TMZ Sports - Page 50

UFC's Henry Cejudo is a great fighter ... and he is also a great neighbor 'cause he recently helped stop a hit-and-run suspect in his hood.

Here's the deal ... a speeding car crashed into the house right next door to Henry's in Phoenix last night -- and the visuals are wild!

The UFC star gave an interview shortly afterward ... and he said the driver of the car was going to book it after the crash and his neighbor tried to stop him, which is when the dude punched the neighbor.

If Larry Johnson were in Cooper Flagg's giant Blue Devil sneakers, he tells TMZ Sports he'd forgo the NBA for one more year ... and stay put in Durham.

Flagg, of course, is the prohibitive favorite to go at the top of this year's draft ... but Johnson made it clear to us he'd like to see the 18-year-old hang around Duke a bit longer.

The College Basketball Hall of Famer said the extra year of ACC ball would help Flagg tremendously in the long run ... even though he knows it'd be difficult for the teenager to postpone his pro career another 12 or so months.

Chris Webber has some sound advice for all the young athletes suiting up for the Final Four ... telling TMZ Sports one mistake -- like, say, calling a timeout when your team doesn't have one -- won't ruin their lives!!

We ran into the former NBA star and Michigan Wolverine before Houston, Duke, Florida and Auburn take the court during the NCAA tournament's semifinals this weekend ... and he reflected on his own career before dishing out some words of wisdom.

"I wouldn't trade one moment that I had at the Final Four," Webber said. "I wouldn't trade any of the stats. I wouldn't take the timeout."

Raul Rosas Jr. has experienced a lot of success early into his UFC career ... but he's now ready for the next step -- telling TMZ Sports he wants a top-15 opponent!!

We caught up with the 20-year-old bantamweight following his unanimous decision win in Mexico City last Saturday ... a performance he graded quite highly for himself.

"Good control, good everything and especially I push myself to keep staying in the fight," he said. "I'll give it an A because I would like to finish. I'm always looking for the finish, so next time, I'll fix these mistakes to be able to go out there and get the finish next time."

A soccer coach who a California family says was the last person who had contact with their dead son is a person of interest in the boy's disappearance and was arrested on an unrelated sexual assault case ... TMZ has confirmed.

Missing 13-year-old boy Oscar Omar Hernandez was found dead in a ditch earlier this week in Oxnard and his family says he was last seen with his soccer coach, 43-year-old Mario Edgardo Garcia Aquino.

Our law enforcement sources tell us ... Aquino was questioned by cops and was arrested ... but not for Oscar's death or disappearance.

Ja Morant might not care if he gets punished for his gun-themed celebrations ... but one former NBA great is pleading with the Memphis Grizzlies star to leave the safety on his controversial gesture -- telling TMZ Sports he's "ruining his career."

We spoke with Spencer Haywood out at LAX shortly after 25-year-old Morant was fined for his on-court antics ... and he had a strong message for the two-time All-Star and his inner circle.

"The people that are around him are not advising him right," Haywood said. "He's ruining his career, he's ruining his family's life, and his team most importantly, he's letting them all down. So, I'm just disappointed in Ja."

Former NFL linebacker Dean Wells has passed away at 54 years old following a two-year battle with cancer.

One of his former teams, the Carolina Panthers, confirmed the reports of his death on Friday. He was diagnosed with acute lymphoblastic leukemia in 2023 ... and underwent a bone marrow transplant in May 2024.

He spoke to KSR about his fight against the disease ... saying while he was able to handle the variables on the football field, this was something he had no control over.

If Caitlin Clark really wants to play flag football at the 2028 Olympics, she won't be getting any superstar treatment to get a spot on the team -- so say the organization's CEO!!

The WNBA superstar recently mentioned at the NFL Annual League Meeting she always dreamed of playing football as a kid ... and even tossed out the idea of suiting up for the Red, White and Blue on the gridiron when the Games come around in a few years.

