TMZ Sports - Page 50

Pacers legend George McGinnis -- who won two ABA titles and an MVP award -- passed away on Thursday after a suffering medical emergency last week.

According to the Pacers, McGinnis -- who played for Indiana from 1971 to 1975 before the NBA merger -- died at the Community North Hospital days after he went into cardiac arrest at his home.

"We are deeply saddened to announce the passing of Hall of Famer George McGinnis," the Pacers said in a statement on Instagram.

"He was the very definition of an Indiana basketball legend, a champion, and Hall of Fame athlete. But he was more than that. George was family."

The Pacers drafted the 6-foot-8 power forward out of Indiana University ... and he quickly became a key player for Indiana's two ABA championship wins in 1972 and 1973.

He went on to become such a legend for the Pacers, the organization retired his No. 30 jersey. McGinnis is only one of only four Pacers to ever receive that honor.

McGinnis also played for the Sixers and Nuggets ... before he ended his career with the Pacers again.

"From his all-state high school days to his time as an IU All-American and, of course, to his legendary ABA championship runs with the Pacers, George McGinnis shaped so many of the fondest basketball memories for generations of Hoosiers," the Pacers said.

"A passionate advocate for his fellow ABA players and a present, smiling face around the franchise, George has been as synonymous with our Pacers franchise as anyone."

"He will be greatly missed, and all of us at Pacers Sports & Entertainment will keep George and his family in our prayers."

McGinnis was 73 years old.

Las Vegas seemingly sucked up all of Hollywood -- folks like Kim Kardashian, Cher, Tom Brady, Kendall Jenner, and many more flocked to the desert for the grand opening of the city's new resort.

The Fontainebleau Hotel -- a longtime Miami landmark -- just expanded to Sin City with a brand new $3.7 billion luxury resort/casino, and Wednesday night's opening had celebs swarming to schmooze, entertain and, of course, gamble!

Tom, Kim, Kendall, and Cher were just the tip of the iceberg -- Sylvester Stallone threw on a tux and stepped out for some fun, showing up with his wife, Jennifer Flavin.

Lenny Kravitz was lookin' sharp outside the massive hotel, as were "Breaking Bad" stars Aaron Paul and Bryan Cranston.

Eva Longoria, Tyga, Ivanka Trump, Tommy Hilfiger, Keith Urban, Alice Cooper, "Foodgod" Jonathan Cheban and music icon Paul Anka were just a few more of the big names pullin' up for the grand opening of Jeff Soffer's resort.

Paul and Keith also performed for the crowd Wednesday night ... as did Justin Timberlake, who performed in the resort's theatre and was later spotted inside David Grutman's LIV Nightclub, which also celebrated its grand opening.

Taylor Swift hit the Big Apple in a big way with her A-list friends to celebrate her 34th birthday Wednesday night ... but her boyfriend Travis Kelce couldn't be by her side because of the whole mandatory football practice thing.

The 12-time Grammy Award winner galavanted around Manhattan with BFF Blake Lively, first grabbing some grub at Freemans before heading over to The Box nightclub to party.

At Freemans, Taylor and Blake were photographed exiting their SUV and walking hand-in-hand inside the restaurant. Both were dressed in all black and looked absolutely stunning.

Taylor was in a mini dress accentuating her legs and Blake was sporting a leather ensemble with knee-high boots.

After their meal, the two made their way to The Box nearby ... and that's when all the fun really kicked off as Taylor's famous friends dropped in for her Bday bash.

Celeb attendees included ... Gigi Hadid, Zoë Kravitz, Miles Teller, his wife Keleigh Sperry, sisters Este and Alana Haim and Antoni Porowski.

But, one person was glaringly missing from the soiree -- Taylor's hunky boyfriend, Travis Kelce.

Travis had a very good excuse for skipping out ... the Kansas City Chiefs tight end had mandatory football practice for his upcoming game Sunday against the New England Patriots.

As we previously reported ... the couple got in a pre-celebration with his mom, Donna Kelce, and his QB, Patrick Mahomes Sunday night.

