TMZ Sports

Three-time NBA champion Danny Green is fired up for his alma mater's football team ... telling TMZ Sports he really thinks Bill Belichick can turn UNC around.

The former New England Patriots head man stunned the sports world this month when he took the Tar Heels coaching job ... and while some are skeptical he can effectively make the turn from the pros to college, Green made it clear to us out at LAX he's not in that camp.

"I'm on board," said the 37-year-old -- who attended UNC from 2005 through 2009. "I'm all about it. I think it's great."

Travis Hunter can only blame himself for his relationship being a hot topic -- at least that's what Nate Burleson is saying ... 'cause he tells TMZ Sports the Heisman winner could've avoided all the criticism if he just kept quiet about his private life.

The Colorado superstar and his fiancée, Leanna, have been forced to defend themselves from the haters recently ... following months of piling on from folks on the internet.

Burleson weighed in on the drama out in NYC this week ... and he politely pointed out the engaged couple brought it on themselves.

Baseball's "Man of Steal," Hall of Famer Rickey Henderson is dead after a bout with pneumonia ... TMZ has learned.

Sources with direct knowledge tell us ... Henderson passed away Friday in the Oakland area, and had been getting treatment at a hospital for a brief period.

The MLB legend holds the record for stolen bases, and played left field for 9 teams from 1979 to 2003. Most of those years were spent with the Oakland A’s, where he debuted in the majors, but he also starred with the Yankees, Blue Jays, Mets, Padres and others ... before retiring with the Dodgers.

Texans wide receiver Tank Dell had to be carted off the field Saturday ... after suffering a bad injury while catching a touchdown pass.

The Houston standout was playing in Arrowhead Stadium against the Kansas City Chiefs ... running a deep route into the endzone early in the second half of the game.

Quarterback C.J. Stroud threw a perfect pass to Dell, falling right into his arms ... but, his teammate Jared Wayne was right next to him and dove for the ball -- his body slamming full force into Dell's leg.

Nina Thomas -- the estranged wife of Earl Thomas -- was hit with multiple criminal charges this week ... after prosecutors say she swindled the ex-Seattle Seahawks star out of millions of dollars.

Court documents, obtained by TMZ Sports, show feds allege Nina began her scheme to illegally take cash from her former lover in Sept. 2021 -- a short time after she filed for divorce from him in 2020.

Officials accuse Nina and another person -- whose name is redacted in the docs -- of taking money and property from Earl without his knowledge ... and transferring it into bank accounts under their control.

Taylor Swift is feeling the holiday spirit ... dressing up in a bright red furry coat while arriving at Arrowhead Stadium in Kansas City to support her man.

The singer-songwriter pulled up to the Chiefs game against the Houston Texans just a little while ago ... stepping out of the customary golf cart looking like Mrs. Claus in the coat and black bucket hat.

She looks real warm in her ensemble ... good news since it's currently just 33 degrees in Kansas City -- and expected to get even chillier as the day goes on.

James Conner -- an Arizona Cardinals superstar who's beaten cancer -- is offering up advice to Randy Moss as he faces his own battle with the disease ... telling TMZ Sports the Hall of Famer should make it a priority to lean on his loved ones.

Conner was diagnosed with Hodgkin's Lymphoma back in 2015 when he was a college running back at the University of Pittsburgh ... but he ended up beating it, and he's since gone on to have a hell of an NFL career.

This week -- while he was out at a Raising Cane's bike giveaway charity event -- he told us he was praying for Moss ... while encouraging the ex-Minnesota Vikings receiver to stay positive.

Glen "Big Baby" Davis is being sued by a woman who claims the ex-NBA star screwed up her business deal with Chris Brown, TMZ Sports has learned.

According to court documents we obtained, the lawsuit was filed on Friday in Los Angeles by a pharmaceutical scientist, Dr. Lyndsey White, who says after she initially got involved in a barbeque sauce venture with Davis -- and things went south in a hurry.

In her suit, White claims she and Davis agreed in April 2021 to create "Big Baby Q" BBQ sauce ... and then, a short time later, she says she gave Davis a $30,000 loan to get into a weed business together as well.

