TMZ Sports - Page 50

James Caan, the legendary actor made famous for his roles in films like "The Godfather," "Brian's Song" has died.

This was just posted on James' Twitter account -- "It is with great sadness that we inform you of the passing of Jimmy on the evening of July 6. The family appreciates the outpouring of love and heartfelt condolences and asks that you continue to respect their privacy during this difficult time."

Caan's breakout role came in 1972, when he played Sonny on "The Godfather." He was nominated for an Oscar for Best Supporting Actor as well as a Golden Globe.

He reprised the role in 'Godfather II.'

Before 'Godfather' Caan played Brian Piccolo in "Brian's Song."

James was in numerous movies ... including "Misery," "Dick Tracy" and "Elf."

Caan was born in the Bronx ... the son of Jewish immigrants from Germany. His dad was a butcher.

James played football at Michigan State University.

Caan was a fixture at the Playboy Mansion in the '70s and '80s ... he loved to party and was never shy about speaking his mind.

He has 5 kids, including Scott, an actor himself who starred in "Hawaii Five-0."

James was married most recently to Linda Stokes from 1995-2009.

James was 82.

It's Michael, bitch!!

UFC star Michael Chandler traded the gloves for a mic during his appearance on "The Masked Singer" national tour stop in Nashville on Wednesday ... belting out Britney Spears' "...Baby One More Time" -- and it's hilarious!!

Look, the dude ain't gonna win a Grammy anytime soon ... but it certainly looked like he had a blast -- shaking his hips and pulling off some dance moves that would make Brit proud.

Chandler's fam was present for the whole thing -- cheering him on as he made it through the 1999 hit.

No school girl outfit here -- Chandler's masked character was a boombox ... which might explain why he couldn't perfectly execute Spears' signature choreography.

The lightweight badass was eventually revealed by singer Natasha Bedingfield ... with the crowd going wild during the big moment.

Brittney Griner is back in court in Russia as her trial continues onward ... but this time, she made sure to bring a very personal item with her -- a photo of her wife.

Cameras captured the WNBA superstar walking into a Moscow courtroom for another hearing in her drug case on Thursday morning ... and you can see in her hand, very clearly, was a photo of Cherelle Griner.

The picture appears to be a screen grab from one of Cherelle's recent television interviews ... and next to it, there was also a photo of Brittney holding a basketball.

Brittney seemed to want to make sure cameras snapped her holding the pics ... as she held out the paper and stared at photogs camped inside the halls of the courthouse on her way inside.

The 33-year-old hooper wore a red Crenshaw T-shirt, red sweats ... and had a stern look on her face.

The loud-and-clear message from Brittney comes just one day after both President Joe Biden and Vice President Kamala Harris spoke with Cherelle about Brittney's case.

White House officials said Biden and Harris assured Cherelle on the call they're pursuing "every avenue to bring Brittney home" and promised that they're "working to secure Brittney’s release as soon as possible."

Cherelle said in a statement shortly after the call she was "grateful" for the U.S. officials' contact ... but added at a rally for Brittney at the Footprint Center in Phoenix hours later that she "honestly can't rest until" Brittney is back on U.S. soil.

As we reported, Brittney is facing up to 10 years behind bars in Russia after she was accused of having drugs in her luggage at a Moscow airport back in mid-February.

Megan Rapinoe's in Washington D.C. to receive the Presidential Medal of Freedom, but while the soccer star's physically at the White House, it's clear her thoughts are very much with Brittney Griner in Russia.

Just hours after the Phoenix Mercury star pled guilty in a Moscow court, the Olympic gold medalist shared a photo of her outfit for Thursday's ceremony at 1600 Pennsylvania Ave ... and it features the WNBA star's initials stitched into the suit.

In addition to the "BG" ... there's also a flower stitched onto the lapel of the pearl-colored blazer.

"The most important part of today," the 37-year-old said.

Rapinoe is on her way to the White House where she'll be presented with the medal ... the highest honor a civilian can receive from the government.

President Biden -- who recently spoke with Griner's wife, Cherelle, about Brittney's imprisonment -- will present the medal to Rapinoe.

"The President called Cherelle," the White House said on Wednesday, "to reassure her that he is working to secure Brittney’s release as soon as possible."

The dream Wimbledon final of Rafael Nadal vs. Novak Djokovic is no more ... Nadal just pulled out of the event due to an abdominal injury.

