TMZ Sports - Page 50

It ain't Sheryl Swoopes or Maya Moore ... no, the WNBA's G.O.A.T. is Diana Taurasi -- at least, that's according to former UConn guard Jen Rizzotti.

The Huskies hooper -- who's currently the president of the Connecticut Sun -- gave Taurasi the crown this week ... just days after the Phoenix Mercury star announced her WNBA retirement.

"She's the ultimate winner," Rizzotti told TMZ Sports, "and she's proven that she can win championships no matter what jersey she has on."

A Lakers fan walked out of L.A.'s big win Thursday night $100,000 richer after nailing a half-court shot during a break in the action ... and he tells TMZ Sports he plans to use the earnings to help recover some cash from his wedding!!

We caught up with lifelong Purple and Gold supporter Mike Ball after his whirlwind 24 hours ... and he told us all about the highlight from his POV.

Bell admitted he blacked out after the ball went through the net ... but luckily, there was plenty of footage to capture the moment.

While he didn't want to disrupt the players huddled up while it went down, he said he was able to celebrate with some of the big-name celebrities courtside for the contest against the Knicks.

Before Cristiano Ronaldo buried a soccer ball in the back of the net during his game Friday, he stuffed one of his look-a-likes in a proverbial locker ... insisting the wannabe didn't resemble him one bit.

The troll job took place just minutes before Ronaldo's Al Nassr squad took on Al Shabab in Riyadh ... when a man wearing a No. 7 Portugal jersey got the footballer's attention from the stands as he was warming up for the tilt on the pitch.

The man flagged down Ronaldo and seemed excited to show him his red 'fit and Cristiano-esque haircut. But the 40-year-old gave him a response he no doubt wasn't expecting ... straight-up calling the impersonator "ugly."

Takashi Murakami collabed with MLB and Fanatics to create several super exclusive Shohei Ohtani pieces that sold out in a flash -- and now they're going for big bucks on the secondary market!

The famed Japanese artist recently linked up with baseball and the apparel giant to create the 2025 MLB Tokyo Series featuring Cubs and Dodgers merch -- from jerseys to t-shirts, hoodies and hats -- but they weren't available for long.

Nearly 100k fans downloaded the Fanatics app ... all in the hopes of getting their hands on the extremely limited edition goods.

Don't be mad if Robert Griffin III does R-G-3 takes when looking at his wife this week ... the two are currently in the tropics on vacation -- and her body's STUNNING.

Check out some pics Grete Griffin shared on her Instagram page on Friday morning ... the mother of three looks amazing.

In a tiny black bikini, Grete put her abs on full display, showing no matter what the angle is -- whether it's in the sand, soaked in ocean water, or on a boat -- she's as hot as ever.

Brooks Nader loves to put her nearly-nude body on display, and that's exactly what she did in Paris, France ... stepping out for dinner Thursday in a sheer bodysuit -- and exposing her chest to Parisian pedestrians.

The Sports Illustrated swimsuit model bared it all -- well, almost -- in a sheer burgundy lace skirt with no bra, and a pair of panties. She wore the sexy Yves Saint Laurent outfit with maroon slingback heels and a matching clutch.

Brooks offered everyone a full look at her bodacious bod from top to bottom, even showing off her bare bum as she strutted down the street.

Johnny Manziel's mom refused to take a Breathalyzer and failed a field sobriety test just before she was thrown behind bars last week for DWI ... law enforcement sources tell TMZ Sports.

Michelle Manziel's run-in with cops took place in Kerrville, Texas at around 10 PM on March 1 ... after we're told Kerrville Police Department officers noticed she was driving with a busted tail light.

During an ensuing traffic stop, our sources say Michelle showed signs of intoxication ... including blood shot, glassy eyes and unsteady balance. They also claim Manziel's mother had a strong odor of booze emanating from her breath.

7:07 AM PT -- Stephen A. Smith just revealed the pregame squabble with LeBron James stemmed from previous comments the ESPN hoops analyst had made about Bronny James.

Stephen A. said the Lakers superstar was furious over "what he thought he had heard" him say about his eldest son on his "First Take" show ... and he explained The King's language was so vulgar, he couldn't repeat it on national airwaves.

Stephen A. made it clear he wished LeBron had talked to him about the issue in a more private setting ... though he added he understands where 'Bron was coming from as a father.

