TMZ Sports - Page 50

A 19-year-old man says he was CHOKED by Cleveland Cavs star J.R. Smith ... and claims it was all because he made fun of Smith for getting traded out of New York.

The man behind the allegation is Justin Brown -- who claims he and some friends encountered Smith at a NY pizza joint around 4 AM on Nov. 13th.

In a complaint filed with the NYPD, Brown claims Smith refused to take a picture with his group and an altercation ensued.

As Smith walked away, Brown shouted to the NBA star -- "That's why New York kicked you out, yo!"

Brown claims Smith then slammed him against a wall and choked him with his hands.

Brown filed the report 3 days after the incident.

We spoke with cops who say Brown had no visible injuries at the time he filed the report.

Michael Sam says he appreciated the way he was treated in St. Louis -- but says being drafted by the Rams was the WORST thing for his NFL career.

Sam just appeared on the "The Herd with Colin Cowherd" and was asked if he regretted coming out before the NFL Draft ... his answer is very interesting.

Of course, Sam made history becoming the first openly gay player to be drafted by an NFL team -- but says the historical milestone put him in a really bad spot.

Sam says the Rams accepted him as a person -- inviting him to hang at their homes and with their families -- but he knew he didn't have a shot at making the team because they were already stacked on the defensive line.

Instead, Sam says he wishes he was NOT drafted -- so he could've handpicked a team that needed his skill set.

Washington pro football star Chris Baker is reclaiming his throne as the smoothest big man alive ... once again SLAYING a D.C. runway for charity ... showing some serious plus sized swag.

Baker strutted his stuff at the 7th annual Walk This Way fashion show -- benefiting "Becky's Fund" -- at the Italian embassy in D.C. last night ... teaming up with other area sports stars like Bradley Beal, Garrett Temple and Pierre Garcon.

You might remember ... Baker DOMINATED this same event last year with his catwalk swag ... and from the looks of this video ... there was ZERO drop off this time around.

Get it big fella.

Turns out, Caitlyn Jenner's a big baseball fan -- or a big Kevin Costner fan -- 'cause she hit up the legendary "Field of Dreams" ball park in Iowa the other day ... and TMZ Sports has the pics.

We've confirmed ... Jenner stopped by the park on Saturday with a bunch of her friends ... before she took the stage on Tuesday for an event at her alma mater Graceland University in Lamoni, IA.

Our sources tell us the gang took a self-guided tour of the field -- and though stadium staff allows people to play catch on the infield, Jenner's group didn't do it.

And shocker -- we're told Jenner had a camera guy with her to document the entire thing.

Ex-NFL running back Michael Bennett -- a 1st round draft pick in 2001-- was arrested in California Thursday after cops say he forged his GF's parents names to take out $325k in loans.

According to police, the victims -- both over the age of 65 -- became suspicious when they got mail from brokers about the loan.

Officials say Bennett -- who spent 10 seasons in the NFL -- stole important financial documents from his girlfriend's parents and forged loan docs to get the money.

And what did he spend the cash on??

"It looks like he used the money to purchase at least one vehicle and go on some shopping trips," Sgt. Ed Crosby told SFgate.com.

Cops say Bennett has already confessed to the crime -- he's currently behind bars ... being held on $1 MILLION bail. He's been charged with 9 felonies including grand theft, burglary, forgery and elderly abuse.

Like father, like SONS (plural) ... at least for former Super Bowl champ Michael Pittman -- whose two kids are DOMINATING the high school football landscape.

Of course, Pittman played 11 seasons in the NFL for the Cardinals, Bucs and Broncos -- and clearly, he passed on the athletic gene to his 2 sons Michael Jr. and Mycah.

Both kids attend Oaks Christian high school in So. Cal -- where Michael Jr. (6'4, 205) has become one of the top WRs in the country. In fact, he's already committed to USC and has been nominated for the prestigious U.S. Army Player of the Year award.

His little brother Mycah is only a freshman -- and he's crushing it, too -- as a wide receiver on the varsity team.

Both kids showed off their talents last week during a playoff victory against Jordan High School -- each catching touchdowns (video above).

Michael Sr. tells TMZ Sports he couldn't be more proud -- "I love them to death. To see them doing something they love ... it's amazing."

Michael says both kids have NFL dreams and they know their dad is a great source of advice when it comes to reaching their goals.

"They ask me so many questions... 'Dad, what does it take to be successful? How'd you do this?' They're hungry. As a father, I don't push anything besides getting good grades. This is something they love doing themselves."

Michael's gonna join us on the "TMZ Sports" TV show on FS1 tonight (Friday 9 PM PT) -- don't miss it!