The Spanish tennis superstar just informed officials of his decision ... one day before he was set to take on Nick Kyrgios in a semifinals match.

Nadal had been battling the injury throughout this month's tournament in London ... but after testing it out in a practice session on Thursday, he couldn't push it any further.

Nadal, according to reports, could swing his forehand and backhand just fine while dealing with the tear in his abdominal wall -- but serving with velocity and accuracy was a different story.

Kyrgios will now advance to the final and play the winner of Friday's Djokovic vs. Cameron Norrie matchup.

Nadal is expected to discuss his decision with media members later Thursday afternoon.

Macy Gray's performance on the "Today" show was supposed to include a Brittney Griner protest ... but the singer and her keyboardist says network honchos wouldn't let it happen.

Billy Wes arrived at NBC Studios in New York City on Thursday morning rocking a black tee shirt with bold white letters reading, "FREE BRITNEY GRINER" ... but when he was on-air, the message was mysteriously hidden.

We asked Milly what happened after the show ... and he told us "Today" honchos told him he couldn't wear the shirt and made him turn it inside out. Macy stopped to talk to us, saying Brittney's situation is really a sad one, and says the plan was for Wes to wear the shirt.

Milly wouldn't tell our camera what explanation he was given as to why he couldn't wear the shirt on-air ... but you can tell he was bummed out.

As we reported ... Brittney pled guilty in Russian court to drug possession and smuggling charges on the heels of President Biden saying he was ramping up efforts to secure her release.

Colin Kaepernick is NOT buying into the BIG3 -- despite a report the star quarterback was teaming up with Ice Cube to invest in the hoops league -- with a rep for Kap telling TMZ Sports the story is bogus.

On Wednesday night, Shams Charania reported 34-year-old Kap was stepping in as an investor to help Cube's hoops league, which the NBA insider said was "on the verge of potentially shutting down."

But, a rep for Kaepernick tells us the story just isn't true ... Colin is not working with BIG3.

Ice Cube -- alongside several business partners -- launched the league in 2017. The games feature mostly former NBA players -- many stars -- who play 3-on-3 games.

As for the league's reported struggles ... in an interview last month, the rap legend said the Association hasn't exactly been a supporter of the young league, saying the NBA "hasn't been the nicest to the Big3."

Cube continued ... "Of course, publicly, they say all the right words, Cube said, "but we know privately, there are things done behind the scenes [with] sponsors, broadcasters, blah blah blah. It soured me a little bit ... It did tarnish my fandom a bit."

Meanwhile, Kaepernick -- who hasn't played in the NFL since 2016 -- is still very interested in returning to the league where he once led the 49ers to the Super Bowl.

Alfa Romeo driver Zhou Guanyu will be behind the wheel for the Austrian Grand Prix this weekend ... just days after surviving a horrifying crash at Silverstone.

"Finished the final medical check, all good to go!" Guanyu tweeted Thursday morning ... sharing a pic with FIA staffers.

"Thanks to all of the people who supported me during this time, means the world. ❤️ #AustrianGP LET'S GO! 💪🏼"

The news is pretty incredible ... especially considering how serious the scene was during the first lap of the British Grand Prix.

As we reported, the crash happened after Alpha Tauri's Pierre Gasly tried to squeeze between Zhou and Mercedes' George Russell ... but ended up making contact with Russel, who then bumped into Zhou.

Despite his car flipping and going over the tire barrier, Zhou -- F1's first Chinese driver -- shared positive news shortly after the incident ... saying he was all good and in great spirits.

NFL wide receiver David Moore -- who just signed a contract with the Chicago Bears this offseason -- was arrested this month after he allegedly fell asleep in a Taco Bell drive-thru, TMZ Sports has learned.

According to the Gainesville Police Dept., officers found Moore asleep in the driver's seat of a 2018 Ford F250 at the local fast-food joint at around 11:18 PM on July 3.

Cops say they were able to make contact with Moore -- and claim he smelled of weed during questioning.

An ensuing search, police say, revealed he had "a package of THC edible candies along with three pistols" in his car. Moore was arrested for possession of a controlled substance and unlawful carrying of weapons.

Records show Moore was booked into Cooke County, Texas jail on July 4 ... on the weapon and drug charges. The records show he bonded out a short time later.

