TMZ Sports - Page 38

Singer and actress Cassie Ventura celebrated her 36th birthday big ... as in Texas big inside a new Houston nightclub with some super famous pals.

The vibes and drinks seemed to be flowing Wednesday at "Finish Your Champagne" and Cassie was spotted having a ball with a bubble gun, the perfect party weapon of choice.

Plenty of Cassie's famous friends turned out to help her pop the cork off the bottle ... which included NBA stars James Harden and Ja Morant, as well as industry pals Terrence J, Pleasure P, J Mulan, Alaric J. Klaos and Serayah.

A newly-single Ne-Yo was also spotted in the building ... weeks after his estranged wife revealed their marriage was done for good following cheating claims.

The R&B superstar did look unbothered though, especially as the DJ dropped plenty of Ne-Yo songs onto the party ... allowing for the birthday girl to bask in the moment.

Speaking of marriages, Cassie got married back in 2019 to Alex Fine ... who wasn't in the mix for his wife's birthday bash.

He did, however, wish her both a happy birthday and 3rd anniversary on Instagram, so all appears to be good.

Russell Wilson's wife, Ciara, showered her man with love, calling him her "greatest inspiration," after the QB received a massive 9-figure contract extension from the Denver Broncos!!

Ci tweeted, "Baby @DangeRussWilson, I am so proud of you! You’re the most dedicated and hardworking person I know! It’s been so beautiful to see you become a Bronco!"

"So excited for the journey ahead!" she added

Wilson -- who was a part of a blockbuster trade that sent him from the Seahawks to the Broncos -- agreed to a five-year, $245 million extension on Thursday ... which includes $165 million guaranteed, according to ESPN's Adam Schefter.

Russ tweeted Thursday morning before his extension was announced, "ALL THE GLORY TO JESUS!!! #HEisKING."

The couple has fully leaned into being a Bronco. In fact, Ciara teased that Russ got her an adorable puppy as a Mother's Day gift, and fittingly, they named it "Bronco."

The pup joined Russ, Ci, and their three children in a new $25 million home in Englewood, Colorado in April ... which sits on 5.34 acres..

The Wilson's new 20,060 square foot crib has four bedrooms, 12 bathrooms, a nine-car garage, and a large fireplace.

Even before they became local homeowners, the power couple made an immediate impact in the Denver community, visiting patients at the Children's Hospital in Colorado.

It's nothing new for Russ ... who has been one of the most charitable athletes in the world since joining the NFL in 2012 -- whether it be in Seattle or the Mile High city.

New Orleans Saints starting safety Marcus Maye was arrested on Thursday and booked on a charge of aggravated assault with a firearm, TMZ Sports has confirmed.

According to jail records, Maye was booked into Jefferson Parish Correctional Center in Louisiana at 12 AM ... and is still in custody.

The allegations against the 29-year-old are unclear, we're working on it.

Maye just signed a huge contract with the Saints back in March, inking a three-year, $28.5 million deal. He spent the first five seasons of his NFL career with the New York Jets, starting 60 games and recording 6 interceptions.

New Orleans had listed Maye as its starting strong safety in its pre-Week 1 depth chart.

Story developing ...

While Serena Williams continued to shock the world with her incredible play at the U.S. Open, TV announcers showed celebs who came out to support the G.O.A.T., including Dionne Warwick -- the only problem -- broadcasters mistook her for Gladys Knight.

And, it was just as cringe as it sounds.

Mary Carillo and Chanda Rubin were behind the mic for ESPN ... when during the third game of the first set, two women appeared on screen between points.

Chanda: Got some more stars ...
Mary: Gladys Knight ...
Chanda: Gladys Knight ...
Mary: Hello!

The problem ... it wasn't Knight, but 5-time Grammy Award winner and fellow legend, Dionne Warwick. In fairness, Gladys was in the building, too.

Shortly after the match, Chanda went to social media to explain what happened during the flub.

"Too bad I was initially looking at the court (where Auntie Gladys was in the stands) and not our program monitor that showed Ms. Dionne... mistake was immediately corrected.🤦🏽‍♀️," the former player-turned-broadcaster clarified.

It wasn't the first time a star has been mistaken for another celeb during this year's U.S. Open. During Serena's first-round match, a short video posted online went viral after the poster confused actress and advocate Laverne Cox for Beyonce.

On Wednesday, there were a ton of other stars in the building, too ... including Tiger Woods, Gigi & Bella Hadid, Spike Lee, Anna Wintour, Seal, La La Anthony and many more.

They were all in the building to watch Serena ... who after winning on Monday, went on to defeat #2 seed Anett Kontaveit. Williams now advances to the third round, where she'll face Ajla Tomljanović.

