TMZ Sports - Page 50

Duke fans better enjoy Cooper Flagg while they can ... 'cause Seth Curry tells TMZ Sports it won't be long before the Blue Devils baller is starring on NBA courts.

Flagg's currently got Duke rolling into the Sweet 16 of the NCAA tournament ... but on Wednesday, Curry told us he has no doubts the freshman phenom will be lighting it up in the Association soon.

Steph's younger brother -- who played at Duke from 2010-2013 -- said Flagg can score and play defense with the best of them ... and he didn't push back when we said it certainly looks like the 18-year-old will be the No. 1 overall pick in this summer's draft.

Stephen A. Smith says he and LeBron James could have been the next Will Smith and Chris Rock ... if things got physical during their infamous courtside quarrel.

The TV host just hopped on his podcast and responded to LBJ dissing him on Wednesday's episode of "The Pat McAfee Show."

Stephen A. says if LeBron would have put hands on him when he confronted him at Crypto.com arena, "I would've immediately swung on him. Immediately."

Jake Paul and Jutta Leerdam made their first public appearance as an engaged couple on Wednesday ... and they put the Olympic speed skater's massive new accessory on full display.

The lovebirds hit the premiere for their new Max Original show, "Paul American," just now ... electing for all-black outfits after rocking white ensembles for the proposal in Saint Lucia.

Jake and Jutta also did some prom-esque poses ... proving they don't mind getting all mushy for the cameras (something they're used to at this point).

Former MMA fighter Sean Loeffler has been sentenced to five years of supervised probation and a $5,000 fine after pleading guilty to a third degree sexual abuse charge in Oregon.

A Lincoln County judge also sentenced him to five years' bench probation for an interception of communications offense. FYI ... bench probation means the court will monitor him, rather than a probation officer.

The once-promising athlete received his sentence Wednesday afternoon after pleading guilty to sexual abuse and interception of communications misdemeanors Monday.

Wyatt Hendrickson set the sports world on fire Saturday night when he defeated Gable Steveson to win the NCAA national championship ... and while the Oklahoma State wrestling product doesn't have any plans to pursue MMA or professional wrestling full-time -- he tells TMZ Sports not to rule out a future appearance!!

We caught up with the U.S. Air Force Second Lieutenant a few days after taking home the NCAA heavyweight wrestling crown ... and he said he's still riding the high of it all.

"I'm so grateful for my team and my coaches," he said. "That whole tournament, everything lined up perfectly for us to have a great turnout as a team."

The bun in Olivia Culpo's oven ain't the only thing heating up ... check out a bikini photo shoot the model recently had with her sisters -- it's scorching!!

Olivia, Sophia and Aurora all stripped down to some itty bitty bathing suits to put OC's collab with Cupshe on full display ... and the trio of Culpos looked amazing.

Christian McCaffrey's wife showed off her pregnant belly in several barely there two-piece sets ... while both of her siblings gave her growing baby some love by posing next to the stomach bump.

Former NFL RB LeShon Johnson is facing years behind bars for allegedly running a massive dog fighting operation ... marking the biggest bust of its kind in U.S. history.

The Department of Justice announced a 21-count indictment against Johnson -- who played six seasons in the NFL -- accusing the 54-year-old of possessing 190 "pit bull-type dogs" for "use in an animal fighting venture."

The DOJ says the animals, from Johnson's "Mal Kant Kennels" in Oklahoma, were seized in October 2024 -- in what the Feds say was the largest dog fighting bust in history.

Johnson, in part, is accused of strategically breeding "champion" pits -- animals that won several fights against other dogs, to produce offspring that could also fight.

The beef between LeBron James and Stephen A. Smith is still clearly sizzling ... the Lakers superstar just shaded his nemesis on live TV -- with a Taylor Swift quip!

The King joined Pat McAfee on Wednesday's episode of "The Pat McAfee Show" for a lengthy sit-down interview ... and at one point, his now-viral, in-game spat with Stephen A. came up.

James quickly took a dig at the ESPN analyst to kick off the topic ... dissing the 57-year-old for the way he's gone on multiple television shows to talk about their March 6 Crypto.com Arena quarrel.

