TMZ Sports - Page 50

Serena Williams will not be Tokyo-bound this Summer ... because she just said she's not heading to the Olympics.

It's a big blow for the games losing that kind of star power -- Serena snagged 4 gold medals in prior years, most recently in 2012.

She said Sunday at Wimbledon, "I'm actually not on the Olympic list, not that I'm aware of," adding, "If so, then I shouldn't be on it."

If that sounds a little vague, Serena cleared it up with this ... "There's a lot of reasons that I made my Olympic decision. I don't really want to. I don't feel like going into them today. Maybe another day. Sorry."

Still not enough? Well, she ended with this ... "I have not thought about it. In the past [the Olympics] has been a wonderful place for me. I really haven't thought about it, so I'm going to keep not thinking about it."

As for her Olympic hardware, in the 2000 games in Sydney she beat Maria Sharapova in singles and won doubles as well, in 2008 she won in Beijing and 2012 won doubles with her sister, Venus.

As for the present ... Serena's eying her 8th win at Wimbledon. She's up against Aliaksandra Sasnovich of Belarus Tuesday.

It seems that massive crash Saturday during the Tour de France might have been downright criminal ... because French authorities are now on the case.

As we reported, a spectator with a cardboard sign was apparently mugging for the TV cameras when she got way too close to the racers ... striking German rider Tony Martin who was at the front of the pack.

She stepped in front of the racing pack holding the sign, appearing to display a message for the television cameras.

The sign hit Martin who was cycling near the head of the pack. Martin tumbled to the ground, setting off a chain reaction as nearly 2 dozen other cyclists ate it.

So now, law enforcement is on the hunt for the woman they say caused "unintentional injuries by manifestly deliberate violation of an obligation of safety or prudence." Translation, recklessness.

Authorities are asking witnesses to come forward who can ID the woman -- who quickly left the scene before investigators arrived.

Master P wasn't kidding when he said he wanted to coach the Pelicans ... telling TMZ Sports he's signed with one of the biggest agencies in sports to help him get the job!!!

Remember, the rap legend told us earlier this week about his desires to lead his hometown team ... saying he'd be the guy to bring in wins and keep young superstar Zion Williamson happy.

We caught up with P out in Beverly Hills to get an update on his mission ... and he's already taking the necessary steps to make it happen!!!

"Right now, I just hired a sports agent," P says. "So, you know, to be an NBA coach, you have to have a sports agent."

But, it's not just any sports agent -- P says he's teaming up with Roc Nation Sports' Raymond Brothers ... a fellow Louisiana guy who's repped players from the Ball Bros. to Caron Butler to Zach Randolph.

"He's a good friend of mine and he knows what he's doing," P added.

As for his knowledge of the game, P says he's more than capable of a leadership role with the Pels.

"I'm not an X and O coach, but I understand people management. We don't need another X and O coach. (Stan) Van Gundy was an X and O coach, it didn't work."

"Times have changed. I think I have the best people management skills than any NBA coach can have."

Get this -- P says he can bring NOLA to greatness even if Zion wants out ... telling us he'll be able to help the remaining players reach their full potential.

As for his coaching staff?!? He's already got a guy lined up.

"I talked to John Lucas, he's willing to support me and come with me on this journey. So, I will have John Lucas that knows the X's and O's on the staff with me to make this happen. So, I got all the pieces to the puzzle."

Scottie Pippen better think again before he continues to crap all over Kevin Durant's legacy ... so says ex-NBAer Brandon Jennings, who tells TMZ Sports KD is way better than Pippen ever was!!!

Of course, Pip UNLOADED on the Brooklyn Nets superstar in an interview with GQ this week ... saying KD's selfish playing cost his team a trip to the Eastern Conference Finals.

Naturally, KD fired back on Twitter ... reminding Pippen he's the guy who refused to play in the final seconds of a 1993 semifinals game because coach Phil Jackson drew up a play for Toni Kukoc instead.

We spoke with Jennings about the Wagyu-quality beef between the two guys ... and he tells us Pippen's resume cannot live up to KD's, so he better respect the greatness.

"I mean if I'm KD I wouldn't listen to Scottie," BJ said outside Crustacean on Thursday. "I mean, KD is better than Scottie."

When we pointed out the ring count -- Scottie has 6, KD has 2 -- Jennings says it's bigger than that.

