TMZ Sports - Page 28

Figure skater Maxim Naumov's tribute to his parents during the U.S. Figure Skating Championship was deeply emotional ... and the 24-year-old spoke about the tear-jerking moment on Wednesday -- saying he wishes they were by his side as the judges read his final scores.

Naumov met with the media at The Skating Club of Boston after being named to the U.S. Olympic team over the weekend ... and spoke on honoring his parents as he pursued his goals of reaching the most prestigious stage in sports.

Maxim's parents, Vadim Naumov and Evgenia Shishkova, were tragically killed when their American Airlines flight collided with a military aircraft over the Potomac River while on approach to Ronald Reagan International Airport ... an incident that took the lives of 14 members of the U.S. skating community.

Now that Maxim is bound for Italy for the Winter Olympics ... what are his thoughts as he gears up to represent his country after everything he endured over the past year?

Kysre Gondrezick's return to the basketball court has hit a major snag -- the former WNBA guard tore her Achilles during training for her Athletes Unlimited season.

TMZ Sports has learned ... Gondrezick suffered the season-ending injury on Sunday during her workout at the University of Miami. We obtained some footage of her practice, which showed her draining jumpers before the injury.

We're told Kysre -- who recently posed nude for Playboy -- will need surgery to mend the ailment ... and a procedure is slated for later this week.

Officials say video shows ex-NBA player Elden Campbell went out on the waters in the middle of the night before his tragic drowning ... but he seemingly took some safety precautions, as he was wearing a "partially unzipped" life vest when his body was found on the shore.

TMZ Sports has obtained the investigation report on the NBA champ's death ... which states 57-year-old Campbell left a nearby boat ramp alone around 12:37 AM on Dec. 1.

The docs say Campbell's body was found in the sand along the water's edge in Pompano Beach, Florida ... and he was tethered to a Sea-Doo Fish Pro watercraft, which was registered to him.

Vikings star Jordan Addison refused to leave a casino bar before his arrest this week despite being asked multiple times, according to police docs ... TMZ Sports has learned.

Addison -- who scored four touchdowns this season -- was taken into custody by the Seminole Police Department on Monday on a misdemeanor trespassing charge.

Police documents indicate law enforcement was dispatched to the Noodle Bar, located inside the Hard Rock Casino in Tampa, Florida, after Addison, 23, refused to leave the restaurant despite several requests from casino security.

It's unclear why they wanted Addison removed.

Tigers are known to be solitary creatures, but that wasn't the case at a TGL event on Tuesday -- when former LSU Tigers stars Livvy Dunne and Paul Skenes met up with golf legend Tiger Woods!!

Dunne shared the meetup on her Instagram ... sharing the photo along with a handshake emoji.

While we don't know what the trio talked about ... it's hard to imagine they didn't pick the G.O.A.T.’s brain on how to improve their golf game -- as Dunne and Skenes have been seen hitting the links together in the past.

Lil Wayne is waving the white flag to call a truce with Chicago Bears QB Caleb Williams ... while eating a little crow in the process.

The rap icon -- a diehard Green Bay Packers fan -- took to X to publicly squash any lingering beef with the Chicago signal-caller after Williams rallied the Bears to a fourth-quarter comeback playoff win on Saturday over their rivals.

Wayne had dissed Williams in the aftermath of the game ... but he admitted there was no hate, just pain.

LeBron James hopes fans who don't appreciate what he's done for the game of basketball eventually come around by the time he's gone ... and he dropped a classic Jay-Z bar to get his point across.

The King met with reporters at his locker after a near-triple-double performance in a 141-116 win over the Atlanta Hawks ... when one question was about how he still cares after 23 years in the NBA.

41-year-old James -- who had 31 points, 10 assists and nine rebounds in his first back-to-back of the season -- explained he would never disrespect the basketball gods ... and he's maintained his time, effort and commitment to be an example for his teammates and the younger generation.

UConn basketball has entered its paranormal era -- and head coach Dan Hurley is loving every unhinged second.