Justin Timberlake's back in full showman mode ... taking to the stage at the theatre inside the lavish Fontainebleau Las Vegas for its grand opening.

The singer was suited and booted Wednesday night in a white tux for his first performance since April 2019 ... singing tunes from his catalog of hits during a dazzling night of festivities at the brand-spankin' new upscale resort.

In the clip, he's seen performing with a band and backup singer ... and later taking to the piano -- basically pulling out all the stops for the evening, for which he was paid a hefty $6.1 million ... according to The Sun, anyway.

JT's return to the stage may be an attempt to distance himself from ex Britney Spears' sensationalized claims in her memoir "The Woman In Me" ... saying she had an abortion while they were together, which she said he pushed for at the time.

She also alleged he'd cheated during their relationship, and put on a "blaccent" for Ginuwine ... among lots of other claims.

JT was supported at the event by his wife, Jessica Biel ... who looked incredible in a plunging white flowing gown as they arrived arm-in-arm. They later topped off their evening with an appearance at the resort's LIV nightclub.

The new 150,000-square-foot Sin City resort/casino ... owned by Jeff Soffer ... which boasts a new era of luxury hospitality, clearly went above and beyond ... with even icon Paul Anka taking to the stage and bellying up to a celeb-packed craps table.

Honestly, this is what you call high-rolling -- JT, Tom Brady, Cher and Tyga all crowded around to watch the dice. Sylvester Stallone and Kim Kardashian also popped up at the event -- and, imagine this ... Kim made a low-key entrance!

Bam Margera is up to his old tricks ... lending his "Jackass" experience to a new group of wild daredevils and helping them film a brutal knockout video.

The former "Jackass" star shot a couple stunts over the weekend in L.A. with the MadHouse Boys... throwing on a boxing glove and unleashing some haymakers to the head.

In the footage, obtained by TMZ, you see Bam sneaking up on one of the MadHouse Boys from behind and punching him in the side of the head, and it looks like it hurts ... which, we guess, is the whole damn point.

For the uninitiated, MadHouse is a next-generation stunt group ... on social media they say they are basically like "if 'Jackass' and your mom had a baby." Great visual.

We're told the MadHouse guys reached out to Bam because they wanted him to be part of one of their videos.

Kroy Biermann was in a fit of rage when cops showed up after an explosive fight with Kim Zolciak ... where things got so bad, one of their kids called 911 to get some help.

In new police body cam footage -- obtained by TMZ from the incident on November 20 -- Kroy screams at officers his life with Kim is over. Officers try to get Kroy to calm down, but he continues on ... yelling about there being no money and no house.

At one point, Kroy calls Kim a total narcissist, and accuses her of manufacturing their drama. He's enraged, continuing to yell the couple's life is over ... and even accusing Kim of "f***ing other men." Eventually, officers calm Kroy down and get him inside to further talk things out.

The initial 911 call came in from one of the couple's 4 young kids who reported they believed Kroy had gotten physical with Kim ... but neither parent seems to give that claim any validity.

As for Kim, she's pretty hysterical as well ... sitting in her Range Rover as she explains her side of the story, claiming Kroy flew into a fit of rage and refused to let her leave the house. She says she began walking down the street in a robe and asking neighbors for help before returning back home.

Kim explains earlier in the day Kroy had asked her to sit and chat about their pending divorce. According to Kim, Kroy doesn't want to go forward with it -- even though he's the one who filed -- and Kim wants it to be finalized.

Through her sobbing, Kim claims Kroy's not the man she married, and believes he's mentally ill ... claiming she's scared at times to be around him.

Officers keep the two separated while talking things out, and just about as quickly as things escalated, they appear to cool off ... Kim agrees to leave the house for the night, and Kroy stays behind with the kids.

Draymond Green is getting help amid his suspension for unsportsmanlike conduct ... a practice he's quite familiar with, as he previously discussed his emotional struggles in a sit-down with self-help guru Deepak Chopra.

The Golden State Warriors star is reportedly seeking counseling after striking Jusuf Nurkic in the face during Tuesday's matchup against the Phoenix Suns ... with the NBA stating he must meet certain conditions before rejoining his team.

