TMZ Sports - Page 3

Months after Red Panda broke her wrist during a fall in the WNBA Commissioner's Cup championship ... the iconic halftime performer made her much-anticipated return on Thursday -- and it's safe to say she is SO back.

The legend popped up at the Amazon Studios after the L.A. Chargers beat the Minnesota Vikings on "Thursday Night Football" ... and proved she hasn't missed a step in recovery.

If there were any nerves for the performance, she wasn't showing them. The crew went wild when the performer -- real name Rong "Krystal" Niu -- nailed her signature bowl flip while riding a unicycle.

Kevin Love is backpedaling after mocking Chauncey Billups and Terry Rozier's arrests ... saying after having a conversation with Damian Lillard, he now understands it's not a laughing matter.

Love -- who currently plays for the Utah Jazz -- shared his immediate reaction to the bombshell news in an Instagram post on Thursday ... shortly after the FBI arrested the Trail Blazers coach and Miami Heat guard in a gambling scandal.

He published an edited image of Billups and Rozier's faces onto the infamous "Coldplay couple", that was caught being cuddly on camera at a concert, with a caption that read: "NO (Draft) KINGS!!!"

Shaquille O'Neal on Thursday night addressed the bombshell arrests associated with current and former NBA players ... and he didn't hold back, saying he was "ashamed" of the guys for putting themselves in the situation.

Just hours after Chauncey Billups, Damon Jones and Terry Rozier were taken into custody for their alleged roles in illegal sports betting and rigged gambling schemes ... O'Neal chided the trio while on the set of "Inside the NBA."

O'Neal told his colleagues he's not a saint -- admitting he partakes in gambling from time to time -- but he added, "I'm ashamed that those guys would put their families and their careers in jeopardy."

Wrestling legend and WWE Hall of Fame inductee Abdullah the Butcher has reportedly been hospitalized.

Booking agent Steve Stasiak shared the news on social media Thursday, revealing he suffered from unspecified "serious health issues."

He also encouraged fans to come together to send "prayers, positive thoughts, and strength his way."

Allen Iverson is offering up NBA advice to Cooper Flagg ... and as a former No. 1 overall pick who went on to become a Hall of Famer -- the Dallas Mavericks star sure would be wise to listen up!!

The Answer doled out several tips to this year's top draft selection while chatting with TMZ Sports just before Flagg's Wednesday night debut.

Iverson's first bit of guidance was straightforward ... as he implored Flagg to take things "one day at a time."

Doug Martin apparently suffered from a pretty serious mental health episode months before his death ... with a new report claiming he jumped out of a 2nd story window and got into a physical altercation with some police officers.

The San Francisco Chronicle made the claim in a new article published Wednesday, citing reports from the Alameda County Sheriff's Office ... reporting Martin was put on an involuntary psychiatric hold back in August.

According to the Chronicle, Martin checked into Tranquility Rehab Center in Castro Valley in August ... and, they say he tested positive for cocaine and methamphetamines when he arrived.

The Los Angeles Dodgers may be without one of their best bullpen pieces for the World Series ... because Alex Vesia is taking a step back from the team to deal with what the team is calling a "deeply personal family matter."

The organization announced the news via a public statement Thursday afternoon ... writing that Alex and his wife Kayla are navigating this difficulty. The team is sending thoughts to the Vesias during this troubling time.

While the Dodgers didn't say what the personal matter is, we do know Kayla's pregnant with the couple's first child -- with Kayla looking ready to give birth any day in photos taken on the field after the Dodgers advanced to the World Series. It's unclear if that is at all related to his absence from the team.

Federal prosecutors indicated in court documents this month that Chauncey Billups allegedly leaked confidential information about his Trail Blazers to at least one bettor.

Billups appears to be listed as "Co-Conspirator 8" in a now-unsealed indictment filed by feds last week in a New York court.

The clues aren't hard to decipher ... given "Co-Conspirator 8" is described as "an NBA player who played from roughly 1997 to 2014 who went on to become a coach in 2021."

Former Mafia captain Michael Franzese -- who once ran his own crew with the Colombo crime family -- says the NBA should blame itself for Thursday's shocking Chauncey Billups, Terry Rozier and Damon Jones arrests.

The ex-mobster explained to Harvey and Charles on "TMZ Live" that the league's growing relationships with various gambling platforms have invited all kinds of trouble for its employees.

Franzese told the guys that by partnering with the betting sites, they've sent a "Hey, it's OK, you can gamble" message to players and coaches throughout the league.

The Yankees might have missed out on making the World Series this year, but rich New York supporters can fill the emptiness in their hearts with some unbelievable pieces of memorabilia -- including a game-worn jersey from one of Yogi Berra's first-ever MLB appearances!!

Grey Flannel Auctions tells TMZ Sports ... its newest lot features the Hall of Famer's rookie jersey, which was photo-matched to his second-career game in 1947 -- the same year the Yankees won the World Series.

The threads feature all the classic details, including the Spalding label and Berra's name tag. He also left his autograph under the Yankees logo in blue marker.