As for the flub, neither Dionne nor Gladys have addressed it.

Eli Palfreyman -- a rising junior ice hockey star -- has died after he collapsed during a preseason tournament game on Tuesday in Ontario.

He was only 20 years old.

Palfreyman -- who was in his 2nd year with the Ayr Centennials of the Greater Ontario Junior Hockey League -- collapsed while he and his team were in the locker room during the first intermission of their Ayr Farmers Mutual Global Invitational tournament game at the North Dumfries Community Complex.

Waterloo Regional Police tell us officers arrived at the arena after receiving a medical emergency call, adding that "members of the community assisted the individual until emergency services attended."

Palfreyman was transported to Cambridge Memorial Hospital but, tragically, he was pronounced dead. A cause of death has not yet been revealed.

Palfreyman's Ayr Centennials team is heartbroken over his passing ... saying in a statement, "Thank you all for the outpouring of love for our beloved captain and beautiful young man Eli."

"Words cannot describe how much it means to his family/Cens family. We are all broken but feel your arms around us ❤️ #RIP17 ❤️"

Palfreyman was just named team captain for this upcoming season ... and said last Friday he was honored to receive the title.

The Greater Ontario Junior Hockey League has postponed all games scheduled for this week "out of respect for Eli and his family."

North Dumfries Township Mayor Sue Foxton also ordered flags to be flown at half-mast as a tribute to the hockey player.

New York Mets closer Edwin Diaz's walk-out song, "Narco," sounded a little different on Wednesday ... 'cause Timmy Trumpet was there to perform a live rendition of his song, right on the Citi Field grass, and it was awesome!

It all went down during the Dodgers and Mets game in Queens ... when New York called on their star relief man to seal the deal in the ninth inning.

Baseball fans know the 28-year-old pitcher's entrance song is "Narco" by Trumpet ... and lucky for Mets fans, the Australian musician happened to be in NYC.

Trumpet grabbed his instrument and did his thing, hitting all the notes from the 2017 song -- featuring DJ Blasterjaxx -- while Diaz jogged to the mound.

The crowd was hyped ... and so was Diaz! He ended up shutting down the Dodgers -- who currently have the best record in baseball -- defeating L.A. by a score of 2-1.

"It was pretty fun," Diaz told media after the game, saying, "I could feel the vibe from the fans. They were really excited."

"I think I can feel the difference because you know he was performing the trumpets live. It was really fun to watch."

BTW, Timmy was also at the Mets' game on Tuesday, where he performed 'Take Me Out To The Ball Game.' Unfortunately, NY lost the game.

Stefon Diggs is helping kids in Buffalo as they gear up for another year of school -- by handing out backpacks and gift cards at the site of the tragic Tops mass shooting earlier this year.

The Bills' star wide receiver partnered with the city of Buffalo to hold the event, where he handed out 300 Nike gift cards and 300 Nike backpacks filled with supplies.

Stefon approached Mayor Byron Brown's office with the idea of holding the giveaway outside the Tops on Jefferson Ave -- where 10 were killed and 3 others were injured in May -- and plans on making it an annual event, according to WIVB4.

"I saw my mom struggle ... so as far as paying it forward and doing my due diligence, this is what my mom would want me to do anyway,” Diggs told the outlet.

"I feel like I’m being impactful, and I’m going to always do something in the inner city."

The wideout also took photos with Tops employees -- and put smiles on the faces of young fans, sending them home with signed t-shirts and footballs, per the outlet.

Diggs and the Bills have stepped up in a major way since the awful tragedy ... devoting time, energy, and resources to restoring the community.

Stefon -- a fan favorite in Buffalo for his dynamic playmaking skills on the gridiron -- told News 4 giving back gives him a different sense of fulfillment.

"It’s one of those things that make you feel more full inside. I like scoring touchdowns. I like making plays – that’s a good feeling as well," Diggs said.

F1 star Lando Norris has a personal update heading into race weekend -- the McLaren driver just announced he is no longer dating his girlfriend, Luisinha Oliveira.

The 22-year-old posted the news to Instagram on Thursday ... saying, "After time and consideration, Luisa and myself have mutually decided to end our relationship but remain good friends."

"I wish her the world and have so much respect for her and all she does as an amazing and strong woman with nothing but kindness."

Norris and Oliveira went public with their relationship in January ... but were rumored to be together months prior. They celebrated their one-year anniversary just three weeks ago.

Norris -- who's 7th in the driver standings -- is currently prepping for the Dutch Grand Prix this weekend ... where he finished 10th in 2021.

Lando continued ... "Please respect our decision and respect our -- but more importantly and especially her privacy moving forward."

"Thank you for your endless support."

His post has since been deleted from his social media.