Saraya -- FKA Paige in WWE -- has announced she is parting ways with All Elite Wrestling.

The English wrestler made the announcement in her upcoming podcast "Rulebreakers With Saraya," which drops on Thursday.

"I'm here to tell you that me and AEW's relationship has come to an end," Saraya said. "I had an amazing time there. There's no bad blood between us. I had such a magical time."

Joe Rogan is riding hard for Justin Baldoni ... tearing into Blake Lively and Ryan Reynolds for lawyering up against him.

It all went down on "The Joe Rogan Experience" over the weekend, where Joe called out Blake and Ryan for screwing up big time -- his guest, Brendan Schaub, agreed, saying the backlash they’re getting is well-earned for trying to weaponize the #MeToo movement against Baldoni.

Joe slammed Blake and Ryan for trying to hijack "It Ends with Us" -- the movie where all this drama started -- saying plain and simple, it’s Baldoni’s film ... and his production company, Wayfarer Studios, owns the rights to the film and its sequel.

Former Duke football player Brandon Braxton was charged with first-degree murder in connection with the July 2024 death of a North Carolina real estate agent -- with investigators saying he owned up to committing the crime.

Braxton was charged last Thursday with the murder of Charlotte-based realtor Whitney Hurd -- eight months after she was found dead inside her townhome.

According to the New York Post, the former wide receiver confessed to the act while being held at the sheriff's department after being arrested for trespassing -- one of his seven arrests following the murder.

Things got intense on the Grizzlies' bench in a matchup with the Jazz on Tuesday ... with Desmond Bane forcefully shoving his own teammate during a timeout.

The incident went down early in the contest at the Delta Center ... when Utah came out the gates strong offensively.

As Memphis called for a break in the action, Bane was caught on video yelling at Santi Aldama to get a stop on defense ... and then extending his arms to push him into a seat.

Russell Wilson is taking his talents to the New York Giants ... and his wife, Ciara, is certainly on board with the move out of Pittsburgh -- giving her big stamp of approval on social media.

After spending one season with the Steelers ... the 10-time Pro Bowler signed a one-year deal worth $21 million with the Giants on Tuesday, where he will potentially be the team's starting quarterback.

Wilson expressed his excitement to call MetLife Stadium his new home ... as it's the same place he won Super Bowl XLVIII with the Seattle Seahawks.

Kendrick Lamar's Super Bowl halftime show had some viewers wanting to turn their TV off to the point of writing to the FCC about it ... with complaints being made about inappropriate lyrics, raunchy dance moves and apparent anti-American themes -- and a few even taking issue with the Drake beef getting thrown into it.

TMZ Sports obtained all 125 complaints sent to the Federal Communications Commission following K. Dot's Feb. 9 performance ... and the overwhelming majority of them felt it was far from a family-friendly experience.

Many in the bunch accused Kendrick of having a potty mouth, only using Black performers and being divisive with his set ... with several making note of the split American flag visual at one point in the show.

John Cena invoked Ric Flair's name when declaring his 17th World Championship during "Monday Night Raw" this week ... but the Nature Boy tells TMZ Sports he's not irked one bit by the slight -- admitting he's just happy to be alive to hear it!!

We caught up with the man Cena's attempting to surpass for the most world titles in WWE history ... about 24 hours after the 47-year-old told fans he'd be old news by the time he ends his farewell tour.

"At WrestleMania, I make history by winning a 17th Championship, and I finally force you to forget the name of the fun machine jet flying woooo Ric Flair," Cena said Monday. "You will forever say the name John Cena."

Damian Lillard has been ruled out indefinitely with a serious medical issue -- a blood clot -- but the NBA superstar isn't calling it quits on the season ... we're told he hopes to return for the playoffs.

The team announced that the 34-year-old was diagnosed with a blood clot -- deep vein thrombosis (DVT) -- in his right calf and has been put on a blood-thinning medication. Serious stuff. The good news is the team says it has stabilized the clot.

But, with only 11 games left in the regular season, the timing is unfortunate for Dame and the Bucks.

The good news? Our sources tell us Lillard hopes, and plans, to return this season ... as long as he's cleared by the docs.

We're told DL will be reevaluated next week ... and there's hope he will show progress.