TMZ Sports - Page 50

Kobe Bryant will be inducted into the Pro Basketball Hall of Fame as part of the class of 2020 -- alongside Kevin Garnett and Tim Duncan.

Players become eligible 4 seasons after their last game -- and with Kobe retiring in 2016, this was his first opportunity to get in.

The ceremony (which will be formally announced on Saturday) will take place at The Naismith Memorial Basketball Hall of Fame in Springfield, MA in August, according to Shams Charania.

It's a no-brainer -- Kobe is widely considered one of the greatest players of all time ... during his 20-year run with the Lakers, Kobe won 5 NBA titles and made the All-Star team 18 times!

Need more stats? He was also a 2-time NBA Finals MVP, the 2008 NBA MVP, 2-time NBA scoring champ, 9-time NBA All-Defensive Team and he won the Dunk Contest in '97!

Of course, Kobe passed away on Jan. 26 in a helicopter crash in Calabasas, CA. He was only 41.

Many of Kobe's friends and family members have talked about how important it was for Kobe to get in the HOF. Shaquille O'Neal even spoke about it on "Inside the NBA" in the days after Kobe's death.

"The fact that we're not gonna be able to joke at his Hall of Fame ceremony, we're not gonna be able to say, 'Haha, I got 5 (championships), you got 4,' the fact that we're not gonna be able to say, 'If we would've stayed together, we could've got 10' ... those were the things you can't get back."

WWE superstar Becky Lynch really is "The Man" -- because when she found out an 11-year-old superfan with autism was bummed about not being able to go to WrestleMania, she made a special video just for him!

Yeah, might wanna get that tissue box ...

Here's the backstory ... WWE legend Mick Foley met 11-year-old Branden a few months ago at a barbershop in Florida and they bonded over their love of pro wrestling.

In fact, Branden was all set to attend WrestleMania 36 in Tampa to watch his favorite wrestler, Becky Lynch ... but due to the COVID-19 pandemic, fans are no longer allowed at the event.

Mick tells TMZ Sports ... he was trying to think of ways to lift Branden's spirits -- so he reached out to Becky to see if she would send him an uplifting video message.

AND, BOY, DID SHE DELIVER!!!

"Hi Branden it is ‘The Man’ Becky Lynch," she said ... "I hear that you’re a huge fan and I want to thank you for all of your support!"

Ya gotta watch the video -- not only does Becky say she's dedicating the match to him, but she adds, "I'll make you proud!"

We also got video of Branden's reaction when his parents played him the video -- amazing stuff!

Of course, gotta give a HUUUUGE shout out to Mick Foley for making it happen -- the WWE Hall of Famer has been on a mission to spread joy and cheer ever since the pandemic began.

Foley says his goal is to make 1,000 FREE videos to send out to fans all around the world because he knows it will make people smile.

Rob Gronkowski and his SI Swimsuit cover model GF Camille Kostek have taken things to the next level -- they're music video superstars!!

It's all for Kygo's new video, "I'll Wait" ... and it'll make you feel all warm inside.

Gronk and Camille offered up never before seen footage of their romantic vacations, shirtless breakfasts for the video ... it even features footage shot right after the Patriots tight end won the Super Bowl.

In true Gromille fashion ... there's a TON of dancing because as Camille says ... they're never not dancing.

As for the song, it's pretty serious stuff with lyrics like "I'll wait forever, that's what we said. 16th of September, lying in my bed. I'll wait forever, it's never too late, couple thousand miles is just a little space."

After watching the vid, it's no wonder Gronk likes retirement.

"I wouldn't have paid this turd. No way in hell. No way in hell would I have paid this guy."

That's Rex Ryan going OFF on NFL star Amari Cooper ... saying the wide receiver didn't deserve his 5-year, $100 MILLION extension with the Dallas Cowboys ONE BIT!!!

"I wouldn't have paid this guy," Rex said on ESPN's "Get Up!" Friday. "To me, this is the biggest disappearing act in the National Football League. He doesn't show up on the road ... when the competition's good -- when he's against the top corners, that guy disappears."

Rex added, "He doesn't love football! Hell with it, he stops his routes, he does all this!"

Of course, Cowboys owner Jerry Jones would strongly disagree ... because on the first day of free agency last month -- he made Amari a top priority, paying him even before Dak Prescott.

But, Rex says he believes that's a huge mistake ... because while 25-year-old Amari has logged nearly 2,000 receiving yards in just 25 games in Dallas, he claims the dude can't consistently ball out.

"There's only one time that I can remember in recent memory on elite receivers and disappearing acts like Amari Cooper," Rex says. "That was the kid that the Raiders had a few years ago -- Oh! That's right, that was Amari Cooper! This is who he is!"

Rex says he would have paid Prescott -- who was franchise tagged by the team last month -- first, and says Jerry's going to regret his free agency decisions.