"Maybe LA 2028, maybe I'll do two sports," Clark said at the meeting. "Or if basketball doesn't work out, I'll head over to flag football."

Dale Earnhardt Jr. doesn't wanna go toe to toe with Lamar Jackson over a trademark for the number eight ... with the racing superstar announcing he's making changes to his brand to appease the NFL MVP.

Dale Jr. attempted to file papers for a stylized version of the digit he used for the majority of his on-track career recently ... which was later protested by Jackson's legal team, as the Baltimore Ravens quarterback owns several trademarks related to the number.

Jackson's crew claimed granting Dale Jr. the trademark could hurt his business ... as his fans might mistakenly buy the NASCAR Hall of Famer's merch instead of his if approved.

Two boaters got into a heated altercation while out on Florida waters earlier this week ... and the confrontation got so intense, cops say they're now investigating the matter.

The incident happened on Tuesday ... when Gage Towles, a fisherman, was approached by Brock Horner, a clearly ticked-off, self-proclaimed charter captain.

In video Towles shared on his YouTube page, you can see Horner appeared upset with Towles over the way he and a few others had interacted with him as he passed underneath the bridge a few days prior.

Time to test your knowledge of Kylie Jenner's best friends ... so go coconuts and guess the bikini babe holding this coconut on a tropical vacation.

The hottie in the photo is BFFs with Kylie and she's also got a couple kids with her husband, former NBA baller Troy Daniels.

That's all the hints from us ... so click the gallery and find out who this babe is!!!

She's on vacation in Thailand, a country that's a popular vacation destination for lots of babes ... and we've got the photos to prove it.

8:55 AM PT -- The NBA just announced it's fined Ja Morant $75,000 for the finger-gun gestures.

In announcing the punishment, the league noted it warned Morant prior to Thursday's Grizzlies vs. Heat tilt that the acts "could be interpreted in a negative light."

Ja Morant made more references to firearms on Thursday night ... just hours after the NBA reportedly told him not to.

WNBA champ Elena Delle Donne is riding off into the sunset -- she just announced her retirement after 10 seasons.

The 6'5" hooper -- who played for the Chicago Sky and Washington Mystics during her career in the W -- released a statement on her decision ... revealing it's something she contemplated over time before reaching the choice that's right for her.

"One of my favorite children’s books asked, 'How did it get so late so soon?'" Delle Donne said on Friday.

The NY Yankees were in action Thursday night against the Arizona Diamondbacks ... but some fans got some practice for when their former superstar rolls into the Bronx with his new Mets team -- with a loud "F*** Juan Soto" chant breaking out in the middle of the game!

During Jazz Chisholm's at-bat in the eighth inning, fans were heard voicing their disdain for the Bronx Bombers' former right fielder, three months after he signed the biggest deal in professional sports history.

Yankee fans haven't been shy about expressing their dislike for rival players in years past ... "F*** [Jose] Altuve" is a common refrain at the stadium.

David Beckham isn't letting a family feud stop him from having a good time -- the soccer legend had a courtside seat at the Lakers vs. Warriors game on Thursday ... and Romeo was along for the ride.

The LeBron James and Stephen Curry showdown at Crypto.com Arena attracted a ton of celebs ... including the Beckhams, Floyd Mayweather, J-Hope and Young Thug (more on him in a sec).

The timing of David and Romeo's appearance is rather interesting, considering TMZ reported earlier Thursday there's a major rift in the family over Romeo's new love interest, Kim Turnball -- Brooklyn's former fling.

The 17-year-old accused of stabbing and killing another student this week at a high school track meet was provoked ... according to his father.

Andrew Anthony -- the dad of teenage murder suspect Karmelo Anthony -- told the New York Post on Thursday that Austin Metcalf and his friends were the ones who started Wednesday's altercation in Frisco, Texas that ended in tragedy.

"He was not the aggressor," Anthony insisted. "He was not the one who started it."