Reports surfaced before the Huskies’ game on Tuesday that a fan who runs a popular X account hired an Etsy witch to remove the team’s curse at Seton Hall’s Prudential Center, where UConn had lost four straight games since 2021.

And it seemingly worked as No. 3 UConn sweated out a 69-64 victory against the 14-win Pirates, the 25th-ranked team in the nation.

"Whenever I get booed, I boo back!"

And, that's exactly what Giannis Antetokounmpo did to his own fans during the Bucks' 33-point loss on Tuesday, saying if people don't rock with him, he's not rockin' with them either.

The fans began voicing their frustrations at halftime of the Timberwolves-Bucks game at Fiserv Forum, when Antetokounmpo's Bucks were trailing by 31.

The boos carried over into the second half -- and, when Antetokounmpo opened the third quarter with a hard-earned bucket (and one), he responded by booing back at the Milwaukee faithful.

Willie Parker admits he was shocked at Mike Tomlin's decision to step away from the Pittsburgh Steelers after 19 seasons ... but tells TMZ Sports he has no doubt the Super Bowl-winning head coach will once again roam an NFL sideline!

We spoke to the former Steelers running back star shortly after Tomlin made the tough decision to resign ... bringing an end to his reign as the NFL's longest-tenured coach after nearly two decades without a losing season.

"Man, it was surprising," Parker told us on Tuesday.

The Jacksonville Jaguars reporter who received backlash for her postgame pep talk to coach Liam Coen wouldn’t hesitate to do it again … she tells TMZ Sports.

Lynn Jones, a journalist with the Jacksonville Free Press, went viral on Sunday following the Jaguars’ playoff loss to the Buffalo Bills -- all because of a 23-second exchange during Coen's postgame presser.

It sparked national debate about professionalism in sports journalism, drawing both praise and criticism after the moment went viral on social media.

The Fisk University Bulldogs will not be playing this Thursday ... after sophomore forward, Andre Bell, was shot and killed on a highway in Nashville, Tennessee, on Sunday.

The HBCU's Assistant Athletic Director, Scott Wallace, confirmed the decision to TMZ Sports on Tuesday ... just two days after the Metro Nashville Police Department said Bell was tragically shot in the head on 1-65 North at the I-40 Interchange.

The Bulldogs' game against Voorhees University has been postponed ... but they will play Saturday against Talladega College.

Taylor Swift and her fiancé Travis Kelce have kicked off the year right ... the couple was spotted on a rare date night in L.A ... no doubt showing up how they mean to continue: utterly in love!

Check out the pics ... Taylor had her legs on full display, rocking a chic blazer as she stepped out with her equally polished other half at Beverly Hills hotspot Funke on Monday night.

The two were glued at the hip all evening, and it looks like they’ve suddenly got a lot more time together ... with Travis officially out of playoff mode for the first time since they started dating!

TMZ Sports is going live from the newsroom to discuss the day's biggest stories ... but we don't just want folks to watch and enjoy the conversation, we want y'all to get involved!!

Hit the comment section as Babcock, Lucas, Luca, and the whole crew break down the most important topics of the day ... and we'll be interacting with viewers throughout the program between 1 and 2 PM PT.

YouTube, X, TikTok ... we're everywhere.

So tune in, make fun of us, share your two cents, sound off about your favorite team ... nothing is out of bounds.

Chloe Kim is sidelined but smiling -- the queen of snowboarding says despite a torn labrum, she'll be "good to go" for the Winter Olympics.

The superstar broke the news to fans on Tuesday in an Instagram post detailing the results of an MRI she underwent last Friday following "the silliest fall" she took while training.

The silver lining? Her quest to win a third straight gold medal at next month's Olympics in Italy is still in the works.

The Mike Tomlin era in Pittsburgh has come to an end -- the Super Bowl-winning head coach has informed the Steelers he is stepping down as head coach.

Team President Art Rooney II confirmed the news minutes ago, saying Tomlin shared his decision in a meeting earlier on Tuesday.

"Obviously, I am extremely grateful to Mike for all the hard work, dedication, and success we have shared over the last 19 years," Rooney said. "It is hard for me to put into words the level of respect and appreciation I have for coach Tomlin."