Jon Jones is breaking his silence on the tragic and sudden death of his oldest brother, Arthur Jones ... sharing a moving post on social media where the MMA great shares his raw feelings on the former NFL player's passing.

"Arthur was not just a Super Bowl champion but a father, spouse, son, brother, everyone’s best friend, a gentle giant whose kindness and generosity knew no bounds," Jon wrote.

The future UFC Hall of Famer spoke about Arthur's "love of outdoors," from fishing to duck hunting and riding four-wheelers with his fam ... with Jon saying AJ "brought pure joy, warmth and laughter to every moment spent around him."

“His legacy inspires me every day. Our dad Arthur Jones Jr, me, Chandler, Arthur Jones IV,  and the rest of the family are committed to moving forward striving to be the best versions of ourselves, just as he would have wanted.”

Arthur, born in 1986, passed away on October 3, 2025 at just 39 years old ... after apparently suffering some sort of cardiac medical emergency.

Jones, who played seven seasons in the NFL, including four for the Baltimore Ravens (he won a Super Bowl in 2013), racked up 173 tackles, 10 sacks, and two forced fumbles over the course of his career.

Chauncey Billups allegedly scored $50,000 from one of the rigged poker games authorities say he participated in several years ago.

Federal prosecutors wrote in new court documents TMZ Sports has obtained that, back in October 2020, Billups was rewarded with the cash after he helped a group of alleged crooks swindle someone out of loads of dough by cheating during a game of high-stakes cards.

The feds claim the scheme Billups and his co-conspirators cooked up involved advanced technology -- such as tampered-with deck shufflers and X-ray tables -- as well as players subtly working with one another to gang up on their victim.

American mixed martial artist Paige VanZant is leaning on her millions ... she optioned three sexy Halloween costumes, and we're taking it one step further and asking for YOUR input ...

Check it -- the 31-year-old flexed on the 'gram with the caption, "Help me pick a Halloween costume….. comment: 1, 2, Or 3 💀👻"

Now it's on you ... Which is your fave look?!

VOTE NOW!

1:03 PM PT -- Effortless Motors, the company that sold Shaq the Range Rover, is shedding more light on the situation ... while also putting up a $10k reward for info leading to the recovery of the vehicle.

"Effortless Motors was the authorized selling dealership and arranged transport through a third-party company that appeared fully verified. Upon the vehicle’s scheduled delivery, it was discovered that the company’s internal systems had been compromised and hijacked, resulting in the car being unlawfully taken during transit," we're told.

“We take the security and trust of our clients very seriously,” said a spokesperson for Effortless Motors. “This was a highly coordinated criminal act targeting the transport company’s network. We are working closely with law enforcement and federal investigators to recover the vehicle and hold those responsible accountable.”

Shaquille O'Neal's brand-new, tricked-out 2025 Range Rover was jacked this week in Georgia ... and the story is pretty crazy!

The Lumpkin County Sheriff's Office (GA) tells TMZ Sports they received a report on Wednesday alleging the Hall of Famer's black Land Rover Range Rover, which had undergone extensive custom work at a local shop in Dahlonega, GA, was missing.

This is where things get weird.

The intent was to transport Shaq's car to Baton Rouge, Louisiana, but it never arrived, despite allegedly being picked up by a shipping company.

Cops now believe someone might've impersonated the shipping company, acting as if they were the legit transporters ... when in reality they were stealing the Big Fella's whip.

The moment Jay Cutler got cuffed after his October 2024 bust for DUI and gun possession is now on full display ... courtesy of newly released police bodycam footage after he allegedly rear-ended a car while drunk.

In the footage, a cop rolls up on Jay in Franklin, Tennessee, at the scene of a fender-bender with another vehicle, with a couple other cops nearby ... the officer ask how much Jay had been drinking after catching a strong whiff of booze. Jay denies at first, then brushes it off with a "little bit" -- but when the cop requests him to do a field sobriety test, Jay flat-out refuses ... resulting in the handcuffs coming out.

Jay didn’t put up a fight -- he let the cops cuff him and walked straight to the squad car. Still, it was a wild twist... considering it all started as a routine crash scene, with officers just telling Jay and the guy he rear-ended to swap info and call their insurance.

10:06 AM PT -- Tiago Splitter is set to be named the interim head coach of the Blazers, according to ESPN's Shams Charania. He joined the team as an assistant coach in June.

9:16 AM PT -- The NBA just announced it's placing Terry Rozier and Chauncey Billups "on immediate leave from their teams" in the wake of Thursday's arrests.

It added it's cooperating with authorities, reviewing indictments and taking the "allegations with the utmost seriousness."

"The integrity of our game remains our top priority," the league stated.

FBI director Kash Patel and other federal officials just shed light on the Thursday arrests of Chauncey Billups, Terry Rozier and Damon Jones ... and the allegations against the trio of NBAers are shocking.

Rozier's case is perhaps the most eyebrow-raising, as New York City Police Commissioner Jessica Tisch claimed that while the hooper was with the Charlotte Hornets in 2023, he illegally helped bettors gain thousands of dollars by letting them know he was going to pull himself from a game early "with a supposed injury."