TMZ Sports - Page 20

Justin Bieber took a break from Coachella prep to catch some NBA action ... hitting Crypto.com Arena to watch the Lakers on Tuesday -- and getting a cool moment with LeBron James in the process!!!

The Biebs is just 45 days from taking the stage in Indio for his first big solo gig since 2022 ... and things seem to be going well, 'cause he was in great spirits throughout the Purple and Gold's contest against the Orlando Magic.

JB rocked a green hoodie with white polka dots and some shades for the outing ... so it wasn't hard for King James to find him in the crowd for a quick dap before tipoff.

'Golden Bachelor' star Mel Owens paid off the nearly $1 million he owed his ex-wife, Fabiana Owens, under their divorce settlement ... TMZ has learned.

According to court docs, it looks like the reality star has officially resolved the 7-figure debt he owed Fabiana in their December 2024 divorce settlement.

The divorce turned ugly in late 2025, when Fabiana told the court Mel had yet to pay the money owed to her, despite him being on "The Golden Bachelor." She asked for Mel’s 5-bedroom, 3-bathroom, 2,768-square-foot home to be sold off to come up with the cash if he didn’t cough up the dough.

One of the biggest assists for the U.S. men's hockey team didn't come on the Olympic ice -- it came courtesy of Pat McAfee, who let the gold medal winners rage in Miami on his dime!!

A video started making rounds on social media Tuesday night ... showing McAfee addressing the team and thanking them for representing the country as they celebrated at E11EVEN nightclub.

McAfee's message then revealed that he teamed up with the club to make sure they didn't have to spend a dollar to have a good time. We're told that by the time they walked out the door, the final total was around $150K.

LeBron James showed major love to punk rock band The Paradox for a historic No. 1 hit ... a shoutout that has the rockers losing their minds!

TMZ Sports spoke with Atlanta-based group members Eric Dangerfield, Donald Bryant, Christopher Bernard, and Percy Crews on Tuesday ... after the King acknowledged on his Instagram that their song, "Get The Message," topped Billboard's Alternative Airplay charts, a first for an all-black group.

Beyond the milestone itself, we asked how it felt to see the King personally recognize their success -- and their reaction was priceless.

The father of Utah cheerleader Addi Smith called in a welfare check to Vegas cops after not being able to reach his daughter ... hours before authorities discovered her and her mother's bodies, TMZ has learned.

According to a police report obtained by TMZ ... Addi's father, Bradley Smith, called the cops to check on his 11-year-old daughter and ex-wife, Tawnia McGeehan, at the Rio Hotel & Casino February 15 after he hadn't heard from Addi in a while.

Once arriving at the scene, officers initially knocked on the door of the hotel room and called into the room several times without success. When they called Bradley back to see if he thought Addi could be in danger, Bradley told them he didn't believe that was the case and that she "should be safe with her mom," according to the report.

President Donald Trump just introduced the U.S. men's hockey team as his special guests at the State of the Union address on Tuesday -- showing the gold medal winners grinning from ear-to-ear.

They were honored for about five minutes full of applause, cheers and U-S-A chants that rang throughout the Capitol building. Trump congratulated them -- and noted it was the first time he saw Democrats rise from their seats.

"Here with us tonight is a group of winners who just made the entire nation proud," he said as the team entered the House chamber.

Trump also congratulated the U.S. women’s team for its gold medal … saying they “soon will be coming to the White House.”

A Lincoln University track and field athlete died after he was allegedly stabbed by his GF, who was charged with second-degree murder. The woman, also a track athlete, says she was defending herself.

According to reports, the Jefferson City Police Department was dispatched at 1:09 AM on Monday to an address near the Missouri campus.

When officers arrived, they found Kevaughn Goldson with a stab wound to his chest and back. He was airlifted to University Hospital, but sadly succumbed to his injuries.

Denita Jackson -- a sprinter on the LU track team -- told police that she left work early Sunday night because she wasn't feeling well, before returning home to find Goldson, whom she said she was dating, in her roommate's room, behind a locked door.

Wilyer Abreu had one of the weirdest moments of the spring Tuesday … and walked away holding basically a souvenir.

The Boston Red Sox’s two-time Gold Glove winner stepped to the plate in the fourth inning of a spring training game against the Pirates. After taking the first pitch, he barely flinched at the next -- a harmless little check swing -- and somehow his bat decided it had seen enough.

Abreu barely offered at the off-speed pitch ... and somehow the lumber snapped clean in half. We’re not talking about a foul tip gone wrong or a shattered barrel on a heater inside, either -- but all that was left in his hands was the knob.

To make Abreu’s situation worse … the ump even called it a strike after the wood crossed the plate.