The demand to see Serena Williams continue her final U.S. Open run has resulted in some insane ticket prices for Friday's match ... with some seats tripling in value!!

TMZ Sports has learned ... fans rushed to buy their spot at Arthur Ashe Stadium for Williams' 3rd-round match against Ajla Tomljanović immediately after the GOAT's win on Wednesday.

Considering it could be Serena's last singles match of her career, seats that were originally MUCH cheaper on Wednesday will now cost a pretty penny.

For example ... the cheapest tickets for Friday were originally $160 before Serena's win, but increased to $450 right after her thrilling victory, according to ticket tech company Logitix.

Seats in the 100 levels also got more expensive -- going from $405 before the win to $1,530 after the match.

But, the company says the biggest increase was in the courtside section -- where seats went from $805 to $3,500.

As we previously reported, there has been a long list of rich celebs who have flocked to Flushing to watch Williams do her thing ... and let's face it, there's no price they wouldn't pay to be there.

The book on Serena Williams' career ain't closed yet ... the tennis legend moved on in the U.S. Open on Wednesday night with a huge win -- and Tiger Woods was there to cheer it all on!!

Williams upset No. 2 seed Anett Kontaveit, 7-6 (4), 2-6, 6-2, in New York -- dominating the third set.

The 40-year-old looked to be in vintage form, despite only playing a handful of times prior to the major tournament this year.

The crowd was packed with celebs for the evening -- which many believed was going to be Serena's final match of her career -- with Woods, Bella Hadid, Gigi Hadid, Spike Lee, Zendaya, Jared Leto and more going crazy after every point she won.

Even LeBron James cheered on from his couch -- calling her a "G.O.A.T." after she secured the victory.

Following the W, Serena lingered on the court for several minutes -- soaking it all in.

"It's no rush here," she said in a post-match interview. "I'm loving this crowd. Oh my goodness. It's really fantastic. So there's a little left in me."

Williams, who beat Danka Kovinic earlier in the week to advance to Wednesday's match, said in early August she would retire after the U.S. Open -- which has created a huge demand for celebs and normies to catch her final moments on the court.

For Monday's match, Bill Clinton, Hugh Jackman and Mike Tyson all made it out to support tennis' greatest of all time.

"Survivor" alum and "The Challenge: USA" contestant Tyson Apostol thinks he could wipe the floor with the OG's of the MTV program ... but series staple Johnny Bananas thinks he has no clue what he's talkin' about.

We got Johnny in New York Tuesday at RiseNY ... and he thinks Tyson's claims aren't holding up -- adding the reality star is a little too new to the series to be yappin' his mouth.

Simply put -- Johnny doesn't think TA's ready to run with the big boys.

In case you missed it, Tyson's been a standout contestant on the CBS spinoff, but last month he called out a majority of the cast on Twitter ... saying the face-off would be a cakewalk.

"The Challenge: USA" -- wrapping its first season -- takes recognizable faces from "Big Brother," "Survivor" and other CBS shows and pits them against each other, just like MTV's does.

Tai Tuivasa is feeling horny, and it can only mean one thing ... it's time to fight!!

TMZ Sports talked to the 29-year-old, #3 ranked UFC heavyweight ahead of his UFC Fight Night scrap with #1 ranked challenger, Ciryl Gane ... in Paris, where Bon Gamin lives and trains. We asked Tai what he had to look out for fighting CG.

"Ciryl is a great athlete. Great competitor. Really good fighter. There's gonna be a few challenges, but I think he's got a bit to worry about as well, know what I mean? I'm gonna do what Bam Bam does and come to fight, and I'm gonna bring the fire, that's for sure."

FYI, Gane is coming off a loss to Francis Ngannou in January (unanimous decision). It was the first loss of his career (10-1). Tai has won his last 5 ... including wins over Derrick Lewis, Greg Hardy and Stefan Struve.

Anyone who's watched Tuivasa fight knows win or loss (there's been a lot more winning than losing), he's going to throw bombs, and someone is going to sleep. That's why he's a fan favorite.

On September 3rd, he's going into enemy territory ... but you already know Tai isn't the least bit worried.

"I look at it as an opportunity to earn more fans from another country and another place. So yeah, I'm excited. I definitely came to find some new French fans."

There's even more than a possible title shot and new fans on the line ... Tai says his contract's up after the Ciryl fight, and he's looking to get a solid pay increase.

"All I'm focused on is winning this Saturday and negotiating a new contract for bigger money," Tuivasa says.

"I'm a prize fighter. I know that if I win this weekend, it's going to help me dramatically in my next contract negotiation."

If he wins, Tai says he's eager to sample the French beer ... when he does a shoe-y.

