TMZ Sports - Page 50

Ben Affleck's definitely getting the last laugh over his undying love of Dunkin' ... after thousands of memes mocked him for reppin' the coffee and donut shop so hard.

Turns out the Oscar winner raked in a staggering $10 MILLION for his Super Bowl commercial last year, according to CNN. Remember, Ben appeared as a Dunkin' drive-thru worker in the 30-second clip, and his star power was a major treat for Dunkin'.

The company reportedly sold more donuts the day after the Super Bowl than any other day in its history. Capitalizing on that smash hit, Ben then signed on as an official spokesperson -- and will appear in another commercial for them during this year's SB.

But, it ain't just Ben who made major bucks on Super Sunday -- Larry David also snagged $10M for his now-controversial FTX ad ... and CNN says at least 2 other A-list celebs are making $5M this year for appearing on-camera for less than 20 seconds in ads.

Keep in mind, companies are also dropping $7M just to air a 30-second spot!

As for Ben's new SB spot ... Dunkin's ad men have him trollin' himself for his "miserable" expression at last year’s Grammys.

Prince Harry flew back to the U.S. and made a surprise appearance at the 2024 NFL Honors -- after a short visit with his cancer-stricken father King Charles III in England.

The Duke of Sussex strolled out onstage at the Resorts World Theatre in Las Vegas Thursday evening to present the Walter Payton Man of the Year award to Pittsburgh Steelers defensive tackle Cameron Heyward.

Heyward seemed totally awestruck by Harry as the NFL star accepted his statue and stepped up to the mic to make a speech.

Check out the vid ... Heyward addressed the audience while motioning with his arm to Harry, saying, "That's freakin' Harry. Oh my god, I'm in shock. That's Prince Harry."

Harry smiled, taking it all in stride while shaking hands with Heyward on the stage and posing for photos with him after the event.

As you know ... Harry hopped a Tuesday flight to London from L.A. to visit King Charles after his recent cancer diagnosis. When he arrived in the UK capital, Harry went straight to the royal residence, where he reportedly stayed with Charles for about 45 minutes before taking off.

While his exit appeared abrupt, it's no secret Harry and his wife, Meghan Markle, have been estranged from Charles and the rest of the Royal Family for quite some time. And the world has had a front-row seat to all their drama.

Too Short is living up to his lyrical billing by throwing dollar bills at Vegas exotic dancers, and covering the floor with greenbacks ... all while his strip club anthems are blaring.

The "Money On The Floor" rapper hit up Crazy Horse 3 in Las Vegas Wednesday night into Thursday morning, rolling up with a crew of 20 people, including fellow rappers Tech N9ne and X-Raided ... and if ya thought it was raining hard in L.A., ya gotta see what went down on The Strip.

Our strip club sources -- yep, we got those too -- tell us Short requested a table in the VIP section right next to the main stage and, naturally, he was immediately swarmed by more than 30 strippers. As they say, game recognize game!

His crew ordered 2 magnum bottles of Don Julio 1942 Tequila, nothing but top shelf, and they threw $15,000 in singles ... and as you can see, the club brought him the first $5k in singles in a lighted-briefcase as Short had 2 strippers on his lap.

Naturally, Too Short took the greenbacks up to the main stage and started throwing money everywhere ... spreading it over a dancer's back as she twerked in front of him. Textbook move.

The most baller part ... Too Short's "Money On The Floor" is playing while he drops fat stacks on, and above, the stage where a dancer's flashing her pole skills to his jam.

Crazy Horse 3 seems like the place to be leading up to Super Bowl LVIII, which will be played just across the street at Allegiant Stadium.

Tech N9ne was back Thursday night to host and rain $20K on the performers. While several NFL players were expected, too -- it's a safe bet they were NOT the centers of attention.

Even though 49ers wideout Ray-Ray McCloud has deep roots in the music industry, he won't try to rub elbows with Taylor Swift at the Super Bowl ... telling TMZ Sports, "This is football."