Moore -- who's from Gainesville, Texas -- was selected by the Seattle Seahawks in the 7th round of the 2017 NFL Draft, and quickly became a reliable target for Russell Wilson.

In four seasons with the 'Hawks, he recorded 78 catches for 1,163 yards and 13 TDs.

He later went on to play for the Panthers, Raiders, Broncos and Packers -- before signing with Chicago in April.

Kazuki Takahashi, creator of the hit TV series "Yu-Gi-Oh," and eventual inspiration for the trading card game, has passed away in Japan, according to the country's Coast Guard.

He was 60.

A spokesman told the New York Times that Takahashi -- who had been traveling alone while vacationing -- died from unknown causes while snorkeling.

His body was found Wednesday floating off the coast of Nago -- a city on Okinawa Island in Southern Japan -- the spokesman said.

The Coast Guard is investigating his death.

Takahashi's success with anime began in his early 20s, but it wasn't until 1996 -- when he created "Yu-Gi-Oh" -- he would realize just how popular the series would become.

Takahashi said in 2019 that when he created the manga, the original concept was to show different ways to battle each week. However, after two weeks of drawing out the characters he created, he decided to make the series about a trading card game.

Of course, the Yu-Gi-Oh trading card game -- which debuted in the United States in March 2002 -- went on to become one of the most popular card games in the country rivaling the likes of Pokemon.

The franchise is estimated to have made over $17.1 billion, including over $960 million in sales of Takahashi's manga series, according to Newsweek.

Fans of Yu-Gi-Oh were shocked once they learned Takahashi died ... including former NFL player Cassius Marsh, who posted a picture of Yugi -- the show's main protagonist -- on his Instagram story with a sad emoji.

R.I.P.

Amber Heard's getting a small shot at redemption -- not in court, but in a wrestling ring where, you guessed it ... Mini Johnny Depp squares off against Mini Amber!!!

Yeah, they might be testing the limits of the world's fascination with the bitter exes, but Wednesday night the good folks at Micromania M****t Wrestling put on their version of the defamation trial at the Whisky A Go-Go ... complete with a Mini Camille Vasquez in Johnny's corner.

Ya can't knock the theater of it all -- Amber entered the ring to the Buckcherry hit, "Crazy Bitch," and Johnny swashbuckled in to the "Pirates of the Caribbean" theme.

As for the ring action ... well, you really just gotta see it, but here's a short summary: Both minis get in their shots, with Amber delivering the most humiliating blow. As the ring announcer so eloquently put it, "She wiped s**t on his face! What the f**k?!?"

Poetry.

Anyway, just like in the Fairfax courthouse, Johnny came out on top ... delivering a Jimmy "Superfly" Snuka finishing move, and then pinning Mini Amber. Mini Camille even got in a parting shot.

It's official -- Jake Paul has found Tommy Fury's replacement for his August 6 fight ... he's going up against former boxing champion Hasim Rahman's son.

25-year-old Paul shared the big news just minutes ago ... saying he will be stepping in the ring against 31-year-old Hasim Rahman Jr. at Madison Square Garden.

Paul praised his new opponent in the announcement ... saying HRJ is bigger, stronger, more experienced and has more knockout power.

"But it doesn't matter," Jake said Thursday. "They don't have my heart, don't have my drive & definitely don't have my team."

"August 6 I'm showing the world that Jake Paul is a bad motherf***er."

Paul is moving on from a boxing champ's brother to a boxing champ's son -- HRJ's dad is the former two-time world heavyweight champ, who posted a 50-9-2 record throughout his career.

As for HRJ, he is 12-1 ... most recently losing to James McKenzie Morrison via TKO.

Rahman Jr. and Paul have experience in the ring together, with Hasim praising the YouTube superstar after sparring in the past.

Folks wanting to see Jake fight Tommy may not want to hold their breath ... 'cause the two had a back-and-forth on Thursday, where Jake offered Fury $500k to fight after Aug. 6.

Naturally, Tommy declined.

Paul vs. Rahman Jr. will be part of the main event at MSG ... co-headlining with the Amanda Serrano and Brenda Carabajal fight.

Rafael dos Anjos plans to be a UFC champ again, but the future Hall of Famer isn't fighting a top 5 ranked opponent when he returns to the Octagon Saturday night ... 'cause RDA tells TMZ Sports the dudes at the top of the division simply won't fight him.

