TMZ Sports - Page 36

Former NBA star Ben Gordon allegedly punched his son in the face multiple times at an NYC airport after the 10-year-old boy dropped a book, a witness told police.

As we previously reported ... the 39-year-old former 3rd overall draft pick (2004) was taken into custody Monday night around 9 PM, and now we've learned more about the retired hoopers' alleged actions.

A witness -- an American Airlines employee -- told Port Authority PD they watched Gordon strike his minor son in the "face multiple times."

Police responded to the area ... and when they arrived, Gordon told them the boy was his son. The child was taken to a local hospital where he was examined. It's unclear if he sustained any injuries.

Cops say they attempted to put the 6'3" former professional athlete in handcuffs, but he refused, flailing his arms and twisting his body in an attempt to not be handcuffed. Gordon allegedly said, "I am not going with you guys."

In the struggle, two cops say they were hurt ... one sustained a knee injury, and the other an injury to their arm and wrist. Both officers were treated at the hospital.

To make matters worse for Gordon, he wasn't even supposed to be with his son in a different state ... 'cause there was a restraining order put in place by an Illinois judge in May 2018.

According to police, Ben was prohibited from "committing physical abuse" against his son, as well as from taking him out of the state.

The alleged incident happened in Queens, New York.

Gordon was hit with 9 charges.

- Assault in 2nd degree (2 counts)
- Criminal contempt
- Assault in 3rd degree
- Resisting Arrest
- Criminal Contempt in 2nd degree
- Endangering the welfare of a child
- Attempted assault in 3rd degree

It's not the first time the former NBA player, who also won an NCAA championship with Jim Calhoun at UCONN in 2004, has been in trouble with the law ... but Ben had seemingly kept his nose clean the last few years until the alleged airport incident with his son.

Gordon was arraigned Tuesday night in the Queens County Criminal Court ... he's due back in a New York City courtroom later this month.

A Florida bodybuilder has been charged with the gruesome death of his ex-wife this week ... after being accused of incinerating her body in a backyard.

43-year-old Ian Christopher Baunach -- a former Marine -- was arraigned on Monday on first-degree murder charges in the death of Katie Baunach.

The last time Katie was seen alive was on September 29 ... when a friend claims she said she intended to go to Ian's to get some of her things, but never returned.

Police were called to Ian's home the next day, where they discovered Katie's car parked outside, but he refused to let them in. Once officers revisited the residence with a warrant, Katie's car was gone.

Once inside Ian's home ... detectives say they noticed signs of a struggle and evidence of blood stains.

Officers say they also found an AR-15 upper receiver and 13 silencers, a Glock Model 27 .40 caliber pistol inside a plastic bag on a bookshelf inside a safe. Katie's engagement ring and wedding ring were there as well.

Detectives say they found human remains outside of Ian's home -- including a jawbone with a tooth still intact -- in a fresh burn pile that smelled like flesh, according to docs ... which was near a 50-gallon barrel.

The bodybuilder contends he never killed her, claiming she disappeared. Ian, however, did admit the two got into an argument over another woman.

Ian was taken into custody two days after Katie's death -- and was charged with first-degree premeditated murder, destruction/concealment of physical evidence, and cremating a dead body.

Ian pled not guilty to the charges in Tampa court this week.

Last month, Katie filed for a restraining order against Ian ... after accusing him of abusing one of their children. Ian was also arrested on charges of domestic battery by strangulation in November 2021

Kanye West's mouth is forcing LeBron James and his producers to scrap an entire episode of 'The Shop' ... after they say he spewed "dangerous stereotypes" while they were recording.

LeBron's show normally drops on his 'Uninterrupted' YouTube channel, but late Tuesday night -- after shooting with Ye on Monday -- he and Maverick Carter opted to pull the whole show, rather than edit around Ye's remarks.

Maverick says, “Kanye was booked weeks ago and, after talking to Kanye directly the day before we taped, I believed he was capable of a respectful discussion and he was ready to address all his recent comments. Unfortunately, he used 'The Shop' to reiterate more hate speech and extremely dangerous stereotypes."

He didn't get more specific about what Kanye said, but we know Twitter and Instagram recently put restrictions on his accounts after he posted antisemitic remarks ... and, of course, he's drawn a ton of backlash for the White Lives Matter T-shirts he's been wearing.

Golden State Warriors head coach Steve Kerr just revealed the extent of Draymond Green's punishment for punching teammate Jordan Poole in practice last week ... saying the NBA superstar will be fined and NOT suspended -- and he will rejoin the team on Thursday.

Kerr cut to the chase after the Dubs' preseason win over the Portland Trail Blazers on Tuesday ... starting off his postgame news conference by sharing an update on the 4-time champ.

Coach says the team has had "deep discussions" with players -- including Poole and Green, as well as Stephen Curry -- and other execs in the league about the incident ... and came to the conclusion that it was the best route to take after assessing everything.

