Mama Don't Take No Mess: Classic Maternal Moments In Sports

Tiger's mother was the secret weapon at his press conference. Check these out other moms who've come to the rescue of their pro-athlete kids.

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Complex Original

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On Friday, Tiger Woods reinforced a point that we're all familiar with: if there's anyone that will have your back despite all the bullshit you've gotten into, it's your mom. As Tiger ended his "press conference," he pulled the ultimate sympathy card next to crying, by embracing his mother, Kultida Woods.

Tiger's move got us to thinking of other examples where moms of pro-athletes have lived up to that "ride or die" attribute of being a mother. Whether it's jumping into the ring to help you out when your ass is getting beat, or cussing out opposing fans for talking shit, they're always there. So let's look back on some memorable mom moments in sports history...

GLORIA JAMES
MOM OF: NBA player LeBron James
DATE: May 12, 2008 Celtics vs. Cavaliers playoff game
MOMENT: After watching her son take a hard foul from Paul Pierce, Gloria rushed the court to confront Pierce. Prompting LeBron to tell his mother to "sit yo ass down." Bron-Bron should have been thankful. If he had this much back-up from his own teammates then that first ring wouldn't be so illusive.

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LYDIA MOORE
MOM OF: NBA player Kenyon Martin
DATE: May 9, 2009 Nuggets vs. Mavericks playoff game
MOMENT: Following game 3 of the Western Conference semifinals, the Mavericks billionaire asshole owner, Mark Cuban, got into a confrontation with Kenyon Martin's mother, Lydia Moore, after he called her son "a punk." Cuban later said that incident was retaliation for Moore's trash talking after the previous game. Billionaire or not, disrespecting someone's mom will get your ass kicked, or at least get threats thrown your way to do such.

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MILDRED J. HARRISON
MOM OF: NFL player James Harrison
DATE: December 10, 2009 at a Steelers vs. Browns viewing party
MOMENT: Right around the time that the Steelers' season was collapsing, Harrison's mom got into it with some Browns fans at a viewing party in Akron, Ohio. The 62-year-old was arrested and charged with assault. Mildred showed more tenacity than the Steelers on the gridiron, whose record dropped to 6-7 that day.

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