Many have wondered if the receiver would attempt to get in TayTay's ear at some point at Allegiant Stadium on Sunday ... because, after all, the guy's a musician who just recently became the CEO of entertainment agency Legend Tribe Entertainment.

But, he said out in Vegas this week there's no chance he fraternizes with Travis Kelce's girlfriend at the Big Game ... saying flat-out, "Hell nah!"

"I'm a big fan of greatness," he told us. "She's great at what she do. She big time. But, hey, this is football. We don't care about no album coming out. We don't care about none of that."

"Congrats to her on the Grammy thing she did, but we don't care about none of that, man."

Instead, Ray-Ray says he's locked in on the game ... although he did at least tell us he'd try to have some kind of ear on Usher's halftime show.

While the 27-year-old will absolutely not sneak out of the locker room to catch it -- "I'm trying to get a ring first," he said -- he told us he hoped the "Let It Burn" crooner would play "Superstar" and "Confessions" during the performance.

It's Friday, and as we head into the weekend ... TMZ is firing on all cylinders, especially on TV -- where we covered a helluva lot of juicy topics.

On 'TMZ Live,' we broke a story about a special tribute that Super Bowl LVIII organizers are planning to launch during Sunday's broadcast ... which essentially amounts to a tip of the hat to Sin City itself.

There's a particular song that'll be played throughout -- and it'll get kicked off by the most famous rendition of the tune known to date ... sung by one Frank Sinatra, no less!

Over at 'TMZ on TV,' the gang talked about a new claim Britney Spears is floating -- namely, that she allegedly made out with Ben Affleck back in the day ... in the year 1999.

Brit doesn't even seem sure of the details herself -- but she posted a pic (and then quickly deleted it) ... which left Harvey and the staff less than convinced it actually happened.

Finally, on 'TMZ Sports' ... Babcock and Lucas talk Baker Mayfield and what sort of new contract he deserves in the wake of a pretty decent season with the Buccaneers.

Check your local listings for when TMZ is on in your area or catch up on past episodes!

Before this handsome fella lookin' spiffy in his suit turned into a Super Bowl champion, he was just a little New Yorker -- who came from a family of athletes -- playing hockey, basketball, baseball and of course FOOTBALL!

Being one of the greatest tight-ends of all time helped lead his team to Super Bowl wins in 2015, 2017, 2019 and 2021. He may not have played for the Chiefs or the 49ers, but now being an NFL analyst ... he's had plenty to say about this year's Super Bowl.

Need on more clue ... just ask his quarterback BFF TB!

Antonio Gates will have to wait at least 12 more months for his gold jacket ... TMZ Sports has learned the NFL legend did NOT make this year's Hall of Fame cut.

Our sources tell us when officials made calls Thursday morning to inform finalists and their reps if they got the green light or not to Canton ... Gates received bad news.

It's, of course, shocking ... as most pundits believed the 43-year-old was definitely deserving of the first-ballot nod.

After all, the ex-tight end compiled 11,841 receiving yards on 955 catches ... while recording 116 total touchdowns. According to Pro Football Reference's Hall of Fame Monitor metric system, only three tight ends in the history of the league -- Tony Gonzalez, Rob Gronkowski and Travis Kelce -- were more deserving of a bust.

Gates himself certainly appeared to think he was in ... he told us back in November he believed he and Julius Peppers were going to get the call.

It's unclear who got in ahead of Gates this year ... but other finalists included Dwight Freeney, Devin Hester, Andre Johnson, Torry Holt, and Patrick Willis.

Caitlyn Jenner seemed to plead for Elon Musk's legal backing to fight Disney after being dropped from "The Kardashians" -- but she's not actually pursuing it ... TMZ has learned.

Sources with direct knowledge tell us Caitlyn has zero plans to sue the Mouse House and was simply shining a light on her experience with the studio by commenting under the EM's original post ... where he explicitly said he would provide legal support (namely, funding) to those who felt they'd been discriminated against by Disney or its subsidiaries.