Kerr -- who took the Warriors job in 2014 -- says it was "an exhaustive process" ... and it was a challenging decision.

"This is the biggest crisis that we've ever had since I've been coach here," Kerr said. "It's really serious stuff."

Kerr says he will not disclose the amount of Green's fine.

Poole and Green have had a sit-down conversation since the incident, Kerr said ... adding Jordan played a key part in determining the penalty.

By the sound of it, the two players have buried the hatchet and are willing to team up to defend their title this upcoming season.

Police have finished their investigation into the youth football game fight where LeGarrette Blount threw punches at a man ... and they've now kicked over the case to prosecutors, who will decide if the ex-NFL player will face criminal charges.

A spokesperson for the Gilbert Police Dept. tells TMZ Sports ... cops turned the case over to the Town of Gilbert Prosecutor's Office for review in the last few days.

It's unclear if the GPD recommended any charges in that handoff.

Prosecutors now have a choice -- file criminal charges against Blount ... or let him off. We've reached out for comment, but so far, we haven't heard back yet.

As we reported, cops initially began their investigation into Blount on Oct. 1, after he was involved in a huge fracas following the conclusion of a 12-year-old-and-under football game in Gilbert, Arizona.

Video, obtained by TMZ Sports, appears to show the three-time Super Bowl winner -- a coach for one of the teams involved in the game -- getting ticked off by something someone said in the postgame handshake line.

In the footage, Blount appears to sprint after somebody -- before throwing two punches at a man.

Cops say they were called to the scene, but the fight had concluded once they arrived. They said no injuries were reported.

Blount eventually apologized for his role in the incident, saying in a statement, "As a leader, coach, father and a role model I understand my actions are unacceptable. I hope and pray for your understanding and forgiveness and plan to continue to be a positive impact in the lives of our youth."

Johnny Knoxville was left looking like a real jackass for challenging a track phenom to a race ... because when they finally met up for an epic showdown -- he was left eating her dust!!

Here's the deal -- the stunt legend has been playfully trolling 13-year-old Junior Olympian Jaiya Patillo for months ... demanding a one-on-one battle to prove he can take her on in a 200-meter dash.

Well, that day finally came ... and let's just say Knox has to be wishing it didn't.

Give credit to Johnny for posting footage of the race to his 4 million Instagram followers ... 'cause he couldn't even last a second before he fell far behind, even though he brought his own cheerleaders for the event.

FYI -- Patillo is the top-ranked sprinter in her grade ... and has come in first at the AAU Junior Olympics and USATF National Junior Olympic Championships in the past. She's also gone viral on social media multiple times for showing off her insane speed.

According to her website, Jaiya's fastest 200-meter time is 25.48 seconds ... so, yeah, Johnny never stood a chance.

Knoxville was a great sport about it all ... but said he likes his chances at a second go 'round.

"And just because you NARROWLY beat me this time Jaiya it doesn’t mean there can’t be a rematch!!" Knoxville said.

Fall baseball is back ... and to commemorate the MLB's postseason, the teams still alive are hookin' up their fans with new food choices at their stadiums -- including the Yankees, who unveiled a massive, Aaron Judge-themed cheeseburger!

The Pinstripes, Braves, Dodgers, Astros, Guardians, Phillies and Mariners all introduced delicious meal choices this week for their supporters to enjoy during the playoffs.

In NY ... the Yanks revealed the "62" bacon burger in honor of Judge, who just became the American League home run king this season by hitting 62 dingers. The Bronx Bombers also showed off a new pumpkin spice milkshake, too.

The Dodgers are offering fans Lomo Saltado Fries -- which are made up of sautéed steak, bell peppers and onions drizzled with aji verde sauce.

The Braves -- who won the World Series last year -- brought out the OPPO "Taco" ... which is chicken rolled in naan featuring a bunch of toppings. It, of course, is named after an opposite-field home run.

Cleveland, meanwhile, has a new menu loaded with all sorts of options, from nachos to hot dogs, to chili, to braised beef.

Former Angels staffer Eric Kay has just been sentenced to 22 years in federal prison ... this after he was convicted of providing the drugs that led to Tyler Skaggs' death.

A federal judge in Texas just announced the sentence.

Kay, 48, had been facing a minimum of 20 years ... and up to life behind bars.

The longtime L.A. media relations official was initially arrested back in 2020 ... after authorities alleged he had given pills laced with fentanyl to Skaggs -- which ultimately led to the pitcher's tragic passing.

Officials claimed they had text message conversations between Kay and Skaggs from the night of the pitcher's overdose -- which prosecutors used as evidence to show the two talking about drugs.

Kay was indicted in 2020 on 1 count of conspiracy to possess fentanyl with the intent to distribute and 1 count of distribution of a controlled substance resulting in death. He was found guilty of the charges in Feb.

As we reported, Skaggs passed away in his hotel room in July 2019 just before the Angels were slated to take on the Rangers in a series in Texas. Toxicology results revealed he died from a deadly mix of booze, fentanyl and oxycodone.

