victory ... the three bros hugged it out on the court -- and Giannis later called it all "my favorite moment I've had so far in the NBA."

"This moment, just seeing the guys that I grew up with and we slept in the same bed and we were looking at the ceiling and imagining if we were ever going to play in the NBA, if we ever were going to make it," Giannis said.

"And, just being on the same court while our mom is having her phone and videotaping the whole thing, I think it’s priceless and nobody can take this away from us."

Somewhat surprisingly, the Antetokounmpo brothers are actually NOT the first to accomplish the feat ... NBA star Jrue Holiday and his two brothers, Justin and Aaron, did it first back in December 2019.

Mother’s Day may not be for another month, but Houston Texans star lineman Laremy Tunsil is already in good shape ... after surprising his mom with a brand new BENTLEY!!

The 26-year-old shared the big surprise Wednesday night ... and his mom's reaction is equally hilarious and adorable.

The new ride pulls into the driveway with a big red bow on the hood ... and Desiree lets out a huge shriek once she realizes what's going on.

But the best part?? Desiree's first concern went to what she was wearing for the special moment.

"I can’t get in there with these things on," she said between laughs and shouts. "I need to be dressed up!"

As for the car, it appears to be a Bentley Continental GT Speed. This model can get to 60 MPH in 3.5 seconds, has a top speed of 208 MPH and reportedly starts around $200k!!!

Of course, that ain't a problem for Tunsil, who recently restructured his 3-year $66 MILLION extension with the Texans after 2 Pro Bowl seasons.

Tunsil famously negotiated his contract himself -- without an agent -- and clearly, he's found a solid way to spend that extra 10% he saved!

Longtime NBA referee Leroy Richardson was due for a full-on ice bath Wednesday night ... 'cause the guy got banged up in not one, but TWO incidents while officiating a game -- including a shot to the family jewels!!

But, don't worry -- the ref recovered like a true champ and finished the game!! 💪

Richardson -- who's been a ref in the NBA for 26 years -- was working the Suns vs. Bulls game ... when Phoenix power forward Dario Saric accidentally smacked him right in the baby maker.

YEEEEEOUCH!!!

Saric immediately grabbed Richardson to apologize for the truly unfortunate nut shot ... and eventually, the ref was able to walk it off.

But, the bad luck continued with just 2 minutes left in the game ... when Chicago forward Denzel Valentine accidentally bumped into Richardson while contesting a 3-point shot ... sending the ref flying into the bench and tweaking his ankle in the process.

Either incident would have been a great excuse for a ref to leave the game -- but not Richardson. After all, he was in the Navy for 12 years ... so he's one tough dude!!

It hasn't been a great week for refs -- remember, NCAA official Bert Smith had a scary moment when he collapsed during an Elite 8 game earlier this week ... but thankfully, he's been in stable condition since.

Ex-NFL WR Kenbrell Thompkins -- who famously caught TDs from Tom Brady in 2013 -- is now facing over 10 years in prison after he allegedly committed identity theft and fraud.

Federal prosecutors in court docs say the 32-year-old former Jets, Raiders and Patriots wideout stole identities to illegally obtain cash that was intended for people who were financially reeling from the coronavirus pandemic.

In the docs, prosecutors say Thompkins used personal information from multiple people to apply for financial aid in California in Aug. 2020.

Investigators claim when the requests were granted, Thompkins was sent the money in the form of debit cards. Prosecutors claim they then caught the ex-NFL player on surveillance video using them to withdraw cash at Florida Bank of America locations.

Investigators say in total, Thompkins' "scheme involves approximately $300,000 in California unemployment insurance funds credited to the fraudulent debit cards." Of the $300K, investigators claim Thompkins withdrew around $230,000.

Court records show Thompkins has been hit with 1 charge of use of one or more unauthorized access devices and 2 charges of aggravated identity theft.

If convicted on all counts, Thompkins is facing over 10 years behind bars.

Thompkins broke into the NFL as an undrafted free agent with New England in 2013 ... and he had a solid rookie year, tallying 32 catches for 466 yards and 4 TDs.

Lil Nas X's "Satan Shoes" likely won't be on the feet of any of his fans soon, because Nike got a judge to shut down the selling of the controversial footwear ... at least temporarily.