While Draymond said after the game the whole incident was just an accident, the Association clearly felt otherwise ... making his punishment indefinite to allow him to "take the time he might need to deal with challenges he’s facing," according to Adrian Wojnarowski.

As we previously reported, Green acknowledged his on-court rage in the Prime Video show, "The Sessions," last year ... where he explained how rage is "100%" part of his identity as a player.

"I go on the floor and no matter what, no matter who gets in the way, it's coming out. But, it's emotionally draining," Green said in the session with Chopra.

Green said he has always had a chip on his shoulder en route to the NBA ... but even after finding success as a pro, he never let his "I'm not supposed to be here" mentality go.

Chopra told the four-time champion there's nothing wrong with anger, as it can be a release for him -- just like laughter or sleep.

But hostility, he continued, is more about seeking revenge or "getting even" ... which is much more dangerous.

While Draymond appeared to pick up what Chopra was putting down, it didn't put a stop to his on-court issues -- not only did he hit Nurkic in the face, but he also choked Minnesota Timberwolves center Rudy Gobert earlier this season, which led to a suspension.

Giannis Antetokounmpo went nuts on the court Wednesday night, dropping a career-high 64 points -- and then he went ballistic because of it, losing his mind after the Pacers wouldn't give him the game ball from the evening.

The scene was wild ... the Bucks superstar thought he was entitled to the basketball due to his historic performance in the 140-126 victory in Wisconsin -- but Indiana players felt their rookie, Oscar Tshiebwe, should get it for scoring his first-ever NBA points.

Giannis was so incensed that the Pacers wouldn't hand it over -- he actually ran down one of the Fiserv Forum tunnels to insist that his opponents give it back.

A scuffle broke out while Giannis was screaming for the ball -- and Pacers coach Rick Carlisle told media members his team's general manager, Chad Buchanan, took a shot to the ribs from a Bucks player amid the chaos.

Giannis eventually ran out onto the floor to try to get someone to get him the ball -- screaming at anyone who would listen.

It's ultimately unclear who kept the memento -- Giannis was given a "game ball," though he seemed to question whether or not it was the real one after all the commotion died down.

"I have a ball, but I don't know if it's the game ball," Giannis told reporters. "It doesn't feel like the game ball to me. It feels like a brand-new ball. I can tell. I played, what, 35 minutes today. I know how the game ball felt. The ball that I have, which I'll take and I'll give it to my mom, for sure -- but I don't know if it's actually the game ball."

Memorabilia drama aside, Giannis' night was truly one NBA fans will have a tough time forgetting ... his 64 points broke Michael Redd's franchise record of 57. He added 14 rebounds, three assists, four steals and one block during the contest as well.

Nonetheless, Giannis clearly wishes he was ensured to have the real No. 1 keepsake from the evening.

A 71-year-old security guard is suing the Los Angeles Rams ... claiming the NFL org.'s negligence led to him suffering "catastrophic" injuries during a violent fan brawl at SoFi Stadium last year.

The man -- ID'd in the lawsuit as Robert Leahey -- says the incident happened back on Dec. 8, 2022 during the Rams vs. Raiders "Thursday Night Football" game ... when he was hired by Contemporary Services Corporation to help assist people in large crowds and help "maintain an orderly atmosphere."

At around 6:30 PM inside the Inglewood stadium, however, Leahey says a "large fight broke out" between L.A. and Vegas supporters -- and he jumped in to try to keep the peace.

But, in the lawsuit, Leahey says as other guards arrived on scene -- they pushed him, causing him to fall down a set of concrete stairs.

Leahey claims he hit his head several times while crashing down the stairs -- and when he got up, he alleges someone involved in the fight threw a Modelo beer can that connected with his head ... 'causing him further injury.

Leahey says on Dec. 9, he went to a nearby hospital ... "where he was tested and diagnosed with severe and catastrophic brain injuries, including a subdural hematoma with brain bleeding."

