TMZ Sports

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.

Former Central Michigan Chippewas quarterback Tommy Lazzaro has passed away, the school announced Thursday. He was just 27 years old.

Lazzaro -- a Monument, Colorado native -- was involved in a fatal hunting accident this past Sunday in Florida, according to multiple reports.

Lazzaro made 20 career appearances for the Chippewas ... and was part of the team that went 8-6 and made it to the MAC Championship Game against Miami (OH) in 2019. He led the team with two touchdowns in the contest.

Turns out, the ugly scene involving Mookie Betts and some overeager Yankees fans in Game 4 of the World Series could've been even worse ... 'cause the Dodgers superstar just revealed he considered retaliating against the NY backers with violence.

The L.A. outfielder opened on the matter with Kevin Hart and Kenan Thompson as part of the comedians' "Back That Year Up 2024" special ... and Betts told the guys he straight up considered hurling a baseball at the two men who tried to rip his glove away on a foul ball pop fly at Yankee Stadium back on Oct. 29.

"I was in the moment," Betts said. "I thought about throwing the ball at them."

Safe to say Jalen Hurts and Saquon Barkley got the whole Christmas thing down pat ... 'cause the Eagles superstars' offensive linemen turned into a bunch of kids when they got their awesome golf cart gifts for the holidays!!

Philly's quarterback and running back duo pulled out all the stops for their big guys up front this season ... handing out customized four-wheelers with their names and numbers printed on 'em at a practice earlier this week.

The Eagles just shared video of how the linemen reacted to the kind gesture ... and they were clearly thrilled with their new items.

Christmas is over, but Xavier Legette's still in the giving mood -- although his teammates might not appreciate his latest round of gifts ... as it featured none other than raccoon meat!!

The Carolina Panthers wideout brought in his favorite dish for his squad the day after he chowed down on it for his Dec. 25 dinner ... and he had so much of it leftover, he even offered some to media members.

Most of the people in the vicinity of the unique protein were startled by its appearance ... as it looked far more like ground turkey or pulled pork than bites of a wild animal.

Joe Alwyn isn't looking very Merry this Christmas ... riding a Lime e-bike on Boxing Day in Britain -- with a downcast expression on his face.

The actor was spotted flying around London on the rental bike Thursday ... looking a bit worse for wear the day after Xmas.

He's bundled up in a black jacket and pale blue jeans -- hair flapping in the wind -- though he's not cracking a smile while rolling down the road. Coal in his stocking, perhaps?

It's great to be a Mahomes this week -- even the ones barely old enough to walk -- 'cause just after Patrick Mahomes won his Christmas Day game ... he doled out some amazing presents to his kids!!

The NFL superstar's wife, Brittany, just showed on social media that she and her hubby balled out for little Bronze and Sterling's Dec. 25 ... gifting them lifelike toy cars!

Bronze -- who just turned two years old -- scored a matte black Mercedes ... and he clearly loved it, as Mom called him the "happiest boy ever" in a snap of him in the driver's seat.

Pat Riley is putting an end to all the speculation Jimmy Butler is up for grabs ... releasing a statement to flat-out say the Miami Heat are not trading their superstar player.

The declaration comes in the wake of a report from NBA insider Shams Charania, who claimed the six-time All-Star was hoping for a change of scenery before the February trade deadline.

Charania also fueled chatter when he claimed the team was warm to the idea of shipping him elsewhere earlier this month ... which led Butler's reps to fire back with a passionate denial.

Not only do LeBron and Bronny James rock the same uniforms on the court, they have identical threads off it, too -- 'cause the Lakers' father-son duo threw on some matching pajamas for Christmas with the whole family ... and the pics are adorbz!!

On the heels of his 31-point performance in the Purple and Gold's big win over the Warriors, King James shared a glimpse of his family's holiday festivities ... which included Mom and Dad wearing red jammies as they posed in front of a beautifully decorated tree with their three kids.

20-year-old Bronny and 17-year-old Bryce had big smiles on their faces ... so even though some kids their age would roll their eyes, they were good sports about it all.

Mark Wahlberg clearly didn't put on any pounds this holiday season ... showing off his ripped chest and stomach while shirtless down in Barbados on Christmas Eve.

The actor was spotted walking around the island with his wife, Rhea Durham, the day before Xmas ... with Marky Mark outfitted in just swim trunks and a backward cap.

Check out the pics ... Wahlberg may be 53, but he's still looking ripped -- stopping to chat with people on his way to the beach.

Nina Thomas clearly isn't letting allegations that she swindled her ex, Earl Thomas, out of millions of dollars affect her personal life ... she attended Beyoncé's big concert Wednesday -- and it looked like she had a blast.

The estranged wife of the former Seattle Seahawks superstar hit up NRG Stadium for the Texans vs. Ravens Christmas game in Houston ... and rocked out to Queen Bey at halftime in some great seats.

Nina -- wearing a lowcut spaghetti strap top, some blue jeans and a cowboy hat -- crooned 'Yoncé's tunes along with the musician, and sported a big grin on her face the entire time.

Viral rapper Dave Blunts wasn't about to let Antonio Brown turn him into a Star Wars meme -- and got personal with his response by throwing the former footballer's legal issues in his face!!!

In case you haven't seen him on your timeline, DB's the reportedly 500lb+ rapper from Delaware whose melodies have drawn comparisons to golden-age Texas hip hop ... and his inability to perform standing up also whiffed Snoop Dogg's radar.

AB randomly took a lightsaber-sized swipe at Dave on a pic from a recent performance, "N**** really is the black Jaba the hutt…."

Dave Portnoy is not a fan of Beyoncé and he clearly wants the world to know it ... publicly ripping her during her big Christmas Day halftime show.

The Barstool Sports honcho went in on Queen Bey on Wednesday as she was serenading NRG Stadium in Houston with "Cowboy Carter" tunes ... declaring her "LOST" without Destiny's Child.

Portnoy didn't elaborate much further as he watched the "TEXAS HOLD 'EM" songstress croon during the Ravens vs. Texans intermission ... although he did encourage his fans to roast her on his outlet's new Jon Gruden show, "The Shred Line."

Victoria's Secret model Izabel Goulart was all about indulging this Xmas -- in the spotlight, that is, 'cause despite being next to a giant body of water, she was still thirsty ... for attention, of course.

These St. Barts pics are impossible to ignore -- the Brazilian model brought the holiday heat in a tiny red bikini and Santa hat, teaming up with her footballer fiancé Kevin Trapp for a jaw-dropping acrobatics session that doubled as a festive photoshoot.

The shoot was next-level, with German soccer goalie Kevin lifting Izabel like it was a stroll in the park, while she flexed her killer pins and showed off her athleticism in a series of advanced couples yoga poses -- all as her Santa hat stayed firmly in place somehow.

Big news for Shaun Weiss -- he's about to be a dad! TMZ's learned that his girlfriend Shannon is pregnant!

The 'Mighty Ducks' star spilled to TMZ that he and Shannon just found out the happy news last week -- and they're expecting their little one in August. The baby's already got a name locked in ... Charlie, after Shaun's dad, whether it's a boy or girl.

Shaun shared details about his love, too -- he and Shannon have been dating for two years and are tying the knot soon. This will be his first baby, so it looks like 2025's shaping up to be a big year for Shaun.