TMZ Sports - Page 50

Dennis Schroder bet on himself ... and lost MILLIONS.

The free-agent guard just agreed to a 1-year, $5.9 million deal with the Celtics ... which sounds just fine -- that is, except when you take into account he REJECTED a 4-year, $84 MILLION extension from the Lakers just months ago!!!

BTW ... ESPN's Brian Windhorst said back in February the Lakers offered him the maximum amount they could ... but DS felt he could rake in more dough, which definitely didn't happen.

The 27-year-old announced the move via his Instagram page minutes ago ... and he's smiling through the pain ... saying he's excited to join his new team and honored to wear the green and white.

The news comes just one day after reports claimed Schroder was in "shock" about the lack of interest he was getting through several days of free agency.

Shroder was pretty solid for LeBron James' Lakers as a starter during the regular season ... averaging about 15 points and 6 assists per game.

But, the postseason was a bit of a different story -- he went 3 for 22 in Game 4 and 5 of the 1st round of the playoffs.

There were also rumblings of beef in the locker room with Kyle Kuzma ... but both guys are now out of L.A.

Hockey Hall of Famer Tony Esposito -- one of greatest goalies EVER -- died Tuesday after a battle with pancreatic cancer ... NHL officials confirmed.

He was 78 years old.

"The hockey world will miss him greatly," NHL commissioner Gary Bettman said in a statement. "The NHL family extends its deepest sympathies to his wife, Marilyn, sons Mark [Kim] and Jason, and grandchildren Lauren and Kamryn."

Esposito joined the Chicago Blackhawks in 1969 and went on to star for the team for 15 years -- winning the Vezina Trophy three times.

Esposito -- whose brother, Phil Esposito, was also a mega-NHL star -- was named an All-Star five times ... and finished his career with a 418-302 record and a 2.93 goals against average.

He was eventually inducted into the Hall of Fame in 1988.

"It is a sad day for the Blackhawks and all of hockey," said the Blackhawks, who have already retired Esposito's #35 jersey. "But, with his wonderful family, let us celebrate a life well lived."

"Tony Esposito's banner will be part of the United Center forever, as will his legacy as a superstar, on and off the ice."

Track star Cameron Burrell -- former NCAA champion and godson of the legendary Carl Lewis -- passed away at the age of 26 years old, his family announced Tuesday.

Burrell was a star at the University of Houston ... capturing the 100m championship in 2018. CB also anchored Houston's 4x100m relay team. Bottom line, he was the fastest college athlete in the U.S.

CB was also 3x NCAA All-American in multiple events ... and held an NCAA record in the 4x100m relay.

Cameron's dad, Leroy Burrell, announced the devastating news through the U of Houston, saying ... "My family is extremely saddened with the loss of our son, Cameron, last night."

"We are going through profound sorrow and ask that all of our friends, extended University of Houston family and the track and field community in the U.S. and abroad allow us to gather with our closest family and friends."

"We are profoundly grief-stricken, and thank everyone for the outpouring of prayers and support. We will forward more information when it is available.”

Cameron was following in his dad Leroy's footsteps ... who was a former world record holder in the 100m and gold medalist at the 1992 Barcelona Olympics in the 4x100m relay.

Burrell's godfather was legendary track star, 9x Olympic gold medalist, Carl Lewis.

The circumstances surrounding Cameron's death are currently unclear ... but medical records show the place of death as a "parking garage."

FC Barcelona ain't wasting any time moving on from the Lionel Messi era ... the soccer squad just scrubbed a giant pic of the legend off a huge mural on its stadium wall.

The photo of the 34-year-old former Barca superstar had been front and center at Camp Nou in Spain for a long time ... but less than a week after Messi's departure was confirmed, stadium workers got to removing it.

Two men in hard hats jumped in a crane and ripped down the photo piece-by-piece ... leaving -- perhaps fittingly -- a giant empty space on the wall.

As we previously reported ... Messi and Barcelona officially went their separate ways back on Aug. 5, after the team said financial obstacles prevented a new contract from being hammered out.

Messi -- who called leaving Barcelona "very difficult" -- has since signed with Paris Saint-German, and he was treated like an absolute rockstar upon arriving at his new home Tuesday.

The soccer star was showered with cheers and chants ... and the city even popped off fireworks after his signing became official.

Forget eagles and birdies ... baby bears are now clearly the best animal you'll see on a golf course -- 'cause 3 invaded a North Carolina green this month, and it was ADORABLE!!!

The cute scene all went down last Friday in Lake Toxaway ... when a course employee caught three cubs causing quite the scene on one of the holes.

In the footage, you can see as 2 bears wrestled ... another picked a fight with the flagstick, rolling around with the pin and biting the hell out of it!