He might be staring down the barrel of retirement, but Reggie Bush is making it clear -- he ain't worried about money -- 'cause he just bought his mom a brand new $200,000 Bentley.

Reggie's mom just turned the big 50 -- and to celebrate, the injured 49ers running back hooked her up with the keys to a sick Bentley Flying Spur ... which (depending on the options) can cost up to $250k.

Bush has reportedly made more than $60 MILLION during his NFL career -- not counting all of the endorsement $$$ he's racked up. Plus, he's planning on suing the city of St. Louis for a TON of cash over the knee injury he suffered there earlier this season.

Derek Jeter proved he IS down with hip-hop Thursday night ... shaking hands and hanging out with the most powerful man in rap ... Jay Z ... as the two kicked it courtside at the Clippers game.

Both Jeter and Jay got their hands on the hottest tickets in town -- and had great seats to watch the Clippers implode to the best team in basketball ... despite a 10 point lead in the 4th quarter.

Sad.

Talk about a role reversal ... while Ronda Rousey is still recovering from her injuries, new UFC champ Holly Holm was rubbing elbows with a HUGE movie star Thursday night ... and TMZ Sports has the footage.

The ass-handing Holly Holm gave Ronda Rousey will NOT crush her budding acting career ... not in the eyes of mega-producer Jerry Bruckheimer, anyway.

We got Bruckheimer on his way out of Craig's, and while Ronda has 2 films set for 2016 -- we wondered if the loss might signal the beginning of the end for her in Hollywood.

Of course, Bruckheimer -- Mr. "Top Gun," "Beverly Hills Cop," and "Pirates of the Caribbean" -- has a lot to say about who makes it in this town.

The good news for Ronda ... Jerry says she's still bankable, but would he personally hire her? Maybe for "Bad Boys 3" -- c'mon ... Smith, Lawrence AND Rousey???

Confidence: a feeling of self-assurance arising from one's appreciation of one's own abilities or qualities.

Put U.S. track star Trayvon Bromell in that category, 'cause he believes he can dethrone the fastest man on Earth ... Jamaican cyborg Usain Bolt.

Bromell is no slouch ... placing 3rd in the 100 meters at the World Championships ... so when we got him at LAX, we asked if he thinks he's got a shot at the title next year in Rio. After all, he ran a blistering 9.92 to Usain's 9.79 at championships.

Check out the clip -- Bromell says despite Usain's unbelievable record NO ONE is immune to an ass whupping from time to time.

Ex-Fresno State football player Chris Pryor is in even deeper trouble with his school -- he's been booted from attending classes in the wake of his alleged death threat "prank."

As TMZ Sports first reported ... Pryor got kicked off the team 2 weeks ago after posting a rant on social media that included a threat to "take a headshot" at a student using an M4 Carbine rifle.

Bulldogs football immediately kicked him off the team, and now we've learned the former walk-on player has also been banned from campus altogether. The athletic department tells us Pryor will remain suspended at least until the university holds a conduct hearing, and it's unclear when it will be held.

Ty Lawson may not have a long season ... he just pled guilty to charges stemming from his January drunk driving arrest.

The Rockets point guard was arrested in January after he was pulled over by police in Denver. The cops smelled alcohol and said he had slurred speech ... Ty ultimately failed his field sobriety test.

Ty pled guilty to driving while ability impaired, as well as failure to drive in a single lane. He faces up to 180 days in jail.

The Denver incident is not his only arrest this year. He was pulled over and arrested this summer in LA and went to rehab afterwards. He's due in court next week for that charge.

Derek Jeter is shooting down the allegation he backed out of an underwear deal because he thought 50 Cent would make the company "too urban."

This is gonna get interesting ...

Texas Rap legend Bun B is turning the tables on Lil B ... saying his "Based God Curse" can't hurt the Houston Rockets ... cause LB is as guilty of dance jacking as James Harden.

Lil B recently took credit for Houston coach Kevin McHale losing his job ... saying as long as the franchise enables James Harden to steal his "Cooking Dance" ... they'll remain cursed.

TMZ Sports spoke with Bun B ... and he tells us the Rockets are immune to the so-called curse cause Lil B TOTALLY JACKED the dance from another rap god, Pimp C.

"I've known Lil B since he was in the Pack. I support him musically. But we don't buy into that because we know that Pimp C created [the cooking dance] not Lil B. We don't stand for that."

That wasn't the only curse Bun B was willing to tackle ... he also dispelled any notion that there was a Kardashian curse plaguing the Rockets ... because Harden is dating Khloe.