Letsile Tebogo, Gold Medalist 30K Fans Welcome Sprinter Home ... After Beating Noah Lyles In Olympics

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A WARM WELCOME
Botswana Television

Botswana sprinter Letsile Tebogo just received one of the biggest, and most awesome homecomings in sports history ... over 30,000 fans filled a stadium to welcome the Olympic hero home after beating U.S. track star Noah Lyles in Paris!

The festivities went down on Tuesday ... as tens of thousands of fans showed up to welcome back their athletes who competed in the Paris Olympics after President Mokgweetsi Masisi declared the day a holiday.

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MET WITH CHEERS
Instagram / @tirelomatshane

Fans -- hundreds of them -- began gathering at the Sir Seretse Khama International Airport where Tebogo and the other athletes landed, singing and waving flags and posters as their heroes returned.

Vince Vaughn I'm Celebrating My Walk Of Fame Star ... With My Fam, Mel Gibson!!!

Vince Vaughn is crashing a famous club ... because he just got his star on the Hollywood Walk of Fame.

The "Wedding Crashers" star received the honor Monday ... soaking it all in alongside his family ... and Mel Gibson!!!

As you can see, Vince is looking dapper with a two-piece suit ... and Mel is much more relaxed and casual. But hey, it's Vince's big moment, not Mel's.

U.S. Gymnast Jordan Chiles Appeal Over Bronze Medal Rejected ... Romania Retains 🥉

Team USA gymnast Jordan Chiles was just handed a devastating blow in her bid to keep her bronze medal ... the governing body overseeing the controversy says their hands are tied, new evidence be damned!

It's the latest turn in the saga involving USA and Romanian Gymnastics ... who are in the midst of a feud over the rightful owner of the bronze medal in the floor competition, which took place a week ago on August 5.

Unfortunately for Chiles, the Court of Arbitration for Sports says their hands are tied.

MILEY CYRUS Teary as Disney's Youngest Legend ... Hannah's Still Got Her Montana!!

Miley Cyrus is reliving her child star days, and she's actually embracing her "Hannah Montana" era ... because it's now made her the youngest ever Disney Legend!

This tribute's no joke ... it’s for those who’ve seriously shaped Disney’s magic. So, no shocker that Miley got a bit teary as she hit the stage Sunday with 13 other legends at the D23 event in Anaheim, CA.

The crowd went wild with endless applause ... cranking up Miley’s emotions as she reminisced about her iconic Disney Channel days as "Hannah Montana."

Ne-Yo Surprise Gift of 🔑 to Las Vegas ... More Bedazzled Than Usher's!!!

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I GOT THE KEYS
TMZ.com

Ne-Yo's not only unlocked his brand new Las Vegas residency ... he can unlock the whole damn city now, after the mayor's surprise gift ahead of the R&B megastar's first show in his hometown!

LV Mayor Carolyn Goodman shocked Ne-Yo two songs into his Human Love Rebellion residency ... coming onstage to present him with a Key to the City, leaving him speechless in his leopard-print playa suit.

Ne-Yo has long credited his upbringing at the Las Vegas Academy of Arts for molding him into the Grammy Award-winning, multi-platinum musician he is today ... and this proclamation thanked him for always giving back.

Caitlyn Jenner Own A Digital Piece Of My Gold!!! ... Auctioning Olympic Medal On Blockchain

Caitlyn Jenner is bringing her 1976 Olympic gold medal to modern times ... offering up pieces of her most prized possession in an auction on the blockchain!!

TMZ Sports has learned ... the superstar decathlete -- who finished first in the event at the Montreal Games nearly 50 years ago -- and her Web3 dev team created a real-world asset NFT in honor of her world record-breaking performance.

Anyone looking to get in on the action can buy a piece of the medal with tokens starting Thursday ... and owners will receive a "deed" tied to the NFT, which will be visible to everyone on the blockchain.

Terence Crawford No Regrets Missing Olympics ... Gold Medal Wasn't My Dream!

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LOCKED IN ON WHAT'S NEXT
TMZSports.com

Terence Crawford's career is far from over and he's achieved more than just about any active professional boxer ... there's just one thing he's missing, an Olympic medal.

But, Bud ain't sweatin' it!

TMZ Sports spoke with the undefeated champ as the 2024 games in Paris were in full swing -- including boxing -- a sport Crawford currently dominates.

Harrison Butker Serena Williams Was a Divisive ESPY HOST

Harrison Butker fired back at Serena Williams for her critical comments about him onstage while he was sitting in the audience at the ESPY Awards this week.

Butker took a shot at the tennis legend for dissing his views about women becoming homemakers during a commencement speech he gave at Benedictine College in May. He also made controversial statements about abortion and the LGBTQ community.

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STAY HOME, WOMEN
Benedictine College

The Kansas City Chiefs kicker told NBC News, "I thought Mrs. Williams was a great host and applaud her for using her platform to express her beliefs on a variety of topics. Sports are supposed to be the great unifier."

