TMZ Sports - Page 6

Frankie Muniz is opening up about a chilling and deeply personal memory with Dale Earnhardt -- revealing the NASCAR legend’s final words to him before the 2001 Daytona 500 shaped the way he’s lived ever since.

The "Malcolm in the Middle" star tells Babcock on TMZ Sports that he only had a brief interaction with Earnhardt before the race that ended in a fatal crash … but it left a lifelong mark.

“Going back into those moments made me realize the things he did say to me in the short time I got to talk to him right before the start of that race,” Muniz recalled. “It impacted every single thing I did as a person.”

Muniz -- the Grand Marshal for the 500 in '01 -- reflected on the upcoming anniversary for a new FS1 documentary, "We've Lost Dale Earnhardt: 25 Years Later."

Cari Champion LOVED Bad Bunny's Super Bowl Halftime Show ... so much so she's publicly shooting her shot at the superstar musician!!!

TMZ Sports spoke with Champion and Jemele Hill after they launched their "Flagrant and Funny" sports podcast with iHeartMedia last month ... and we asked who, out of all the stars, they wanted to join them for a conversation.

As Champion smiled, Hill joked that Cari would obviously appreciate the opportunity to chat with her "husband," Bad Bunny, ASAP ... which is when we gave CC the floor to send a message to Benito.

Maxim Naumov's Olympic debut has come and gone ... and while he won't be leaving Milan with any hardware, he says he's proud of himself for making "the dreams that my family and I had into a reality."

Naumov spoke with a reporter after his final run in the free skating competition on Friday ... and while he acknowledged some mistakes in his routine, the 24-year-old was happy he left it all out on the ice.

"Truly, with no regrets," Naumov said.

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 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 2:30 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.

Chris Paul -- a 12-time NBA All-Star and future Hall of Famer -- is officially retiring, bringing an end to an era!

Paul announced his decision on Friday, just shortly after the Toronto Raptors released him following a three-team trade with the Clippers last week.

"This is it," Paul started. "After over 21 years, I'm stepping away from basketball."

"While this chapter of being an 'NBA player' is done, the game of basketball will forever be engrained in the NBA of my life. I've been in the NBA for more than half of my life, spanning three decades. It's crazy even saying that!!!"

Lindsey Vonn is speaking directly to fans for the first time since crashing and breaking her leg during her Olympic run, saying that while she's starting to feel better, she still has a "long, long way to go."

"Hey guys, I just wanted to give you a little update and say thank you so much to everyone that has been sending me flowers, letters, sharks, stuffed animals. It's just been so amazing. Really helped me a lot," the 41-year-old said in a video message posted to her 3.3 million followers on Instagram. "It's been quite a hard few days in the hospital here. I'm finally feeling more like myself. Have a long, long way to go."

Vonn, since suffering the complex fracture on Saturday, has undergone three surgeries ... but doctors aren't done operating, according to LV.

The personal chef who accused Stefon Diggs of choking her following a Patriots game in December is speaking out after his first court appearance Friday in Boston, saying she's focused on healing as the legal process begins to play out.

Mila Adams shared her statement shortly after Diggs entered a not-guilty plea in the case, writing that she would "never make false claims for personal gain or to damage someone's reputation."

"I did not seek public attention and reported this matter through the proper legal channels. This is an active criminal matter, and I will continue to respect the legal process. I will not engage in rumors, personal attacks, or respond to misinformation on social media, and I will ask others to refrain from spreading false narratives."

Supplies have run bone dry at the 2026 Winter Olympics, and we're not talking skis or snowboards ... 'cause the free condoms doled out to athletes are reportedly gone!

An anonymous athlete told Italian news outlet La Stampa that all the condoms in Northern Italy's Olympic Village were snatched up in just 72 hours.

The athlete did say the suppliers "promised us more will arrive, but who knows when."

Three days after Norwegian biathlete Sturla Holm Lægreid admitted to cheating on his girlfriend ... he found his way back to an Olympic podium and took home another medal in the 10km sprint biathlon Friday in Milan.

Lægreid -- who previously placed third in the 20km individual biathlon -- won his second bronze medal of the 2026 Winter Olympics after finishing the race with a time of 23:09 ... three seconds behind second place.

When asked how he had handled the fallout, he said he was just trying to put his focus on the event.

Nikola Topić -- the Oklahoma City Thunder first-round draft pick in 2024 -- made his NBA debut four months after he was diagnosed with testicular cancer ... receiving a standing ovation from the crowd!

The powerful moment all went down with under two minutes left in the first quarter of Thursday's contest. Topić was set to inbound the ball when the Paycom Center erupted in cheers for the 20-year-old after his long-awaited return to the court.

Topic tapped his heart in a gesture towards the crowd before inbounding the ball and getting the action back underway. In 12 minutes of action, he scored two points with one assist and one rebound.

Stefon Diggs appeared in court on Friday for his arraignment over the alleged assault of his personal chef, with the NFL star pleading not guilty just days after the Patriots wideout played in Super Bowl LX.

Diggs, 32, along with his lawyers, was in front of the judge in the Dedham District Court for about a minute ... with Stefon pleading "not guilty" to the charge he assaulted his chef in December 2025.

After the hearing, Mitchell Schuster, part of Diggs' legal team, told reporters the allegations are false.

Travis Kelce’s NFL future is hanging in the balance … and Mama Kelce says the final call belongs to him!

Donna Kelce tells TMZ Sports she’s giving her superstar son total freedom as he weighs his options of returning to the Kansas City Chiefs, signing elsewhere in free agency or calling it a legendary career.

“You know, I just want him to do what he feels comfortable doing,” Donna told us this week outside LAX. “He’s gotta talk to people in his life to decide what he wants to do.”

“So I’m not sure. We’ll see what happens!!!”

Valentine’s Day is creeping up ... and while couples are busy emptying their wallets, Lou Young is waving a financial red flag.

We caught up with Lou at Druski’s "Coulda Been Love" Season 2 event Wednesday, and he told TMZ straight up -- fellas need to chill before they blow the rent money trying to impress. Why? Because March 1 is looming ... and rent waits for no one.

Stefon Diggs is switching teams the day before his arraignment on charges stemming from an alleged assault on his personal chef -- the NFL star has hired a new attorney to help him with his legal battle.

According to court records viewed by TMZ Sports, the 32-year-old has retained Sara Silva of Silva Kettlewell and Pignatelli LLP, moving on from Michael DiStefano. We've reached out to Silva for comment, but have not yet heard back.

Silva has more than 20 years of trial experience and was named the 2020 Lawyer of the Year in Massachusetts by Boston University School of Law.

Before this curly-cutie was gliding down the ice and winning Olympic medals, he was just rockin' his Robin costume and posing for the cameras ... and owning the ice like Batman!

Can you find the hidden word below? It's Bubble Pop time!

After scoring a bronze at the 2018 Olympics, he took his moves to the ballroom -- pairing up with Jenna Johnson on "Dancing With The Stars."

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 2:30 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.