"At the end of the day, KD was shorthanded, and at the end of the day, he did the best that he could do just like when Mike left the Bulls back in the '90s and Scottie had a chance to be the man."

Jennings admits both guys have the right to say whatever they want -- they're both amazing ballers -- but KD is essentially untouchable.

A spectator with a sign caused a massive, crazy pileup Saturday during the Tour de France.

Literally minutes after the race began ... a fan holding a cardboard sign held it out too far ... hitting one of the riders ... causing him to eat it hard. That, in turn, triggered a chain reaction as rider after rider bit the dust in a wild scene.

Here's how it was described by former green jersey winner Sean Kelly ... “The guys at the front went through a very tight section between the islands in the middle of the road and it was a dangerous one for those further back in the peloton. This is Brittany – you have a lot of road furniture and small villages. It is very technical for the first stage of the Tour de France.”

As if that's bad enough ... there's a real chance of rain as the day wears on. Believe in bad omens much?

It's unclear if any of the riders were injured, but gotta say ... if none were, it's a minor miracle.

Tristan Thompson's paternity accuser is on the verge of losing a lawsuit against the NBA star, which could mean coughing up a lot of dough ... much of which she could raise at a strip club.

Kimberly Alexander, who claimed Tristan fathered her 5-year-old, is hosting an upcoming event at Larry Flynt's Hustler Club New York ... and the club tells us her appearance fee might be enough to pay off the nearly $53k she could soon owe TT.

TMZ broke the story ... Tristan sued Alexander last year for libel, claiming her baby daddy allegations hurt his rep and cost him endorsement deals, and now the court is leaning toward awarding him a chunk of cash.

We're told Alexander's July 1 hosting duties will include photo ops and meets and greets ... and she's going to get on stage with porn star Alexis Monroe and several strippers. Oh, and the club says she'll also get the "royal treatment" with bottle service and private dances. Y'know, fringe benes.

Of course, Tristan is a single man these days after his latest split from Khloe Kardashian, but don't expect him to roll through the Hustler Club when Alexander's hosting.

Three men pulled out guns and robbed Kentavious Caldwell-Pope in a terrifying incident in Los Angeles earlier this month ... TMZ Sports has learned.

Law enforcement sources tell us it all went down on June 17 ... when the Lakers guard was in his driveway at around 4 a.m. talking with friends.

Our sources say a car pulled up and three men then exited the vehicle with guns drawn.

We're told the men demanded KCP and his friends hand over their stuff ... which included a fancy Rolex watch, jewelry and an iPhone.

In total, our sources say the thieves made off with about $150,000 worth of loot.

We're told KCP was NOT injured in the incident, however.

We reached out to the 28-year-old's camp for comment, but so far no word back yet.

Our sources, meanwhile, say the LAPD is currently investigating it all.

Matt Barnes says Steve Kerr is absolutely right ... telling TMZ Sports Kevin Durant is, in fact, "more gifted" than Michael Jordan!

"He didn't say a better player," Barnes told us out at LAX this week. "He just said more gifted."

Kerr -- who played with His Airness in the '90s -- told NBC Sports Bay Area this week Durant's skill set is just flat-out better than Jordan's was.

"He's the most talented basketball player on earth," Kerr said of Durant. "If not of all-time."

Barnes definitely didn't disagree with the Warriors headman when we asked about the comments ... saying he respects Steve's opinion.

"For someone who played with Michael Jordan and coached Kevin Durant, I definitely respect his point of view," Barnes said.

The former Lakers star added, "And, if you think about it, K.D. is 7 foot and he can do everything your favorite point guard does."

Speaking of guard skill sets, we also asked Barnes how he liked the shimmy move from Trae Young in the Hawks' Game 1 win over the Bucks ... and Matt told us he loves it -- and wants more of it!

"I truly believe today Kayla Harrison is the baddest woman in any room. No disrespect to nobody."

That's undefeated PFL star Kayla Harrison's manager, Ali Abdelaziz, making it clear ... the 2x Olympic gold medalist is a better fighter than every other woman on planet Earth.

But ... but, what about Amanda Nunes??

Abdelaziz says Kayla "looks up to Amanda very much" ... but he's confident Harrison could handle the consensus greatest female MMA fighter ever -- and it's a fight he wants to set up.

"Listen, if somebody writes the check for 8 figures, we can make this fight happen tomorrow."