Caitlyn's comment under Elon's post read ... "Hulu (Disney subsidiary) never put me on my family's show - I had been on since day 1- when it switched from E!" On its face, it certainly sounded like she was serious ... especially since Elon seemed to be seriously baiting.

Now, while our sources tell us CJ has no plans to take Elon up on his offer to sue right now, if any bombshell information surfaces from the Kardashians' reality show on Hulu that pushes the envelope against Caitlyn ... we're told she would possibly revisit the idea.

You'll recall ... Caitlyn starred in almost all 20 seasons of E! 's "Keeping Up With The Kardashians" alongside her ex-wife Kris Jenner, her stepkids Kourtney, Kim, and Khloé, and biological daughters Kendall and Kylie. Caitlyn never appeared in the revamped series though, "The Kardashians," when it moved over to Hulu in 2022.

Last month, CJ expressed similar frustration over the Disney non-invite when replying to an X post from political consultant Richard Grenell, who blasted the network for its "partisan" stance.

The reality star commented at the time ... "I wonder if that's why they fired me from my family's reality show when it switched over to Hulu (@Disney), from E!. I must not be woke enough."

Cailyn added -- "Too bad… I remember when Bob Iger was a young, hard working, valet, carrying my bags, for me right after I won the Olympics."

ICYMI ... Elon is funding former "Mandalorian" actress Gina Carano's lawsuit ... where she claims Disney+ and LucasFilm wrongfully terminated her from her job after she posted her political views on social media.

That's why this Caitlyn convo is even happening -- because Elon is legitimately putting his money where his mouth is on this issue against Disney.

Back to Caitlyn ... things may not have worked out with "The Kardashians" -- but she's gone from reality TV to FOX, working for the network as a Fox News contributor, which she's really enjoying.

Kaskade will be in the DJ booth when Super Bowl LVIII kicks off on Sunday ... stepping in at the last minute to replace Tiësto, who backed out of the gig due to a sudden family emergency.

As we previously reported, the "Godfather of EDM" was originally set to spin tracks throughout the entire game ... but was forced to return home hours before the Kansas City Chiefs and San Francisco 49ers take the field.

TMZ Sports has learned ... Kaskade is taking the reins from Tiësto -- making him the league's first-ever in-game DJ in the history of the Super Bowl.

Kaskade spoke about the news on Thursday ... saying, "As a kid who grew up in Chicago watching the Super Bowl every year with my family this chance to actually be part of it is absolutely mind-blowing."

Moving forward with Kaskade is a no-brainer -- he's one of the biggest names in the industry ... and has had residencies at pretty much every big venue in Sin City, most recently at Zouk nightclub at Resorts World.

"Las Vegas has been my second home for the past decade, as an architect of creating a landscape that includes House and Dance Music residencies as part of its destination," Kaskade continued.

Kobe Bryant's presence will be felt outside Crypto.com Arena forever -- the late Lakers legend's statue was officially revealed at the venue at an incredibly emotional ceremony ... where it was announced two more tributes will go up at a later date.

The new bronze figure shows Kobe pointing to the sky following his 81-point performance against the Toronto Raptors in 2006 ... a pose Kobe personally chose.

It also includes a nod to the triangle offense and the five championships he won during his Hall of Fame career.

The Black Mamba's wife and kids, former Purple and Gold players, staffers, front office execs and more were present for the unveiling ... which happened to take place on a special day -- 02/08/24 -- to symbolize Kobe's two jersey numbers with L.A., as well as the digit his daughter, Gigi, sported during her young, promising basketball career.

Vanessa Bryant, Phil Jackson, Stu Lantz, Kareem Abdul-Jabbar, Derek Fisher and Lakers owner Jeanie Buss took the stage ... and each gave a touching speech as the statue was revealed for the first time.

Vanessa revealed there will be three different statues of Bryant -- one each of Kobe's two different jersey numbers ... and a third featuring Gigi.

Vanessa also playfully said "tough s***" to anyone who didn't like the statue, considering it's exactly what Kobe wanted.