"My mates have been having beers at breakfast. They said it tastes pretty good, so I'm definitely keen to give it a swirl!"

We also asked Tai about Jon Jones -- a  possible future opponent for Tai. Tuivasa recently made news when he called Jones the best fighter ever, but also called him a "d******d."

Tai's clearly interested in the fight, but says Gane's his only focus right now.

No arrests have been made in the case of the couple accused of engaging in a sex act at an A's game earlier this month -- but cops say they at least have a pic of the suspects ... releasing it to TMZ Sports on Wednesday.

The Oakland Police Dept. tells us it believes the man in the black shirt and the woman in the pink pants are the ones who got a little too frisky in the stands at the A's vs. Mariners game at RingCentral Coliseum on Aug. 21.

According to cops, the couple is alleged to have committed the crime of a lewd act in public. We're told if charged and convicted, each could be facing up to 6 months behind bars and/or a fine of up to $1,000.

Police tell us they're still on the hunt for the suspects ... and are encouraging anyone with info on the two to reach out to the OPD Special Victims Section at (510) 238-3641.

Serena Williams got a special gift from her Nike family as she plays what possibly could be her last tennis tournament -- a pair of custom Virgil Abloh kicks in honor of her late friend.

The tennis legend posted a video unveiling several boxes of sneakers from the shoe conglomerate -- and naturally, her favorite pair was the one inspired by the fashion icon.

Serena said the grey and green kicks inspired by Virgil -- the fashion designer who unexpectedly passed away last year -- have her name in quotes, paying homage to Abloh.

Williams also said Nike took some ideas for the design of the kicks from a tutu dress she wore while competing ... that she's "obsessed with."

Serena and Abloh's relationship is well-documented -- the tennis star famously modeled in his Off-White fashion show during Paris Fashion Week in February.

Williams -- who's won 23 Grand Slam singles titles in her career including 6 U.S. Open tournaments -- took the court in style on Monday, donning a custom dress and shoes encrusted with 400 diamonds.

SW sent shockwaves throughout the sports world when she announced ahead of the U.S. Open that she would be "evolving away" from tennis after the tournament.

Baker Mayfield is clearing the air on allegedly saying he'd "f*** up" the Cleveland Browns in Week 1 ... claiming he didn't even come close to hurling the bulletin board material.

Earlier this week, NFL Media's Cynthia Frelund stated she spoke with the new Carolina Panthers QB after their preseason game against the Buffalo Bills ... and claimed he told her he was going to get revenge on his former team with an NSFW statement.

It's a comment that almost certainly lit a fire under his old teammates' asses ... with Myles Garrett saying the Browns were going to "take it and use it."

But Baker spoke with the media at practice on Wednesday ... and he says the conversation didn't go as Frelund claimed.

"Well, first, I didn't say it," Baker told reporters.

"That is not how I phrased it. That's not even what I said."

Bake claims he "didn't even say anything" other than wanting to get a win in Week 1 ... which isn't nearly as eye-opening as the initial statement.

If Mayfield is telling the truth, it was a pretty believable quote nonetheless -- after all, this is the guy who went #1 overall in the 2018 draft but still played with a chip on his shoulder.

As for Frelund, she later admitted she should have kept the conversation private ... but stood by her intent -- which was to show support for the QB.

It's been a long time coming, but Stephen Curry is FINALLY in the rafters at Davidson -- the NBA superstar had his jersey retired this week ... after officially receiving his degree from his alma mater!!

We know what you're thinking -- how on earth has this not happened yet?! As it turns out, Davidson has a strict rule against giving the honor to players who didn't finish their education.

With that being said, Curry -- who spent 3 seasons starring at Davidson -- put in the time to earn a Bachelor of Arts degree with a major in Sociology ... and on Wednesday, he was inducted into the Davidson Athletics Hall of Fame!!

While at Davidson, Curry averaged over 24.7 points per game in his 3 seasons with the Wildcats ... including a staggering 28.6 points per game in his final year with the program.

Steph's wife, Ayesha, and their three kids were on campus to support him ... and his parents, Dell and Sonya, took the podium to share a few words about their son's latest achievement.

Steph was one semester short of graduating, so the 2-time MVP re-enrolled at the school for the spring semester, working closely with two professors to achieve his goal, per Davidson.

It was all about Steph on Wednesday ... because he was the only one walking at the commencement!!

Once Curry completed his final semester of coursework, it paved the way for Davidson to honor the three-point sniper by hanging his jersey in the rafters for good.

During his speech, Steph was overwhelmed with emotion ... calling his move to pursue education at Davidson the best decision he ever made.

Curry is fresh off winning his 4th NBA title in June after defeating the Celtics in the Finals ... so there's a lot to celebrate.