A TON of American fans set their alarms to catch the Red, White and Blue's gold medal win ... with NBC announcing the 2026 Winter Olympics finale averaged 20.7 million viewers!!

The folks over at the Peacock released the numbers for the contest on Tuesday ... saying the game was the most-watched pre-9 AM ET sporting event in U.S. history.

The audience only grew once the showdown reached overtime -- with the network saying "An astounding average of 26.0 million viewers on NBC and Peacock were watching between 10:45-11 AM ET" as Jack Hughes scored the game-winning goal ... which ended a 46-year gold medal drought for the men's team.

HBO’s steamy hit "Heated Rivalry" has fans going feral -- and now they can take their obsession offline ... 'cause they can officially rent out the actual Canadian cottage from the show!

Yes, seriously. The iconic lakeside Barlochan Cottage tucked away in Muskoka, north of Toronto, is hitting Airbnb -- and bookings open March 3 at 12 PM ET.

The price? $248.10 in Canadian dollars per night (about $181 USD) -- a cheeky nod to "24" and "81," the jersey numbers of Hudson Williams’ Shane Hollander and Connor Storrie’s Ilya Rozanov, the duo at the heart of the show’s fiery, queer hockey saga.

As any fan knows, the 3-bedroom forest-core fantasy in the pics wasn’t just set dressing -- it was the setting. From Connor’s now-legendary "I’m coming to the cottage" line to Shane and Ilya’s off-ice moments, all the way to that finale ... it’s basically a fandom pilgrimage site with throw pillows.

The celebration tour for the United States men's hockey team continues ... 'cause the gold medalists just met up with President Donald Trump at the Oval Office!!

A video shared by POTUS' staff showed the scene shortly after 3 PM EST -- about six hours before he is set to give the State of the Union address, which Team USA is slated to attend.

It was a grand welcome to 1600 Pennsylvania Avenue. As the winners checked out the Presidential Hall of Fame installed by Trump along the West Colonnade -- "Free Bird" was blaring over the loudspeakers.

After partying their butts off at E11EVEN in Miami just hours ago, the United States men's hockey team is already on their way to Washington, D.C. to link up with President Donald Trump ahead of Tuesday's State of the Union address -- and they're traveling courtesy of a military plane!!

Matthew Tkachuk shared a photo on Instagram as the team got ready to board the Air Force Boeing 757 bound for the nation's capital -- and it seems everyone made the early morning call time for the trip.

It was wheels up shortly before noon for the two-and-a-half-hour flight from the 305 to 202 ... where the team is expected to stop by the White House before sitting in on Trump's speech.

Ellen Hughes -- Team USA women's hockey player development consultant and Jack and Quinn's mom -- is giving her take on President Trump's locker room joke following Sunday's gold medal game ... saying what really matters to both squads is "unity."

Hughes -- a former member of the women's national hockey team herself -- was asked about POTUS' controversial comments to the men's team on Tuesday's episode of "Today" ... and while there are plenty of social media users pissed about the phone call, Hughes thinks the recent success of both organizations can bring folks together.

"At the end of the day, it's just about the country," Hughes said, "and the moment that these players, both the men and women, can bring so much unity to a group and to a country."

Rajon Rondo's wife knows how to throw her man a birthday party ... luxury venue, gourmet dining, and A-list entertainers -- including STRIPPERS!

Rondo's wife, Latoia, who is currently pregnant, hosted the retired NBA star's 40th birthday bash over the weekend and shared clips from the lavish party on her Instagram.

One video showed a bunch of strippers dancing in a club-like setting, including one woman twerking on a guest ... in a room raining dollar bills, which covered the entire floor.

The exotic dancers even lined up on the balcony, giving all the party guests a full view of their assets.

Patrick Beverley is speaking out after he was cleared in the assault case involving his teenage sister, saying the "ordeal has truly made our family stronger."

Beverley -- who last played in the NBA in 2024 -- released a statement on his Instagram story just hours after TMZ Sports broke the news that a Grand Jury in Fort Bend County, TX, declined to indict him for allegedly choking and punching his 15-year-old sibling in November 2025.

"I am deeply grateful for all thoughts and prayers for the family," Beverley said Monday night.

Team USA’s toothless hero Jack Hughes is making it clear there's nothing but love between the men's and women's gold medal-winning squads ... saying any backlash being thrown around is the result of haters hating.

Fresh off burying the game-winner at the 2026 Winter Olympics -- while bleeding and missing two front teeth -- Hughes told the Daily Mail the D.C. invite from President Donald Trump is nothing but an honor.

“We’re so proud to represent the U.S.,” Hughes said as the team partied in Miami. “When you get the chance to go to the White House and meet the president, we’re proud to be Americans and that’s so patriotic."

"No matter what your views are, we’re super excited to go!”