O.J. Simpson Left Out Of ESPYs 'In Memoriam'

The 2024 ESPYs paid tribute Thursday night to the many great athletes who passed away in the last 12 months ... but one name was notably left out -- O.J. Simpson.

The annual award show took place at the Dolby Theater in Los Angeles ... and as they do every year, ESPN officials ran their "In Memoriam" segment to reflect on the stars the sports world lost since the last iteration of the event.

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HONORING THE GIANTS
ABC

Willie Mays, Jerry West, Larry Allen and Bill Walton, among others, were shouted out during the impactful portion of the show. Simpson, however, was not.

Nikki Glaser Takin' A Swing at Scottie Scheffler at ESPY Awards

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PUTTING, CHIPPING ... AND DRIVING
ABC

Nikki Glaser came out swinging at the ESPY Awards ... cracking a ton of jokes at several athletes' expense -- and Scottie Scheffler's legal troubles were not off-limits.

The comedian brought out the big guns at the Dolby Theater in Los Angeles while presenting the award for Best Male Athlete to "peak athletes who push their bodies to the limit and also a golfer."

She then apologizes to the golfer in question -- Scottie Scheffler -- saying she knows it's difficult to putt, chip and drive ... over a cop's leg.

Floyd Mayweather, Mookie Betts Honored At Star-Studded L.A. Party

Floyd Mayweather, Mookie Betts, and a gang of other star athletes and actors rubbed shoulders at a swanky party in Los Angeles Wednesday night ... where the 50-0 fighter delivered an emotional speech to the famous partygoers!

In addition to TBE and the 8x All-Star, Draymond Green, Terance Mann, Michael Porter Jr., Trevor Ariza, Meagan Good, and Jonathan Majors were also in the building.

As for why all the stars came out ... it was to celebrate the launch of Hidden Empire Sports, a collaboration between The Union and EAG Sports Management, and created by Deon Taylor.

Darius Rucker Forgive Morgan For N-Word Scandal ... He's a Better Person Now!!!

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HE'S GROWN A LOT
Rolling Stone Music Now

Darius Rucker says the time has come to forgive Morgan Wallen for using a racial slur ... and he wants to see Morgan get his due at award shows.

The country singer -- obviously famous from Hootie & the Blowfish -- says Morgan's worked hard to become a better person since he used the n-word during a drunken convo with a friend.

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PROFANE GOODBYE
TMZ.com

Appearing on Rolling Stone's 'Music Now' podcast, Darius said it still feels like Morgan hasn't been forgiven for the incident ... at least when it comes to CMA and ACM nominations.

PRINCE HARRY CONTROVERSY HE'S PERFECT FOR PAT TILLMAN AWARD ... Past Recipient Says

Prince Harry's a humble, stand-up guy who blends in as just another fellow veteran, making him deserving of the Pat Tillman Award for Service ... a former recipient tells us amid the outrage over ESPN's decision to honor the royal.

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WELL DESERVING
TMZ.com

U.S. Marine Jake Wood, who won the award in 2018, tells TMZ veterans who've interacted with Prince Harry through his Invictus Games efforts say he's as real as it gets. There's no air of superiority ... he just wants to sit, swap war stories, and ensure everyone's taken care of, he says.

No doubt in Jake's eyes, Harry's down-to-earth nature, on top of him devoting a large chunk of his post-military life to veterans, solidifies his worthiness for the award.

Prince Harry Deserves Pat Tillman Award ... Past Recipients Say

Prince Harry has key figures in his corner amid the outrage over ESPN's decision to honor him with the Pat Tillman Award for Service -- at least 2 former winners say Harry is definitely deserving.

Jake Wood, a U.S. Marine and former college football player who won the award in 2018, tells TMZ … the Duke of Sussex is a natural fit for the Tillman honor because of Harry's military service and his dedication to veterans.

Jake feels Prince Harry is a good choice because he's dedicated his life to serving and supporting the military and veterans -- Harry served 2 tours in Afghanistan -- and that should be commended because there are hundreds of different ways a British royal could live his life.

TMZ TV HOT TAKES Kanye's 'New Slaves' Suit ... The Juice, Brandon Aiyuk

Kanye West is facing some serious allegations, O.J. Simpson has the BET Awards in hot water and Brandon Aiyuk has a desired NFL landing spot ... all this on TMZ TV Hot Takes.

TMZ Live

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FACING ANOTHER LAWSUIT
TMZ.com

On "TMZ Live" Harvey and Charles break down a new lawsuit against Kanye, including allegations he mocked his employees as "new slaves."

ESPN Prince Harry Deserves Pat Tillman Award ... Defends Decision

ESPN is standing firm in its decision to honor Prince Harry with the Pat Tillman Award for Service at this month's ESPYs ... doubling down and saying the Duke of Sussex is a rightful recipient of the honor.

As we previously reported, Tillman's mother, Mary, was dissatisfied with this year's pick for the award ... saying there were plenty of lesser-known candidates that deserve some recognition -- and referring to Harry as "controversial and divisive" in the process.

ESPN talent Pat McAfee also dogged the selection ... claiming it felt like the network was purposely trying to strike a controversy.