"We're trying to get a fight with all the guys ahead of me on the rankings, but nobody seems to want to fight," #7 ranked dos Anjos says, adding many fighters will only face guys ranked higher than them.

We asked the soon-to-be 38-year-old fighter -- who's beaten guys like Nate Diaz, Robbie Lawler, and Donald Cerrone -- specifically who turned down the fight.

"Everybody. We tried everybody. We tried [Michael] Chandler, we tried [Justin] Gaethje. We tried everybody. It seems to not work. We threw all the names out there. Trying to get a better fight with a better-ranked opponent. But, besides Beneil Dariush, he's my friend, I didn't try to fight him. But other than that, seems like nobody wants to take a 'step back.'"

FYI, there's (technically) no lightweight champ. The strap was stripped from Charles Oliveira (#1) after he missed weight prior to his title fight with Justin (#3) in May. Dustin Poirier is ranked #2, Islam Makhachev #4, Chandler #5, and Dariush is #6.

As for the guy RDA is fighting ... 29-year-old Rafael Fiziev is a savage. He's ranked #10, and has only lost once (11-1) in his professional career. RF last fought in December 2021 ... when he knocked out Brad Riddell with a spinning head kick in the final round.

Both top 10 fighters are attempting to get to the same place ... the top of the lightweight division. Dos Anjos has been there before ... defeating Anthony Pettis for the LW belt in 2015.

Fiziev's trying to claw his way to the top for the first time.

Jerry Harris, star of Netflix's "Cheer," has just been sentenced to 12 years behind bars in his child pornography case.

Harris was in court for sentencing Wednesday, where a string of his friends and supporters read statements about the disgraced reality star's character. After the lengthy hearing, the judge announced the 12-year sentence.

Fed source tells TMZ … Harris has been ordered into 8 years to pay $35,000 into AVAA crime victims fund, along with court-supervised release after imprisonment.

As we reported, Harris was facing up to 50 years behind bars after pleading guilty to one count of receipt of child pornography, and one count of traveling with the intent to engage in illicit sexual conduct ... federal prosecutors recommended Harris spend 15 years locked away.

The "Cheer" star had been under investigation by the FBI dating back to 2019. Authorities claimed he was soliciting sex from minors at cheer competitions, and coercing teen boys to send inappropriate photos.

He was arrested in September of the following year -- the Netflix series even dove into his arrest during their second season.

Harris' cheerleading coach, Monica Aldama, was completely shocked by the news ... saying, "Our children must be protected from abuse and exploitation, and I'm praying hard for the victims and everyone affected."

He was denied bond while awaiting trial ... prosecutors successfully argued Harris might prey on minors if released on bond, reverting back to the same behavior he once had.

An investigation is underway at SoFi Stadium after dive teams found a body in the lake in front of the Rams and Chargers' home venue in L.A. on Wednesday.

The Los Angeles County Fire Dept. says firefighters were dispatched to the stadium at around 6 AM after they received reports that someone had jumped into the man-made body of water in Inglewood and never resurfaced.

Dive teams searched the lake for hours, using sonar operations, and eventually recovered the body of what officials said was a 45-year-old male.

Inglewood Mayor James Butts said Wednesday afternoon a motive for the man jumping into the lake was unknown. Butts added surveillance video showed it "kind of" looked like the man "didn't know how to swim."

"This is someone that made a conscious decision to trespass onto the property, get into the lake and he ended up having some distress and difficulty," Butts said. "So I don't think there's anything SoFi could've done to prevent this."

The lake -- located just south of the stadium -- is 5.5 acres big, around 15 feet deep and holds up to 11 million gallons of water.

It was reportedly designed to capture rainwater to water the plants around the stadium.

Jerone Davison, a Republican running for Congress, is embracing assault weapons, saying there's a place for them in America ... especially when it comes to subduing members of the KKK.

It's a bizarre and disturbing political ad ... Davison leans in hard on Democrats with his hypothetical that he would need 30 rounds fired in rapid succession to protect his family.

Davison, a former Oakland Raiders running back who's running in Arizona, suggests Democrats are the ones inside the Klan hoods.

The video shows hooded Klansmen with donkey patches on their robes menacingly approaching a home where Davison is hanging out with an AR-15. He's the only one with a firearm, and when he brandishes the rifle the Klansmen turn and run.

The ad ends with a white hood floating in a pool ... and in a social media post promoting the spot, Davison says, "Make Rifles Great Again 💪🏽."