How about Olympic gold medalist and boxing champ turned 1-0 MMA fighter, Claressa Shields?

"It’s kind of disrespectful when people bring Claressa Shields in the same sentence as Kayla," Ali says.

Abdelaziz says Shields is an amazing boxer ... "probably a future Hall of Famer" -- but she'd stand no chance against Kayla in the cage.

"In reality, you know, it’s 187. It’s a murder. You know, it’s a fact. If Kayla fought the boxer, that wouldn’t even make sense. Claressa fighting in MMA, it’s not going to last probably 60 seconds."

Kayla's manager also brought up Ronda Rousey ... Kayla's former roommate and Judo teammate.

"[Kayla's] everything that Ronda Rousey was supposed to be. She’s Ronda Rousey 6.0. You know what I’m saying?" Abdelaziz says.

Mark Cuban is FIRED UP for the Mavericks' hiring of Jason Kidd ... telling TMZ Sports he thinks the dude is "going to be great" for Dallas and its star point guard, Luka Doncic.

The Mavs owner spoke with us leaving Victory The Podcast in L.A. just hours after making the hire official ... and it ain't hard to tell, Cubes is expecting greatness from his team's new headman.

"I'm excited about it, obviously," the 62-year-old said. "J. Kidd is going to be great for us. He's going to be great for Luka, for the organization. I'm really excited."

You'll recall ... Kidd played for Cuban's Mavs from 2007 through 2012 -- helping the team win the NBA championship back in 2011.

And, when we asked Cuban if Kidd could repeat that feat as the team's head coach -- the owner said bluntly, "That's the whole idea, right?!"

"We've got the talent," Cuban added. "I think we'll get better talent. We'll keep on getting better. Luka will keep on getting better. And, I think Jason will help Luka and the team get better."

As for Luka's long-term future with Kidd ... Cuban said he has every intention of keeping his star in Dallas with Kidd for as long as he can.

MotoGP champ Marc Marquez is VERY fortunate to be alive ... he just crashed during a practice run Friday -- and the scene was HORRIFYING.

The 28-year-old was heading around a turn at a high rate of speed during preparation for this weekend's Dutch TT in Assen ... when all of a sudden his bike bucked him.

Footage from the track is absolutely terrifying ... you can see Marquez was thrown feet into the air while his motorcycle skidded across the pavement underneath him.

Marquez eventually crash-landed into some gravel ... where he rolled several times before sliding to a stop.

Somehow, though, he said he avoided any sort of serious injury.

"I have to say I feel lucky to escape in a good condition overall, these kinds of crashes can be very hard and very dangerous," Marquez told media members afterward.

"It’s painful, but nothing is wrong. It was a strange crash because I didn’t think that I was over the limit and I was riding like I was in the morning."

Marquez continued, "In this corner we rely on the traction control a lot, but it wasn’t there, and when I shifted the rear started sliding and then I fell."

If this all sounds familiar for Marquez ... it's because it is -- remember just last year in July, he broke his arm in a similar accident in Spain.

In that crash, Marquez was thrown from his bike in nearly an identical fashion.

Heat star Tyler Herro is rushing in to give his fellow Miamians a big assist ... showing up at the scene of the tragic South Florida condo collapse Thursday to offer a helping hand.

The 21-year-old NBA player and his assistant coach, Chris Quinn, were spotted on the scene just hours after the a 12-story oceanside building partially collapsed ... quickly offloading water bottles to those in need.

As we previously reported, a massive search and rescue effort is underway as countless people are missing due to the unexpected and shocking collapse of the building.

One person has died ... and there's a fear that number could grow as the rescue mission unfolds.

The Heat have expressed deep sorrow over the tragedy ... saying in a statement Thursday the team is "devastated."

"We were devastated to hear of the catastrophic Champlain Towers building collapse in Surfside," the team said.

"Our hearts go out to the victims and their families. We are thankful for the first responders who are working around the clock in rescue efforts."

Authorities are still trying to piece together why the building collapsed ... explaining it's all very bizarre considering the place was built in 1981.

If you needed further proof pro golfers are flat-out better at the sport than you ... here's Bubba Watson snapping his driver on a tee shot -- and still somehow hitting the fairway!!

The golf superstar made the incredible swing in his 2nd round at the Travelers Championship in Connecticut on Friday ... and video of it all is WILD.

