TMZ Sports - Page 50

Opening Day 2025 has arrived for the New York Yankees ... and while there's always excitement leading into a new season, the team's manager said the players will take the field with "heavy hearts" following the shocking death of former star Brett Gardner's 14-year-old son.

Aaron Boone spoke with the media ahead of first pitch at Yankee Stadium ... and he said the athletes will have Miller on their minds throughout the season.

"I talk to our guys a lot about perspective," he said. "While this matters so much to us, it's our livelihood, we pour so much into this, so many people care about it, it's baseball. I really think it's important we reflect on that every now and then when we get consumed with this."

The Buffalo Bills finally got what the Kansas City Chiefs have -- no, not a Super Bowl title -- a Hallmark Christmas movie!!

Bills safety Damar Hamlin announced his employer is the second team to partner up with Hallmark and Skydance Sports for a festive football flick – after the Kansas City Chiefs got the same treatment last November.

"Holiday Touchdown: A Bills Love Story" is set to begin filming this summer ... and while the plot is still under wraps and a cast hasn’t been announced just yet – fans have already speculated it could be loosely inspired by star quarterback Josh Allen's own romance with his fiancée, Hailee Steinfeld.

Russell Wilson put pen to paper on his New York Giants contract less than 24 hours ago ... but he's already getting some reps in -- throwing passes to fans while sitting courtside at a Knicks game!

Mr. Unlimited made the trip across the Hudson River to catch some hoops at the Garden, with New York welcoming James Harden and the Clippers into town.

It was a warm reception for the Giants' newest signal caller ... who tossed an autographed ball a few rows up.

Austin Reaves got creative for a gender reveal for his big bro  ... surprising him by wearing pink sneakers during Wednesday's Lakers game -- and Spencer absolutely loved it!!

The L.A. star delivered the exciting news to his brother and his pregnant wife, Casey, right on the court during his game against the Pacers at Gainbridge Fieldhouse.

Reaves made his way to the hardwood rockin' pink and white kicks, signaling the baby is a girl.

Skateboarding star Nyjah Huston took a brutal hit to the family jewels while attempting a move this week ... and the impact was so bad, he was left pissing blood.

But, don't panic -- he said his dick isn't broken!!

The Olympic medalist shared photos with his 5.2 million Instagram followers on Wednesday of himself in the hospital ... and a toilet filled with blood.

7:27 AM PT -- We knew this was coming -- Stephen A. Smith opened Thursday's "First Take" going off on LeBron ... saying his nemesis' real issue stems from the fact he refuses to consider him the greatest NBA player over Michael Jordan.

Smith made it clear he's never going to back down from his stance ... and he's not going anywhere.

As for his colleague Pat McAfee giving his rival a platform, SAS doesn't blame him one bit -- saying no one would pass up on an interview with James.

Smith also addressed James' trolling with his boxing vid ... and he even admits it wasn't his best work, but claimed he would've looked much better if he wasn't injured at the time.

LeBron James hit the game-winning shot for the Lakers on Wednesday, but the real dagger came on Instagram later in the night ... when he ruthlessly clapped back at Stephen A. Smith AGAIN by mocking his fighting skills.

The King added another chapter to the beef after L.A. beat the Indiana Pacers ... clearly getting wind of the ESPN host claiming earlier in the day he would've "swung" on the four-time champ if he had put his hands on him during their Crypto.com Arena confrontation a few weeks back.

Even though SAS admitted it probably would've resulted in getting his ass whooped, LeBron made sure the talking head knew how he felt about the comments ... sharing an old video of one of his boxing sessions, which didn't necessarily mimic a Ryan Garcia left hook.

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.