It's a day Laker fans have been anticipating ever since the devastating Jan. 2020 helicopter crash that killed Kobe, Gigi and seven others ... and there will no doubt be tributes left near the bronze figure as its made available to the public over the next few days.

Kobe's statue joins fellow all-time greats outside the building ... like Magic Johnson, Jerry West, Abdul-Jabbar, Shaquille O'Neal and more.

Kobe is undoubtedly one of the greatest to ever wear a Laker jersey ... winning five NBA championships, two scoring titles, two Finals MVPs, a regular season MVP and earning 15 All-NBA nods.

Tracy McGrady is adamant Kobe Bryant is a top-five NBA player ever ... and he says anyone who disagrees with that sentiment should "get the f*** outta here!!"

The seven-time All-Star went on an expletive-laden rant on the topic on his Instagram page this week ... explaining that anyone who thinks Kobe doesn't deserve a spot amongst basketball's GOATs is just being "disrespectful."

He said those who argue that Bryant's resume deserves to be knocked down due to the talent surrounding him don't have any leg whatsoever to stand on.

"Did Magic Johnson play with Kareem Abdul-Jabbar, who was an all-time leading scorer?" McGrady said. "But you want to sit here and talk about Kobe playing with Shaq?!"

McGrady -- who played 15 seasons in the NBA -- continued to make his point ... saying Bryant won two NBA Finals without O'Neal. He added that if Kobe is widely considered the closest thing to Michael Jordan, how can he not be considered a top-five player?

"Tell me the other motherf***er that's close to MJ that played the game?!" he said. "Ain't nobody else close to MJ."

"So how is [Kobe] excluded out of the conversation if he's close to MJ and MJ is the greatest of all time?! Help me understand that ... They so disrespectful when it comes to Bean."

Fans and NBA stars all over agreed with T-Mac in the comment section of his post ... with Stephon Marbury, Richard Hamilton, Jamal Crawford and Nate Robinson all leaving notes of support.

It's almost time for the big game, but we're not talking about the Super Bowl ... the most puppies ever will face off in the 20th annual Puppy Bowl, right before they get new homes.

Dan Schachner -- the 13-year Puppy Bowl "Ruff-eree" -- joined us Thursday on "TMZ Live" and gave us all the details on the pooches, from big to small, playing in the game. Plus, we had some visitors in our office to highlight the real intent of the event ... getting shelter dogs adopted from Angel City Pit Bull in Los Angeles.

This year, Puppy Bowl is going bigger than ever in several ways -- Dan says there are 131 puppies playing, representing 73 animal shelters across 36 states, the most ever.

Levi the Great Dane is going to check into the game when the bigger dogs get to run in the 4th quarter -- and he's already a whopping 70 pounds at just 3 months old!

On the opposite end of the scale, Dan says the Puppy Bowl's smallest pooch ever will take the field ... Sweatpea is playing the first quarter at a mere 1.7 pounds. Yeah, she can fit in the palm of your hand!

Also new this year is Dan's assistant "Ruff-eree" ... his poodle mix rescue, Whistle.

In addition to Dan getting officiating help, he says you can also expect to see pups in several new off-the-field jobs -- like cheerleading squad and working cameras.

The best part ... Dan says the Puppy Bowl has a 100% adoption rate and helps animal shelters it partners with find new homes for their rescues, thanks to awareness raised on the upcoming TV broadcast.

Cops issued Miami Heat forward Haywood Highsmith a citation for careless driving on Tuesday ... after they say he caused an accident that resulted in a man suffering a partial amputation of his leg as well as other broken bones.

According to a crash report, obtained by TMZ Sports, the gruesome wreck happened at around 11:20 PM -- just minutes after Highsmith and the Heat beat the Orlando Magic at the Kesaya Center in Miami.

Cops state in the documents that Highsmith was going an estimated 45 MPH in a 40 MPH zone ... when he slammed into the back of a pedestrian who appeared to be pushing a broken-down car in the middle of a roadway.