The shenanigans went on for about a minute ... with the 3 stomping all over the carefully curated grass without a care in the world.

Eventually, the trio of cubs ran off ... which was probably the best news for all of the golfers on the course, as the person who shot the vid said the bears' Mom was close by.

One of the most rare LeBron James cards EVER has just been put up for sale -- a 1-of-1 autographed rookie card -- and it can be yours if you got an extra $1.2 MILLION lying around!!!

TMZ Sports has learned ... the collectible SP Authentic Exquisite Endorsements autographed card is from King James' 2003-2004 season with the Cleveland Cavaliers.

There literally isn't any other card like it in existence ... plus, it's in mint condition with a 9 PSA grade -- after all, it was packed and saved for nearly 2 decades!!

Gotta Love Rock and Roll Auctions tells us ... "This may very well be one of his finest rookie cards ever printed, and it is the first time it has surfaced in nearly 20 years."

The bidding starts August 11 ... and is expected to sell anywhere from $700k to $1.2 million!!!!

That's some serious coin ... but LBJ's rookie cards have been bankin' in big money for the past year!

In April, his rookie patch autographed card sold for $1.72 million and last June, a 9.5 graded card sold for $1.8 mil.

Lewis Brinson says it's time to retire "Dinger" -- or at least change the Rockies mascot's name -- explaining the Colorado character's moniker is just too similar to the n-word.

The Miami Marlins outfielder spoke in-depth with reporters on Monday for the first time since Sunday's drama in Denver ... and it seems his solution to the issues that were created at Coors Field would be for the Rockies to just move on from the mascot's current name.

"Maybe change the mascot's name," Brinson said. "It sounds a little similar, especially on video."

If you missed it ... many believed a fan behind home plate repeatedly called Brinson the n-word during one of his at-bats in Sunday's Marlins vs. Rockies tilt.

Both teams' broadcasts picked up the audio ... and it seemed BAD.

After an investigation, though, the Rockies said they confirmed the fan did NOT say the n-word ... but was rather screaming out for the team's mascot, Dinger.

Brinson was asked about all of that before his game against the Padres on Monday ... and it appears he isn't necessarily buying that explanation.

Brinson told reporters when he watched back the video, the n-word seems clear to him.

"So I watched the video at least 50 times in the past 15-16 hours," Brinson said. "I watched it a lot, especially when I heard that he said 'Dinger' instead of the n-word.''

"I personally -- this is, again, my personal opinion -- I personally keep hearing the n-word. It's not that I want to hear it, I never want to hear it."

But, Brinson did add, "If he was yelling for the mascot, I am sorry for any backlash or any unnecessary attention he's getting right now."

The Rockies have said there is no punishment coming for the fan. They've also added they have no plans to change their mascot's name.

Ex-NBA star Jermaine O'Neal says the backlash following the infamous 'Malice At The Palace' was brutal and wrong ... claiming he and his teammates were labeled "thugs" after the brawl.

The 2004 incident between the Pacers, Pistons and fans in attendance is one of the most memorable moments in NBA history -- Metta Sandiford-Artest (Ron Artest at the time) rushed into the stands and fought a spectator after a drink was thrown at him ... and absolute chaos ensued.

Metta was suspended the rest of the season, Stephen Jackson was hit with a 30-game ban and O'Neal received a 15-game punishment for their involvement in the fight ... the biggest suspensions in NBA history.

Now, Stak and JO are reflecting on the brawl for the new Netflix series 'Untold' (which debuts Tuesday) ... saying the criticism they received after the event was unfair.

"Ron, Steve, JO, it's their fault," Jackson said. "They were being thugs! They were acting out of line!"

O'Neal added ... "Like all of a sudden, my character is in question."

"These are thugs and everybody else signing off, 'yeah, rap music' and this -- well they're not saying that when hockey is beating the hell out of each for decades."

O'Neal is seemingly highlighting the double standard that exists between the reaction to black basketball players getting in a fight and the same thing happening in a predominantly white sport.

Even though the incident happened nearly 20 years ago, the points O'Neal raises remain significant.

New surveillance video, obtained by TMZ Sports, includes the sound of a woman screaming and begging for help as Ezekiel Elliott's dogs allegedly attacked her in her own backyard last May.

The footage is part of a "dangerous dog" case file on Elliott's Rottweiler, Ace ... and, according to both witnesses and officials in court documents, it shows how Ace and two of the NFL star's other dogs escaped the running back's Frisco, Texas home on May 20 and terrorized neighbors.

The clips -- totaling around 90 seconds -- appear to show a landscaper leaving Elliott's side gate open while exiting the Dallas Cowboys player's property on May 19.