The court granted Nike's request Thursday for a temporary restraining order against MSCHF -- the company producing the shoe inspired by the rapper -- which blocks it from fulfilling any orders.

As we reported ... Nike sued MSCHF earlier this week, claiming it has no connection with Lil Nas X's Satan Shoe and did not authorize the production of it.

Nevertheless, the devilish shoe still reportedly sold out of its 666 pairs produced within minutes Monday ... even at the hefty price tag of $1,018.

Due to the restraining order, MSCHF will not be allowed to ship them to customers awaiting the shoe that the creative agency put their blood, sweat and tears in ... literally blood!

FYI ... judges grant temporary restraining orders of this type when there's a high probability they will win when there's a full-blown hearing.

Utah Jazz star Jordan Clarkson is opening up about the terrifying mid-air emergency on the team plane this week -- admitting several players were thinking, "This might be over for us."

As we previously reported, the Jazz team plane was forced to make an emergency landing Tuesday after striking a flock of birds -- which caused one of the engines to catch fire.

The plane landed safely -- and the Jazz eventually caught another plane to get to Memphis to take on the Grizzlies on Wednesday. After the game (the Jazz won), Clarkson talked about the plane incident and described a scary scene inside the aircraft where several players and staffers were pondering their own fate.

"I just remember walking back to my seat and as I got to my seat, I just hear a loud bang. Me and [Mike Conley] looked at each other and he was like 'Oooooh! Those are the birds!'"

"Then I turn and looked out the window and see the whole engine shaking and everything and then you see everybody in the back kinda like reacting to what's going on."

"A lot of people in the back that was sitting behind the engine, they seen a burst of flames so immediately they're probably thinking the plane is fully caught on fire and I see everybody kinda reacting towards that."

Clarkson says the "whole plane started shaking" -- and "a lot of us really came to like a point, at least 30 seconds in that flight, everybody came to the point where it was like, 'Man this might be over for us.'"

"It's sad to say that. I don't play with death or anything like that and it's something that we gotta push through and come together and keep going."

Clarkson said some players were so concerned "this might be really the end" -- and sent text messages to family and other loved ones.

Jazz star Donovan Mitchell did not make the trip to Memphis. The team cited "personal reasons" -- but Clarkson insinuated Mitchell was still shaken up from Tuesday's flight incident.

Manny Pacquiao is sick and tired of the violent attacks on the Asian community -- and he's calling out the coward perpetrators behind these awful crimes.

"Stop attacking Asians who can't defend themselves! FIGHT ME INSTEAD."

The 42-year-old boxing superstar continued, "We have one color in our Blood! Stop discriminating. LOVE AND PEACE TO EVERYONE!! #StopAsianHate."

Seems Pacquiao has finally seen enough after a 65-year-old Filipino-American woman was pummeled in broad daylight by a large man, in an horrific incident captured on video.

Besides being one of the top boxers in the world, Manny is also a Senator in the Philippines, where he was born and raised ... and clearly he felt compelled to issue a public statement after the wave of anti-Asian incidents making headlines around the world.

There has been a surge of hate crimes directed at Asian people in the U.S. over the past few months -- including a horrific incident in Atlanta where a gunman stormed multiple Asian-run spas and murdered 8 people.

Back in February, the Philippine Embassy in the U.S. issued a statement that advised Filipinos to use "utmost caution" due to the rise of anti-Asian attacks in America.

President Joe Biden just blasted the Texas Rangers for not limiting capacity at their stadium this year ... saying the decision could lead to a big spread of the coronavirus.

"I think it's a mistake," Biden told ESPN on Wednesday night. "They should listen to Dr. Fauci, the scientists and the experts. But, I think it's not responsible."

While Texas will require its fans to wear face coverings when in the stands at Rangers games this season ... the team says there won't be attempts to put a cap on the number of people that can attend.

And, with Globe Life Field having a capacity of more than 40,000 ... Biden clearly has concerns it could become a COVID-19 breeding ground.

For their part, the Rangers -- whose home-opener is scheduled for Monday against the Toronto Blue Jays -- have insisted protocols will prevent the games from being super-spreader events.

Texas is currently the only team in the MLB without a fan limit ... most of the rest of the league is at less than 50% capacity, with Boston and Washington limiting their seating to just 12% of the stadium.