"They made a huge mistake right here," Rex says.

Drake is honoring Kobe Bryant once again ... this time the rapper laid out the Mamba's Lakers jerseys in his new "Toosie Slide" music video -- and the tribute is pretty awesome.

Drake debuted the vid for his soon-to-be-smash-hit song Thursday ... and it didn't even take a full minute into the footage before the NBA superfan paid homage to Kobe.

You can see in the video ... Drake laid out Bryant's #8 and #24 jerseys on the table, and he let the camera pan to them as he danced around his Toronto-area mansion.

Of course, Drizzy is a HUGE Kobe fan despite his Raptors roots ... and after Bryant's death in January, Drake's paid homage to the L.A. legend every chance he's had.

In an Instagram post, just hours after Kobe's helicopter crashed on Jan. 26, Drake threw up a picture of him in a "Farewell Mamba" jacket with the caption, "It can't be."

Drake also painted the numbers 8 and 24 on his in-home basketball court just a few weeks ago as well.

Richard Simmons is helping people struggling through these days of self-isolation -- an area of expertise for him -- by making a comeback of sorts ... strictly online.

The beloved, former fitness mogul has been out of the public eye since February 2014, but 3 weeks ago his YouTube channel began posting for the first time in 6 years ... right around the time Americans began getting ordered to stay inside to stop the spread of coronavirus.

The material is nothing new -- it's old 'Signature Moves' clips, workouts and motivational messages -- but sources close to Simmons tell TMZ ... the revival is due to fans clamoring for him to return and lead them through at-home exercise routines again.

The need for this doesn't get much greater than during a pandemic ... so we're told Richard's team obliged with the new video posts.

Our sources say Simmons' team is also working on a new line of licensed products to be released later this year. It's unclear exactly what it will include, but in 2018 he released a calendar and some classic exercise merch ... so maybe something similar.

Remember, Richard hasn't been physically seen since we got a partial glimpse of him returning home from the hospital in April 2017 ... and there's only been Bigfoot-esque sightings of him for years before that.

So the mystery -- and it's a big mystery -- where is Richard?  He's not in the videos, which are year's old.  Cops did a few welfare checks several years ago and said he was ok, but why isn't he at least introducing the videos?

We're told despite the flurry of Richard's YouTube vids, he's still not decided when or if he'll make a return to the spotlight ... but the recent activity is giving his fans hope.

Mississippi State football coach Mike Leach issued an apology Thursday after posting a stupid coronavirus meme of a woman making a noose.

"After 2 weeks of quarantine with her husband, Gertrude decided to knit him a scarf," the caption on the meme said.

Get it? The woman wants to kill herself after having to spend time with her husband?! Wacka, wacka, wacka!

Yeah, Leach's players weren't laughing. In fact, two Mississippi St. players actually called Leach out on social media.

Defensive lineman Fabien Lovett responded to the tweet with "WTF." Senior defensive end Kobe Jones added to Lovett's tweet, saying, "Facts. He tripping."

Leach, ultimately realizing how dumb it was to post the meme, apologized.

Bored as hell during quarantine?? Hey, it could be A LOT worse ... 'cause a Texas Rangers pitching prospect just suffered a nasty knee injury tripping on his son's toy while at home.

The MLB farmhand -- former Seattle Mariners 4th-round pick James Jones -- was staying at his place Monday in Arizona when he reportedly tripped on his kid's toy and landed awkwardly.

Jones ended up shredding the patellar tendon in his right knee ... and immediately underwent season-ending surgery.

It's a brutal break for the 31-year-old lefty ... he was expected to compete for a bullpen spot on the Rangers' roster this year once MLB resumed play after its coronavirus suspension.

Of course, Jones is no stranger to surgery adversity ... the outfielder-turned-pitcher has already dealt with Tommy John surgery in his career and bounced back from that.

Darren Waller says he's 100% there for Aldon Smith in his transition back to the NFL if the new Dallas Cowboy needs him ... telling TMZ Sports, "I'd definitely be open to talking to him."

Waller, like Smith, battled substance issues early in his NFL career ... but got sober and turned into a dominant force with the Oakland Raiders this past season.

30-year-old Smith is trying to replicate that accomplishment with the Cowboys after being out of the league since 2015 ... and Waller says if the former All-Pro needs advice, his phone line is open.

"I'm sure he's definitely got a program in place, people in place, but if he ever needs someone, I'm definitely available for anyone that may be struggling with anything," Waller says.

Waller tells us even if he's unable to personally help Aldon when the guy gets back in the league ... he's confident just being a part of a team again will keep Smith on the straight and narrow.

"I feel like he can kind of relate to the same thing as me," Waller says. "It's like once you get that chance again, you realize how valuable it is to be a part of a team -- be a part of something that's bigger than yourself."