TMZ Sports - Page 4

Marcus Jordan had a sobering realization following the deaths of Hulk Hogan and Ozzy Osbourne this week -- one that encouraged him to reconnect with his family ... and nearly pick up the bottle after months of sobriety.

The troubled son of Michael Jordan took to Instagram Friday to reveal the deaths of the rock legend and WWE icon encouraged him to reach out to his family because "life is short and it's important to spend time with the people you love."

His relationship with his father, mother Juanita Vanoy and siblings was previously unknown ... but he hasn't been seen publicly with the NBA star since February 2024, when they watched the Super Bowl together. And considering he says he reached out to his siblings -- brother Jeffrey and sisters Jasmine, Victoria and Ysabel -- and both 'rents, it seems like they were not on speaking terms.

Bam Margera is smiling back at memories with his good pal Hulk Hogan following his unexpected death this week.

TMZ caught the former professional skateboarder out and about with his wife Dannii Marie in the City of Angels Friday -- he told us it's been a "rough week" between the "shocking" loss of Hulk as well as Ozzy Osbourne ... and he took us down memory lane with the late WWE star.

BM was all smiles as he told TMZ he and his wife stayed in Florida all winter, specifically at the request of Hulk ... who used Dannii's professional stretching techniques to limber up his body.

Even though he's got a new pair of lungs, Ben Askren says doctors have assured him he's fully capable of living a lengthy, healthy life.

The former UFC star sat with TMZ Sports just days after he returned home from his weekslong battle with a horrific case of pneumonia ... and while he's down a ton of weight and fresh off major lung transplant surgery -- he told us his long-term prognosis is very good.

"They say people run marathons and all this other stuff," he said of those who have been in similar situations to him.

Brutus Beefcake -- a WWE legend and one of Hulk Hogan's closest friends -- sat down with TMZ Sports this week to share his memories of the late wrestling superstar ... and it got emotional.

BB -- who's known Hulk for roughly 50 years -- told us Hogan was actually the reason he got into the squared circle ... explaining Hulk recruited him to the sport when he was just a high schooler.

The two went on to wrestle together in the 1970s as the "Boulder Brothers" ... and thereafter, they each became mainstays in between the ropes for decades.

Jeremiah Fears' latest ink had social media abuzz ... and it turns out the NBA rookie already has All-Star-level patience -- 'cause the body art took more than 10 hours to complete!!

The former Oklahoma Sooners guard -- who was the seventh overall pick in the 2025 NBA Draft -- went to his go-to artist, Joseph McCormick, for the job ... and he told TMZ Sports Fears wanted to pay homage to his hoops career, both past and present, with the tattoo.

McCormick said Fears pulled up to his Ink Plug Tattoo Co. shop in Oklahoma City this week ... where he brought the massive tribute to life.

Robert Whittaker is only 34 years old and still a top 5-ranked UFC middleweight, but the former champion revealed he can see the finish line of his fighting career!

TMZ Sports spoke to Bobby Knuckles just days before his UFC on ABC 9 main event scrap against Reinier de Ridder -- slated to go down from Abu Dhabi on Saturday -- when we asked him for a State of the Union on his career.

"I definitely feel the tenure like that I've had. I've been blessed to have been in this game for so long, but I feel like I'm right at the point where I can see the end is near, but I have all the experience and the body still to do what needs to be done," Robert said.

5:02 PM PT -- Hulk Hogan's death was addressed right at the start of SmackDown ... with WWE CCO Triple H taking the stage and giving a heartfelt speech.

"Ladies and gentlemen, yesterday, we lost one of the biggest and most globally recognized icons in the world," Paul Levesque said with the WWE roster standing behind him. "A man I grew up watching, was fortunate enough to share the ring with and, like so many of us, were honored to call a friend."

"The truth is, he captivated millions of people and inspired them around the globe. We would not be standing here right now, all of us together, if it was not for him."

A 10-bell salute was then performed, followed by a video highlighting Hogan's incredible Hall of Fame-worthy journey through wrestling.

Fans in attendance chanted Hogan's name ... and displayed signs in honor of the late legend.

As we previously reported, several legends flew to Cleveland to be present for the ceremony.

Hulk Hogan will be honored with a farewell fit for a legend at SmackDown ... with several legends slated to be present for a tribute honoring the late wrestling icon following his death.

Sources tell TMZ Sports WWE is currently working on finalizing all the details to pay homage to the Hulkster just over 24 hours after his passing ... with names like Jimmy Hart, Sgt. Slaughter and the "Million Dollar Man" Ted DiBiase flying to Cleveland for Friday's event.