The docs state Highsmith told officers that the disabled vehicle did not have its lights on ... and he couldn't stop his ride in time when he came across it in the street.

Cops wrote in the docs the pedestrian lost part of his right leg in the accident and sustained a compound fracture to his left leg as well. They also say the man suffered a possible broken left arm.

Police added the man was rushed to a local hospital in critical condition.

The crash report states drugs and alcohol were not involved ... though officers did write in the docs that Highsmith may have been distracted by unknown circumstances.

Highsmith logged three minutes of playing in the Heat's 121-95 win earlier in the night. He did not play Wednesday, though -- as the team announced he was sitting out of their game against San Antonio due to "personal reasons."

International star Tiësto just announced he will not be performing at Super Bowl LVIII after all ... saying he will miss the big game due to a "personal family emergency."

The "Godfather of EDM" shared the update with his fans on Thursday ... just days before he was slated to hit the 1s and 2s for the 49ers vs. Chiefs matchup at Allegiant Stadium.

"Me and my team have been preparing something truly special for months, but a personal family emergency is forcing me to return home Sunday morning," Tiësto said via the X app.

"It was a tough decision to miss the game, but family always comes first."

This would've been the first time the NFL had an in-game DJ for the Super Bowl ... and Tiësto -- who sold more than 36 million albums -- was honored to take on the role.

"Thank you to the @NFL for the collaboration," the 55-year-old DJ said ... adding he still plans to work with the league on something "incredible" at a later date.

The Raiders took time to thank the men and women keeping Vegas safe this Super Bowl week, swinging by LVMPD HQ to chill, and they even hooked up a volunteer worker with tix to the big game!

LB Divine Deablo and DT Matthew Butler pulled up to the Las Vegas Metro Police Department station, along with team president Sandra Douglass Morgan, a gang of cheerleaders, and even the Raiders mascot ... to take photos and speak to the staff. They also brought some grub!

TMZ Sports is told everyone had an awesome time ... but none better than a volunteer named Renee Sorensen, who has given up thousands of hours of her time without pay, simply to help her community.

The Raiders contingency wanted to say thank you, so they hooked Renee up with SB 58 tix, one of the hottest tix in the world.

Of course, tix to the Super Bowl are going for thousands of dollars each ... but Sorensen won't have to pay a dime.

It was a nice break for police officers ... who are now in the midst of one of the busiest times of the year, as hundreds of thousands of fans descend on Sin City for the game and all the festivities.

The first-ever Super Bowl in Las Vegas is going to pay tribute to the city in a way that truly screams Sin City -- or sings, rather ... 'cause it's gonna include the late, great Frank Sinatra.

Sources with direct knowledge tell TMZ ... there will be several "My Way" tributes prominently featured throughout the Super Bowl LVIII broadcast, with Sinatra's famous rendition of the tune -- written by Paul Anka -- being the one to lead the opening segment.

What this is, we're told, is a cheers moment for Vegas itself -- and what better way to pay honor the storied desert town than with a song that kinda encapsulates it. And yes, Frank's version of "My Way" is the most well-known ... so they're kicking it off with that one.

Anyway, we're told the Super Bowl broadcast on CBS will show action shots of the players ... like Travis Kelce, Patrick Mahomes and Christian McCaffrey.

From there, our sources say CBS will transition to interviews with players' families ... talking about their dads, sons, husbands and brothers ... all underscored by a new mix of "My Way."

We know what the new "My Way" mix entails too ... our sources tell us there's going to be a live orchestra, with Sinatra singing on the big screens inside and outside The Sphere, the newest concert venue on The Strip.

BTW, Usher himself will also give a "My Way" shout-out during his Halftime performance ...  and we're told it'll be one for the books and incredibly powerful. So, yeah ... the 'MW' theme will be running throughout the course of the game, it seems -- start to finish.

Bottom line ... it's a tip of the hat to Fabulous Las Vegas, and CBS/the NFL are leaning all the way into it.