You can see in the footage, as Bubba's famous pink driver made contact with his ball on hole #2 at the TPC River Highlands course -- it obliterated, with the driver head separating from the shaft and flying dozens of yards away.

"That was crazy," one of the announcers said.

Yet, somehow, the ball still managed to go nearly 300 yards -- and land perfectly in the short grass!!

And, to make things even MORE impressive, Bubba went on to birdie the hole despite it all!!!

Under golf's rules, Bubba would be able to replace the driver mid-round if he could fix it ... although when his caddie tried to make it repairable -- it didn't seem to be going well.

Bubba's currently feasting on the course regardless ... he's the tournament's leader so far, sitting at 9-under par.

Joseph Baena's looking like he wants to compete in Mr. Universe ... 'cause his sculpted bod's the muscular spitting image of Arnold Schwarzenegger, and he's even striking similar poses.

Joseph pumped some iron Thursday and showed fans what it takes to get those gains. He was in the middle of doing chest flies with 50 lb. dumbbells ... and, after finishing a set, dude took down his Gold's Gym tank to put on a pec-tacular show.

The way he's flexing, it's impossible not to compare his workout sesh to the ones his pop mastered as the world's most-famous bodybuilder.

Joseph no doubt looks ripped but he's put in lots of work to get there.

We saw him a few years ago jacking up 120 lb. dumbbells on the incline press. At the time, Joseph had more of a swimmer's bod than a bodybuilder's, but fast forward to now and he's JACKED!!!

Just last month ... Joseph and Arnold hit up an outdoor gym, where pops suggested Joseph pump out some "forced reps" for the rest of that workout. Joseph said, "You have to go all out and absolutely NO cheating when you train with him, so you know I'm going to be hurting tomorrow."

The person who supplied the tortillas that were thrown at Latino players following a high school basketball game has come forward ... but he's adamant it was never meant to be racist.

Luke Serna -- who says he's half-Mexican -- admits he handed out tortillas to players, cheerleaders and fans at the big Coronado vs. Orange Glen basketball game as part of a "celebratory action" if Coronado won the game. Serna is a Coronado alum.

The problem ... the Orange Glen basketball team (and the OGHS student body as a whole) is largely Latino.

So, when Coronado -- a predominantly white school -- won the game and people began throwing the tortillas after the final buzzer, many players, coaches, staffers and others were offended ... claiming it felt racist.

But, Serna claims his tortilla plan was inspired by a tradition he learned as a student at UC Santa Barbara, and he had "absolutely no racial intent."

"The tossing of tortillas is used as a celebratory action by the UC Santa Barbara Gauchos at various sporting events including basketball and soccer," Serna said in a letter to the Coronado Unified Governing Board.

"There was not a shred of ill-intent or racial animus in carrying out this celebratory action."

Serna continued, "Those who have enflamed this issue into a racially charged issue should be utterly ASHAMED of themselves."

There has been fallout since the incident ... Coronado head coach JD Laaperi was fired following a school board vote.

Serna believes Laaperi should NOT have been terminated.

"The people who have fallen for this frame-up to smear Coach Laaperi are not worthy of being any part of the discussion regarding this event as it is their intent to try and fan the flames of racism where none existed.”

Serna later told FOX 5 in a separate statement ... "I realize the tortilla throwing has been perceived as racially insensitive. I do not condone racially insensitive behavior, and that was not my intent."

Think a fender bender is going to get in the way of Mark Davis' partying?!?

HELL NO ... 'cause just one day after the Raiders owner was involved in a parking lot car crash -- he was living it up at a Las Vegas casino opening celebration!!!

The 66-year-old was spotted laughing, gambling and rubbing elbows with big-time celebs at Thursday's Resorts World Las Vegas party ... clearly unfazed that his Mini Cooper was damaged in a wreck Wednesday.

We broke the story, the son of legendary Raiders owner Al Davis collided with another car in a shopping complex near the Vegas strip ... but, fortunately, he escaped with no injuries.

In fact, Davis later told the Las Vegas Review-Journal the whole thing was "no big deal" ... adding he was going to get the car repaired this week.

We're sure Davis -- who's reportedly worth more than $500 MILLION -- found some other mode of transportation to the party Thursday night ... which, by the looks of things, was VERY good for the Raiders honcho.

Celebs in attendance at the event included Kendall Jenner, Paris Hilton, Usher and more ... clearly a party Davis was thrilled to be at!!