It's no surprise the organization will acknowledge the loss -- Hogan was larger than life -- but we're told the ceremonious gestures will go far beyond the standard 10-bell salute for wrestling greats who have died in the past.

Taylor Swift is wearing a ring in a photo that serves as Travis Kelce's iPhone lock screen ... but it's NOT an engagement ring -- despite what some folks are thinking.

Sources connected to Travis tell TMZ ... the photo in question actually shows Taylor wearing Travis' three Super Bowl rings.

Travis sent Swifties into a frenzy Thursday when the Kansas City Chiefs star posted Taylor on his Instagram for the first time ... and eagle-eyed fans clued in on the iPhone lock screen.

One lucky and very, very rich fan is set to walk away with baseball history ... as the home plate Barry Bonds stepped on after hitting his 756th career home run is up for auction -- and it's estimated to sell for $100,000!!

Bidding for the base -- along with a signed ball from the '07 game -- both come with letters of authenticity signed by the former San Francisco Giants slugger himself ... and the package is currently open for bidding via SCP Auctions.

"This is the actual home plate from the San Francisco Giants and Washington Nationals MLB game on August 7th, 2007, at AT&T Park, where I hit my 756th career home run in the contest, passing Hank Aaron for sole possession of first place on the all-time MLB home run leaderboard," Bonds' letter says.

MMA fighter Aaron "Tex" Johnson LOST IT on board a Southwest flight, getting into a HEATED altercation with fellow passengers and crew ... and it was so intense, he was forced off the plane before takeoff!

The chaotic situation occurred at LaGuardia Airport on Monday, and thanks to a witness who started rolling, we have video ... which shows the middleweight in a fiery argument with Southwest flight attendants as they attempted to remove him from the plane.

After Johnson, 39, retrieved his bag from the overhead bin and headed towards the front of the plane, something seemed to make Tex snap.

Brooke Hogan's got a lasting reminder of her late father, Hulk Hogan ... because she named one of her twins after him.

Sources close to Brooke tell TMZ ... despite Brooke and Hulk being estranged when she gave birth to twins back in January, she gave a special tribute to her famous father by giving her daughter his middle name, Gene.

Brooke's daughter is named Molly Gene Oleksy ... and she wanted the kid to have grandpa's middle name as a way to honor Hulk.

Sylvester Stallone is remembering Hulk Hogan as a force to be reckoned with ... and he says we will never see another man like him in wrestling, movies or reality TV.

The 'Rocky' star tells TMZ ... Hulk had a glow about him when they met way back in 1982 on the set of "Rocky III" ... and Sly knew Hulk was destined for superstardom.

Hulk was still establishing himself at the time, and Sly says he found out very quickly the monstrous Hogan was smarter, gentler and more skilled than he looked.

Shedeur Sanders is speaking out after his recent run-ins with law enforcement ... saying his speeding tickets taught him a valuable lesson -- slow down!!

The Cleveland Browns' fifth-round selection in April's draft met with the media on Friday amid his first NFL training camp ... and naturally, he was asked what he took away from the two incidents.

"I definitely learned not to drive fast," he said.

Golf's biggest mystery has been solved ... the culprit who ripped a loud fart during The Open Championship in Ireland has finally stepped forward -- and it was none other than Scottie Scheffler!!!

Scheffler admitted guilt on the Pardon My Take podcast, when he was asked about the fart heard not just on the course, but around the world.

"Yeah, that was me," Scottie admitted.

Hulk Hogan's Real American Beer is flying off shelves following the WWE star's death, and his company is hustling to restock retailers between New York, Florida and beyond.

Sources tell TMZ ... "Around the country, there has been a run on the beer and people are walking out with multiple 12 packs and 24 oz cans, leaving the shelves bare."

We're told the company is working overtime to supply retailers so fans "can cheers to Hulk" and celebrate his incredible legacy.

The mother of Taylor Swift's ex-boyfriend took a swipe at the pop icon on live TV, saying she's happy to no longer be associated with TS.

Denise Welch -- the mom of "1975" lead singer Matty Healy -- sat down with Andy Cohen on Thursday's episode of "Watch Happens Live," and, during their chat, Andy brought up the "T" word.

The Bravo host pointed out Taylor wrote songs on her album, "The Tortured Poets Department," about her short-lived 2023 romance with Matty, and he asked Denise for her reaction to the 2024 record.