LSU gymnastics' Senior Night will be without superstar Livvy Dunne -- the social media sensation revealed on Thursday she's dealing with a fractured patella that will keep her from competing in the special event.

Dunne announced the medical update on her Instagram Stories ... one day before the Tigers are slated to host No. 10 Georgia in their home finale.

"Unfortunately, I've been dealing with an avulsion fracture of my patella and will not be able to compete on senior night," Dunne said.

Things are gonna be pretty awkward at the ESPN office holiday party next year ... 'cause Charles Barkley went off on the network and future coworker Kendrick Perkins in a passionate rant on Thursday's "Inside the NBA" -- calling the ex-NBAer a "fool" and an "idiot."

The Chuckster unloaded on Perk and the network as a whole ... claiming they're putting way too much focus on the Los Angeles Lakers and Golden State Warriors this season -- when they SHOULD be talking about the Cleveland Cavaliers and Oklahoma City Thunder.

Barkley set his sights on Perkins initially while talking with Shaquille O'Neal, Ernie Johnson and Kenny "The Jet" Smith ... before opening fire on the same company that will house his beloved show next year.

A former Olympian has traded in snowboard competitions for a spot on the FBI's 10 most-wanted fugitives list in connection with allegedly running a transnational narcotics ring.

The Federal Bureau of Investigation announced Thursday Secretary of State Marco Rubio approved a $10 million reward for the capture of Ryan Wedding, who was on Canada's snowboarding team in the 2002 Winter Olympics.

At a press conference, Akil Davis -- the chief of the FBI's L.A. office --  said Wedding "routinely shipped hundreds of kilograms of cocaine from Colombia, through Mexico and Southern California, to Canada and other locations in the United States."

Draymond Green is facing a ton of backlash for comments he made about Karl-Anthony Towns' absence against the Warriors this week ... after it was revealed the Knicks star was grieving the loss of a family friend.

The four-time NBA champ initially dropped the speculation on his podcast this week ... claiming he "heard" KAT was faking an injury just so he didn't have to go up against his enemy and former teammate Jimmy Butler on Tuesday.

KAT returned to the court in the Knicks' overtime loss to the Lakers on Thursday ... and after the game, he revealed he was away from the team to mourn the loss of Sarah Holtzman, who died of cancer.

Kai Cenat said Kevin Hart's got the height of a leprechaun ... and TMZ Sports got an immediate response from the man himself -- with Hart telling Cenat to go "f*** himself!!"

We caught up with the comedian out on the streets of NYC shortly after Cenat hopped on "First Take" with Stephen A. Smith ... an appearance in which the ESPN talent compared Kai's athletic ability to Hart's.

The streamer did not take the notion too kindly ... saying, "You just compared me to that little leprechaun? Kevin Hart? Are you serious?"

Ben Cleveland's estranged wife has yet to publicly break her silence on her husband's divorce filing ... though a cryptic post she threw up on her Instagram page Thursday sure appeared to do a lot of talking for her.

On her IG stories, Kaitlyn Terrell Cleveland shared some Kelsea Ballerini lyrics that seemed to express she has a lot to say about Ben's Feb. 28 application to separate from her ... but she's been advised to not speak openly.

The lyrics, which come from the beginning of Ballerini's emotional breakup song, "Interlude (Full Length)," stated, "The rumors goin' 'round, but the truth is kinda nuanced. I wanna set it straight, but my lawyer says I shouldn't."

The Cleveland Cavaliers are hoping to make a fan-favorite phrase their own ahead of the NBA playoffs -- the team submitted paperwork to trademark the term "Cavalanche."

According to the USPTO, the filing was made on Wednesday ... the same day the team beat the Miami Heat to became the first in the Association to punch a ticket to the playoffs this season.

The filing stated it would be used for clothing items -- most likely once the NBA postseason kicks off in a few weeks -- but no additional details were provided.

3/6 -- 10:56 AM PT -- Quinton Aaron tells TMZ Sports he was released from the hospital on Wednesday and is now back home resting.

Quinton Aaron -- the actor who played Michael Oher in "The Blind Side" -- has been hospitalized, TMZ Sports has learned, after he woke up last week with a bad illness.

The 40-year-old tells us ... he was rushed to a Southern California medical facility on Feb. 27 -- after coming down with a fever and a blood-soaked cough.

Aaron says doctors administered a bunch of tests ... and the early indications are he's dealing with Type A flu as well as pneumonia.