In the suit, Leahey claims since the incident, he's had difficulty with his speech and his vision -- while also suffering from headaches. He claims he's been unable to work as well.

Draymond Green is going to be away from the Golden State Warriors for a while ... the NBA hit him with an indefinite suspension after he smacked one of his opponents in the face.

The NBA says Draymond's "repeated history of unsportsmanlike acts" is playing into his indefinite suspension.

Draymond was ejected from Tuesday's game against the Phoenix Suns ... when he got way too physical with Jusuf Nurkic, whacking him in the head with a hard right hand during a scrap in the third quarter. Draymond was hit with a flagrant foul 2 and booted from the game.

It's the second suspension for Draymond already this NBA season ... he was hit with a 5-game ban just last month after putting Minnesota Timberwolves star center Rudy Gobert in a chokehold.

The NBA says Draymond's suspension will begin immediately -- the Warriors play the Clippers Thursday night -- and "he will be required to meet certain league and team conditions" before being reinstated.

Draymond is expected to meet Thursday with Warriors brass and his agent Rich Paul to discuss counseling ... according to ESPN's Adrian Wojnarowski.

Buster Posey says San Francisco's current issues with crime and drugs might very well be the reason Shohei Ohtani is currently wearing Dodger blue instead of Giants orange.

The S.F. legend -- who was part of the Giants' consortium that made its pitch to Ohtani recently to get him to sign with the Bay Area squad -- got candid with The Athletic after S.F. lost its pursuit of the two-way superstar to LA ... making it clear he thinks his former team's city truly impacted Shohei's free agency decision.

"Something I think is noteworthy," the three-time World Series champ said, "something that unfortunately keeps popping up from players and even the players' wives is there's a bit of an uneasiness with the city itself, as far as the state of the city, with crime, with drugs."

"Whether that's all completely fair or not," Posey continued, "perception is reality."

Posey added that while Ohtani himself never explicitly brought any of it up -- he said there was definitely some in the designated hitter's camp who did have "some reservation with the state of the city right now."

Ohtani is one of many big-name free agents who have passed up the chance to play in San Francisco recently -- last year, the Giants famously missed out on Aaron Judge, and in the past, they've swung and missed on guys like Bryce Harper and Seiya Suzuki too.

In his interview with The Athletic, Posey made it known the perception of S.F.'s current lifestyle might have had a big role in all of it.

"It's a frustrating cycle, I think, and not just with baseball," Posey said. "Baseball is secondary to life and the important things in life. But as far as a free-agent pursuit goes, I have seen that it does affect things."

Ohtani ultimately ended up inking a 10-year, $700 million contract with a LA -- a deal that Giants president of baseball operations Farhan Zaidi said this week was nearly identical to the one S.F. had offered.

Posey said he eventually hopes the tide will end up turning ... adding, "It's been well documented that we've come up short for a number of years now."

Talk about getting lucky ... a card collector in Minnesota pulled a unique, one-of-one Topps Tom Brady Montreal Expos Superfractor card, signed by the legend himself!!!

We know what you're thinking ... the Expos were a baseball team, and well, Brady's a football player, right?

Not always!

Way back in 1995, Tom was a talented high school baseball player -- a power-hitting lefty catcher -- who was so damn good, the Montreal Expos selected him in the 18th round of the MLB draft.

Of course, TB12 opted to go to college, instead, the University of Michigan, and was ultimately picked in the 6th round of the 2000 NFL Draft.

But, this week (on 12/12, a nod to Tom's jersey number), Fanatics and Brady, along with Topps, reimagined what things might've been like if TB had stuck with baseball.

The card giant released several rare Brady/Expos cards, including the totally unique, one-of-one Superfractor.

That card was pulled Tuesday night by the collectors at Triple Diamond Sports Breaks ... and experts have said it could be worth over 6 figures!

If you were hoping to pull that card, you're out of luck ... but, there's still another card out there that's not only been signed by Brady, but also inscribed with "If baseball doesn't work out, there's always football."

In fact, there's a collector who wants that card so bad that they've placed a $500k bounty on it!