Dwight Howard is off the market ... because he's engaged to rapper Amy Luciani.

The pair went public with their relationship Friday and it looks like they've been together for a while ... because they're already engaged.

Amy posted video showing their sparkling, diamond engagement rings on social media ... and the footage shows Dwight admiring Amy's bling as they party in a nightclub.

Don't hang Angel McCoughtry's jersey in the rafters just yet ... the 5x WNBA All-Star tells TMZ Sports she's looking to make a comeback to the league she starred in for a decade, and she feels as good as ever!

"It's comeback season," McCoughtry told Babcock on Friday.

Angel, who is now 38 years old, last played in the league two seasons ago for the Minnesota Lynx ... however, she only played a few games. Over the course of her stellar career, AM's averaged nearly 19 points a game.

7:50 PM PT -- Diddy's attorneys tell us, "As we've said before, Mr. Combs cannot respond to every new publicity stunt, even in response to claims that are facially ridiculous or demonstrably false. Mr. Combs and his legal team have full confidence in the facts and the integrity of the judicial process. In court, the truth will prevail: that Mr. Combs never sexually assaulted or trafficked anyone -- man or woman, adult or minor."

 Diddy is facing a new rape allegation, one that dates back to before he was famous ... and the alleged victim says it went down during an already infamous NYC event.

The accuser, who's filing as a Jane Doe, says she was attending a December 1991 charity basketball event at the City College of New York, which was co-sponsored by a then up-and-coming producer, Sean "Puffy" Combs.

She and a friend were invited by an unnamed rapper set to appear at the event, she claims in the lawsuit -- when she and her friend arrived, she says the crowd outside was large and getting unruly, and she convinced a security guard to let her and the friend in early.

Even though Daniel Jones and the New York Giants broke up, he still has love for his old linemen -- as the team's former first-round draft pick still provided some holiday cheer to the big guys up front!!

ESPN's Jordan Raanan reported the current Vikings backup quarterback sent his former O-line limited-edition bottles of Clase Azul Tequila -- a super-nice gesture, especially considering he was essentially kicked to the curb in the Big Apple.

While it's unknown how much the 27-year-old dropped in total ... these spirits don't come cheap -- as some bottles have quite the hefty price tags. But the team did owe him $35.5 million this year, so it probably didn't affect the wallet too much!

2024 will be remembered for many shocking events ... and here, we remember celebrities who tragically died over the last calendar year.

Liam Payne shocked the world when he fell to his death from a hotel balcony in Argentina ... and the former One Direction member's death is still under police investigation, with lots of moving parts involved.

12 years after Whitney Houston's death and 9 years after Bobbi Kristina Brown's passing, the Houston family suffered another sad loss ... the passing of singer Cissy Houston, Whitney's mom and Houston matriarch, occurred in October. She passed away at the age of 91 after battling Alzheimer's disease in hospice care.

LeBron James' daughter is just like her NBA superstar pops on the court -- 'cause Zhuri is proudly repping the same number he's notably worn over the years for her volleyball team ... and he couldn't be more proud!!

The Los Angeles Lakers champ shared photos of 10-year-old Zhuri in her City Volleyball Club gear on Friday ... while sharing a special message wishing her the best of luck in the upcoming season.

"🥰🥰😍😍🤎🤎🤎 YOU GO GIRL!!!!!!" LeBron said in the IG caption. "LET'S GO BABY Z!!"

Talk about decking the halls ... and the workplace, 'cause Christmas came a little early at the TMZ office, with everyone sporting their favorite festive sweaters to spice up the workday.

When we say the TMZ crew knows how to slay a cheery look, we mean it -- just peep these pics! We’ve got everything from cheeky Christmas slogans and wild designs to grins so big, they could only come from the holiday spirit.

TMZ’s Sports desk swapped out the high-octane energy for some pure cold-weather coziness, and Lucas made sure to be the brightest star in the room -- literally -- with his sweater decked out in twinkling lights.