As for MLB and the vaccine ... Biden sent a strong message to players, coaches, staffers and fans Wednesday -- urging everyone to get the shot.

"I would say I'm President of the United States and I got vaccinated," Biden said. "I don't have an unimportant job. Would I take the vaccine if I thought it was going to hurt me?"

There's more ... Biden also said he would support MLB execs if they chose to move the All-Star Game out of Georgia this year in wake of the state's governor's decision to sign a polarizing voting bill.

The prospective new law would put several tight restrictions on voters ... and opponents to it have argued it could hurt the voting opportunities for minorities.

"This is Jim Crow on steroids what they're doing in Georgia and 40 other states," Biden said. "What's it all about? Imagine passing a law saying you cannot provide water or food for someone standing in line to vote. Can't do that? Come on."

"Or you're going to close the polling place at 5 o'clock when people just get off? This is all about keeping working folks that I grew up with from being able to vote."

Biden also, once again, threw his support behind closing the pay gap between men and women in sports ... reiterating, "I just don't think it's right. I don't think it's fair."

UCLA star Johnny Juzang has made himself a WHOLE LOT of money over the past 2 weeks ... so says Kenny Smith, who tells TMZ Sports the hooper is now a surefire 1st-round NBA draft pick!

Juzang has been a BEAST for the Bruins in their march from the First 4 to the Final 4 in this year's NCAA Tournament ... he's scored 20 or more points in 3 of UCLA's 5 games so far.

And, when we asked The Jet about the kid out at LAX on Wednesday ... he gushed over the former Kentucky transfer -- saying his stock has skyrocketed after UCLA beat Michigan on Tuesday.

"This puts him -- this year, next year -- in the first round," Smith said of Juzang's tourney performances. "And, high in the first-round possibly. For sure."

Smith also said Juzang's accomplishments will help UCLA for years to come.

The NBA on TNT analyst said the Bruins' run to a potential national championship should help the Bruins' recruiting tremendously ... telling us they've got a way better shot of keeping all the California 5-stars in California now.

"UCLA basketball is back," Smith says.

As for what's next for Juzang and UCLA ... they've got Gonzaga -- the best team on earth right now -- on Saturday night.

Roman Reigns opted out of WrestleMania last year over COVID concerns, but with Mania only days away -- and fans set to partially fill the venue -- the WWE Superstar tells TMZ Sports he's NOT worried about his safety.

WrestleMania 37 -- goin' down April 10 and 11 at Raymond James Stadium in Tampa -- is always a huge deal ... but it's even bigger this year cause WWE's allowing 25k fans back in the building each night for the first time in over a year.

We straight-up asked Roman if he believes WWE is doing enough to keep him, his fellow wrestlers and the fans safe.

His answer ... yes, Vince McMahon and his team are bending over backward to ensure the event goes off without a hitch.

"I think our safety precautions are second to none," Roman says.

"We'll have the pods to create the social distancing, masks will be required. We'll be giving out masks for those who are forgetful. We'll have, I believe, cashless concessions, so we're gonna create an opportunity where everybody's gonna be as safe as they could be."

Remember, Roman -- who battled and beat leukemia -- bowed out of WM 36 last April ... at the time telling us he didn't want to risk exposing his newborn baby to coronavirus.

But, things have changed, and Reigns says WWE's doing everything they can to keep everyone healthy, while also allowing passionate wrestling fans a chance to let loose.

John Cena's decision to participate in a Nickelodeon hidden-camera show helped an 8-year-old kid SAVE HIS BABY SISTER FROM CHOKING!!!

Seriously -- it's an unbelievable story!

8-year-old Jaxson Demsey was on a family outing in Hazleton, Pennsylvania over the weekend -- when he noticed his 20-month-old sister was having trouble breathing.

Fortunately for the Demsey family, Jaxson had watched an episode of the Nickelodeon show, "The Substitute" ... which featured a cameo from WWE superstar John Cena.

Cena was disguised as a CPR instructor on the hidden-camera show -- and was tasked with teaching a group of kids how to perform chest compressions in case of a choking emergency.

Clearly, the show made an impression on Jaxson -- because when his sister needed help, he sprung into action and successfully dislodged a McNugget!

“We were driving to my haircut, and I noticed she was starting to choke from a chicken nugget from McDonald’s," Jaxson told WNEP ... "I told my dad to pull over. Then I was starting to pat on her back, and it got out."