Topps also had a little fun at Tom's expense ... with some help from New York Giants Super Bowl hero David Tyree.

But, cool cards weren't the only part of the reimagining ... the National Baseball Hall of Fame Museum created and shared a Brady HOF plaque (does anyone doubt he would've found a way to be one of the greats?!)

Major League Baseball, with help from Pedro Martinez, Vlad Guerrero Sr. and Larry Walker, also created a commercial about Brady the baseball player, fit for the alternative universe.

Josh Allen isn't holding a grudge against Patrick Mahomes for blowing up during their postgame exchange on Sunday ... telling reporters he didn't take anything personally, and understood where he was coming from.

The Chiefs superstar went viral for losing his cool over the controversial Kadarius Toney penalty that derailed Kansas City's comeback hopes against the Buffalo Bills ... and when he met with Allen after the 20-17 loss, he didn't seem to display the best sportsmanship.

Allen was asked about the interaction with media members at the Bills' practice on Wednesday ... and he said Mahomes hit him up to make sure they were good.

"He reached out to me," Allen said. "And I was just like, 'It's football, it's a game of emotion.'"

In the clip, Mahomes is heard yelling, "Wildest f***ing call I've ever seen. Offensive offsides in that moment, man ... f***ing terrible."

Allen actually defended Mahomes ... saying the outburst just shows how much the game of football means to him.

"I know he didn't mean anything by it," he added. "I know the cameras caught the last few seconds of what we were talking about. But, he's an ultimate competitor. He wants to win, and that's why he is who he is."

Well, that didn't take long ...

Just 3.5 days after Shohei Ohtani agreed to join the Los Angeles Dodgers, his jersey is now officially available for purchase!!

The MLB announced the threads hit the shelves at its flagship store and its website on Wednesday -- but if ya want one of the Dodger blue and white unis, it'll cost you.

According to the league's site, a replica home Ohtani jersey will run $134.99 -- while a more authentic "limited" Ohtani jersey will cost $174.99.

If jerseys -- or their price tags -- aren't necessarily your thing, the league also put some Ohtani "sherseys" on sale ... for a far more affordable $39.99.

Of course, the No. 17 jerseys all became possible when pitcher Joe Kelly revealed he'd give up his old digits to the two-way superstar in favor of No. 99.

In fact, Kelly was already seen sporting his new digits while at a charity event Wednesday, looking just fine in the Nine-Nine.

The Super Bowl is going going, back back, to Cali Cali -- the NFL announced Thursday the Big Game will be held in Los Angeles in 2027 ... after a unanimous owners' vote.

This will be the second time SoFi Stadium hosts the NFL's title game in a five-year span ... and the ninth Super Bowl overall for the city.

Most recently, Super Bowl LVI was held at SoFi when the hometown Rams defeated the Cincinnati Bengals.

"We are very excited to bring the Super Bowl back to Los Angeles for the second time in five years," NFL commish Roger Goodell said in a statement. "The city did an outstanding job hosting Super Bowl 56 in the incredible SoFi Stadium and we believe that Super Bowl 61 will be even more memorable."

"The Los Angeles Rams, the Los Angeles Host Committee and many other outstanding partners will help create an unforgettable week of events culminating in Super Bowl Sunday in 2027 that will celebrate the region as an epicenter of sports, entertainment and culture."

Super Bowl LXI (gotta brush up on your Roman numerals) will follow LX ... which is going down at Levi's Stadium in 2026.

Of course, Las Vegas is hosting this season ... with New Orleans following in 2025.

It's National Horse Day, y'all ... so pony up to shots of celebs givin' some love to these gorgeous equines!!!

Bella Hadid and Kendall Jenner were cheesin' for the camera next to their four-legged friends, and Alicia Keys snapped a pic while riding horseback in the water -- a big bucket list adventure for some people.

Selma Blair got up close and personal with a horse ... one that seemed a bit more interested in getting some food than posing for the photo!

LSU gymnast Olivia Dunne didn't go for the pommel horse -- that's more of a men's gymnastics thing -- but she did take some photos on top of a real horse that's rockin' a beautiful white mane!