It appears the gate stayed open all night long and into the morning of May 20, when Elliott's dogs are seen walking through it and into the neighborhood.

According to the docs, while in the neighborhood, one man claimed Ace and Elliott's two bulldogs attacked him, leaving him with injuries on his hand, wrist, forearm, thigh and leg.

A woman in the neighboring area says she later found the dogs in the street and brought them into her backyard to keep them safe.

The problem ... she claims the dogs then attacked her -- and says surveillance cameras in her yard captured the audio of the attack.

The woman -- who has since sued Elliott over the incident -- claimed in the court docs she suffered wounds to her finger, forearm, thigh and stomach.

The video from the case file ends with a shot of law enforcement and Elliott in a driveway.

Docs show, though, the alleged dog bites didn't stop there ... with one woman accusing Ace of biting her while trying to feed the dog while it was in quarantine following the May 20 incident.

The case file included pictures of Ace as well as one of the alleged victim's injuries.

Over the weekend, Zeke's attorney Frank Salzano gave us the following statement.

"Mr. Elliott and his representatives are aware of the lawsuit filed on July 30th, which stems from a previously reported incident from May 21st of this year.  As Mr. Elliott expressed at that time, he was - and remains concerned - for the party involved."

"However, as in most disputes, there are extenuating circumstances to this matter which will impact the legal proceedings which we are not at liberty to disclose.  As such, we have no further comment at this time."

McKayla Maroney is selling an NFT featuring her "Not Impressed" meme -- one of the most memorable moments in Olympics history -- but it could run you 7 figures!!

Sure, it ain't cheap ... but what'd you expect from such an iconic moment?!

TMZ Sports caught up with the gold medalist at Enso Studio art gallery in Malibu ... where we asked Maroney about the release of the NFT.

"There really has been a gap in sports and capturing iconic moments like that. And to put my meme out, I'm just so excited to do that because its something that meant a lot to me and it really changed my life," Maroney says.

Of course, McKayla was photographed looking anything but impressed after winning the silver medal in the vault at the 2012 Olympics. The image went crazy viral.

The 2x Olympic medalist even met then-President Obama ... and they took a picture together doing the "not impressed" pose.

"I think it just stands for being imperfect is okay. And to be not impressed, even the President [Obama] said he is not impressed sometimes."

It wasn't just politicians ... a bunch of A-list stars like Miley Cyrus also hopped on the bandwagon.

Now, you can own the NFT.

But, you won't just get the iconic image ... Maroney says she's also throwing in a private gymnastics lesson AND a copy of her soon-to-be released book.

The auction is currently live at OpenSea ... and has a starting bid of 15 Ethereum (crypto) -- which converts to around $47k.

But, McKayla tells us she expects the NFT to bring in a whole lot more ... saying she could easily see it smashing the million dollar mark.

If you're doing the math at home ... that's about 318 Ether.

Auction ends Wednesday night ... so, fire up that coin base account and happy bidding!!

No, O.J. Simpson does not need to fear running into the person who murdered his ex-wife, Nicole Brown, and Ron Goldman in 1994, because DNA evidence doesn't lie ... so says Nicole's sister.

Tanya Brown tells TMZ ... O.J.'s recent comments about not wanting to go to L.A. because he "might be sitting next to whoever did it" are absurd and disrespectful, but they prove how delusional he really is.

According to Tanya ... all one has to do is look back at the DNA evidence from the murders, which shows the only blood at the crime scene belonged to Nicole, Ron and O.J.

Tanya says, obviously, she does not believe there's another killer out there, but suggests O.J.'s been feeding himself his own lies for so many years ... he likely believes them now.

She says of O.J.'s recent interview with The Athletic -- in which he added, "I really don't know who did this," but claimed to have a suspect in mind -- he's probably doing it to redeem himself, but it's unfortunate and sad he can't admit his wrongdoing.

Tyson Fury says his newborn daughter is sadly back in intensive care Tuesday ... and the boxing champ is now asking once again for prayers for his baby girl.

Little Athena Fury was born on Sunday and needed to be placed in the ICU on a ventilator a short time later.

Tyson and his wife, Paris, had said she was doing well, though ... and on Monday afternoon, they added the baby was off the ventilator and making "fantastic" progress.

But, Tyson shared Tuesday that things have taken another scary turn ... writing on his social media page, "Baby Athena is back [in] ICU please keep her in your prayers."

No further details have been given on the newborn's condition.

The baby is Tyson and Paris' sixth child, and their third daughter. The couple -- who got married in 2008 -- announced they were pregnant with her back in February.

While Athena fights to recover, Tyson has begun raising money for the Alder Hey Children's Charity ... a UK org. that helps facilities treat children.