After the incident, he credited Cena for teaching him the life-saving skills he needed that day!

"In the very first episode [of 'The Substitute'], John Cena was on it, and in the last part, he showed how to save someone when they're choking."

Jaxon’s dad, Matt, was thankful his son stepped up in this situation, but he wasn’t surprised.

“He amazes us every day, you know -- some of the things he says and does, and his actions. We’re simply blessed to have the child that he is, the things that he does for his family, his friends, for his little sister. He’s a good big brother."

Dak Prescott's offseason just keeps getting better and better ...

Just weeks after the NFL star inked a MASSIVE 4-year, $160 MIL contract with the Dallas Cowboys ... he bro'd down with 2 country music stars on an epic fishing trip in Louisiana!

The 27-year-old joined up with Jimmie Allen and Chris Young, as well his brother Tad and his Cowboys teammate La'el Collins, for the adventure ... and it looked fun as hell!

Allen -- whose "Best Shot" tune is STILL crushing it on country music radio -- documented the trip on his IG ... showing he and the guys getting after it at a huge crawfish dinner Tuesday night.

They then hit the boat Wednesday morning for some fishing ... and after some jabs over who caught the most -- Jimmie showed off their haul, and it was a TON of fish!

The guys then posed for a pic on the boat ... and it seems like good times were had by all.

By the way, we know what you're thinking ... and yeah, Dak's ankle looked OK to us.

The investigators tasked with finding the cause of the Tiger Woods crash have determined the cause of the accident -- but they're not releasing the results, citing "privacy issues."

L.A. County Sheriff Alex Villanueva confirmed Wednesday the investigation into Woods stemming from the Feb. 23 crash has wrapped up -- but when pressed on the findings, he told the media he won't go public with the findings until he gets permission from Tiger's camp.

"A cause has been determined, the investigation has concluded," Villanueva said.

"We have reached out to Tiger Woods and his personnel ... There's some privacy issues on releasing information on the investigation so we're going to ask them if they waive the privacy and then we will be able to do a full release on all the information regarding the accident."

Villanueva did not expand on why he would need Tiger's permission to release the info.

As we previously reported ... the investigation had unearthed some troubling evidence after law enforcement sources told us they believed Tiger never hit the brakes as he spun off the road. We were also told there was no evidence he took his foot off the gas either.

We were told investigators believed Tiger did nothing to prevent the crash once he lost control of his expensive SUV rental. Our sources had said before Tiger got to the scene of the crash he had been driving "normal" and not speeding. Evidence indicated he accelerated and was speeding when he lost control.

As we reported, the Sheriff's Dept. said Tiger told one of the first responders he had no recollection of the accident. Even still ... the Sheriff said almost immediately after the crash there was no evidence of impaired driving nor any evidence of alcohol. That being said ... the Sheriff also never attempted to get a warrant to draw blood to test for medications and was adamant Tiger wouldn't face criminal charges for the crash.

Tiger, of course, suffered major injuries in the single-car crash -- like major damage to his right leg, comminuted open fractures to both his upper and lower tibia and fibula -- which required emergency surgery.

Urban Meyer knows talent when he sees it -- and the Jacksonville Jaguars coach was so impressed by an 11-year-old girl who scored her 1st TD, he invited her to training camp!

Meet Keilani Contreras ... who made history Saturday when she caught a TD for the Arlington Seminoles, a youth tackle football team in Jacksonville.

Keilani's coaches told Action News Jax she's the first girl to ever score a TD in Arlington Football Association history!

After the game, the extremely charismatic Keilani was even MORE impressive on camera during her post-game interview with the local news!!!

"Sometimes boys might be like 'Oh you can't do this because you're a girl' ... well, look at me! I'm a football player!"

"You should always go for your dream," Keilani told Action News Jax ... "it doesn't matter if it's a boy thing or a girl thing."

The footage went viral and eventually made its way to Urban Meyer -- who reached out on social media to offer his congrats and invite her to Jaguars training camp.

"What a story! Congratulations on your first touchdown, Keilani," Meyer said.

"You're right, you should always go for your dreams! If fans are allowed at training camp this summer I want you and your teammates to come out and be our special guests."

Oh, and get this -- Keilani is also a straight-A student and a talented artist!!!