Jake Paul was so amazed by all the U.S. women in the 2020 Olympics, he's personally inviting one to his Tyron Woodley fight -- pole vaulter and fellow Ohioan Katie Nageotte!!!

Paul took a second to show love for all the U.S women who competed at the Tokyo Games on Twitter Monday ... congratulating the American ladies on their "amazing stats."

"U.S. women won 66 medals, comprising a record 58.4% of the American total ... that’s insane!!," the YouTube superstar said.

Of the 66 medals, 23 were gold ... one belonging to Nageotte.

The 30-year-old won it all in the pole vault after clearing a 4.90 meter on her second attempt ... making her the third woman in U.S. Olympics to win the gold in the event.

Nageotte also happens to be from Northeast Ohio -- just like Paul -- and he's inviting her to come watch him box in the ring against Woodley in The Land.

"Katie if you are reading this I hope you will come to my fight in Cleveland as my guest on August 29th!"

Nageotte noticed the invite and retweeted the post ... so maybe we'll see her front and center rocking the gold at Rocket Mortgage FieldHouse.

BTW -- Nageotte channeled her inner LeBron James after her big moment ... saying, "Cleveland, this is for you!!!"

The shoes Kobe Bryant wore for his VERY FIRST NBA game can now be yours -- if you got half a milli lying around -- 'cause the iconic kicks are hitting the auction block!

The Black Mamba arrived on the scene for the L.A. Lakers on November 3, 1996, against the Minnesota Timberwolves ... going scoreless in just 6 minutes of action off the bench.

Bryant rocked a custom pair of size 14 Adidas kicks as he stepped on the court for the first time ... which he ended up giving away to a diehard fan outside The Forum after the game.

A few years later, the fan was able to run into Kobe again -- and got the legend to quickly sign them outside the team's hotel!!!

Now, the fan is looking to part ways with the keepsakes ... putting them up for auction via Gotta Have Rock And Roll.

We're told these sneakers -- which also come with a ticket stub from the game -- are NOT gonna come cheap ... they have a minimum bid of $100k and could sell for up to $500k!!!

Of course, the 5-time champ went on to eventually score quite a bit in his career -- he's ranked 4th all-time with 33,643 points ... and became one of the greatest players to ever pick up a basketball.

Toronto Blue Jays slugger Vladimir Guerrero Jr. is paying tribute to Kobe and Gianna Bryant ... by getting some incredible custom cleats -- and he's giving a pair to Vanessa!!!

TMZ Sports has learned ... the 22-year-old star has been wanting to honor the late Lakers legend and Gigi on his feet for more than a year.

VG specifically wanted to cop the tribute cleats for the Blue Jays and Los Angeles Angels series ...  so he hit up New Jersey artist Michael Jordan for the job.

Jordan tells us he started the project back in June to make sure the All-Star Game MVP got 'em on time -- and the finished product is awesome!!!

The white and black Jordan cleats feature a detailed image of Gigi in her Mamba Academy gear and Kobe in his Lakers uniform.

It also has Gigi's jersey #2 and both Kob's #8 and #24 splattered on the whole sneaker -- as well as their nicknames Mamba and Mambacita.

The all purple pair showcases some father and daughter moments -- Kobe celebrating with Gigi after winning the 2009 Finals ... and the duo sitting courtside at a Lakers game in 2019.

It also has a quote from Beyonce's song "XO," "your love is bright as ever" ... the same song she sang at Bryant's memorial service at the Staples Center in February 2020.

We're told the free-handed artwork took a total of 60 hours ... and VG will give the purple pair to Vanessa Bryant after the series.

All the critics cracking jokes about the Lakers' free agent signings will have to eat their words -- so says NBA champ Matt Barnes ... who tells TMZ Sports L.A.'s older roster is actually a GOOD thing!!!

It's no secret -- the Lake Show didn't get any younger this off-season ... adding guys like Russell Westbrook (32), Dwight Howard (35), Carmelo Anthony (37), Trevor Ariza (36), Wayne Ellington (33) and more to join forces with LeBron James (36) and Anthony Davis (28).

Of course, those guys have all been around the block a few times ... with people (not us) comparing the team more to a retirement home than title contenders.

But, Barnes ain't in that group ... 'cause he tells us he's a fan of what the Purple and Gold have done so far.

"I like what they're doing, man," Barnes tells us. "I think you know, they’re saying the team is old, but they got a lot of experience, a lot of great players. So, I'm excited to see what happens.

Of course, Barnes makes it clear the guys have to stay healthy throughout the season ... but thinks everyone's on the same page and knows they have a long journey ahead.

"I just think older people work smarter, so they're going to understand how to work even when they need to do the work during the season and understand that it's a marathon, and I think they're going to be okay with it."