Davante Adams was so furious after losing to the Chiefs on Monday, he put two hands on a man's chest and shoved him to the ground ... though he apologized for his actions just a few minutes later.

The shocking scene happened after Las Vegas fell 30-29 to Kansas City at Arrowhead Stadium ... when Adams was trying to leave the field to head back to the locker room.

As the Raiders superstar was making his way toward a stadium tunnel, a man toting a camera tripod got in his way ... and that's when the Vegas wide receiver pushed the dude so hard, he fell.

Two videos shot from inside of the stadium show the guy tumbling onto some carpeted concrete ... and Adams didn't even try to help him up.

But, moments later at his locker, Adams told media members he was remorseful over it all.

"I want to apologize to the guy," Adams said. "There was some guy running off the field, and he ran, like, jumped in front of me coming off the field and I bumped into him, kind of pushed him, and he ended up on the ground."

"So I wanted to say sorry to him for that because that was just frustration mixed with him literally just running in front of me. I shouldn't have responded that way, but that's how I initially responded. So, I want to apologize to him for that."

Adams -- who scored two touchdowns in the loss -- later tweeted out another apology ... saying he "felt horrible immediately" over it all.

Nelly is the kind of guy who will give you the jacket off his back -- just ask young NASCAR superfan Jacob Lemke, who experienced just that ... after a very cool encounter with the diamond-selling rapper.

Jake was born with Lesch-Nyhan syndrome, a rare genetic order, and he and his good friend Nate Salisbury were recently VIP pit guests during the 2022 playoff cup race at the Charlotte Motor Speedway ... where Nelly performed to kick off the event.

Nate tells us ... after the show and the driver introductions, Nelly was in the area posing for pics and conducting interviews when he spotted them and came right over.

You can see Jake's face light up as Nelly walks over ... complimenting his vest as he gifts him the custom Charlotte Motor Speedway jacket he was wearing for the performance.

Little did Nelly know, Jake was on hand to celebrate his 23rd birthday on a trip planned by Nate and his mother ... making the moment that much more special!!!

Nate says he used to be Jake's teacher and befriended him over 8 years ago.

Jake's father recently passed away but introduced Jake to the world of hip hop music and NASCAR before he died ... and it appears to be working!!!

T.I. will be stepping into an octagon for an MMA showdown with popular vlogger and anti-gang activist Charleston White ... that is, if Charleston gets his wish, after he and Tip started beefing over his son King Harris.

Charleston issued the fight challenge Tuesday ... which he claimed would be the last straw in a string of disses that have been festering for a couple of days.

According to Charleston, he and T.I. hopped on the phone last night to potentially resolve their differences, but that convo crashed and burned and here we are.

He wants T.I. to wear an eyepatch during the fight, presumably to stack the odds in his favor ... and he's also calling for "judge" Steve Harvey to referee the entire spectacle.

The Texas-based YouTuber went on to mock Tip's urban legend status ... teasing him for his "Motivation" lyrics ("I'm 5'9" with the soul of a 6'4" n***a")

He also wants to add some family ties to the fight card ... offering to have his son fight King as well as any other relatives sitting on the sidelines, willing to duke it out.

The malarkey began earlier this week when Charleston claimed he alerted Atlanta D.A. Fani Willis of King's video, where he threatened to beatdown the vlogger next time he stepped foot in the A-Town.

Brooks Koepka's wife, Jena Sims, just shared a truly BEHIND-the-scenes look at their big wedding day ... posting some stunning lingerie pics before throwing on her white dress -- and even shots of the PGA star in his skivvies!!

The hot couple tied the knot back in June ... having a lavish getaway ceremony in Turks and Caicos with their closest friends and family. They got engaged in 2021.

The model and actress explained to her Instagram followers on Tuesday she wanted to give an inside look at their special day ... and did so by adding some sexy images of the two wearing nothing but their undies prior to meeting at the altar.

Sims elected to go with a lacy bra and panties ... while Brooks kept it casual with some custom white boxer briefs with "GROOM" etched across his butt.

"Who wore it better?" Sims captioned the Melissa Marshall set ... but based on the comments, she's the clear winner.

Even friend Caroline Wozniaki had to gush over the pics ... saying, "Bodyyyyy🔥🔥🔥."

Brooks and Jena first went public at the U.S. Open in 2017 ... and haven't been shy about their love for each other ever since.

You know what they say about couples that pose in undies together .... they -- eh, forget it. They're hot.

Ex-NBA star Ben Gordon is in trouble with the law again -- the former Sixth Man of the Year was arrested at an airport on Monday after allegedly hitting his 10-year-old son.

TMZ Sports has confirmed ... 39-year-old Gordon was placed in handcuffs around 9 PM while waiting for a flight from LaGuardia in New York to Chicago. Two officers were injured during the arrest, according to the New York Post, although further details surrounding the incident have not been released.

The 2004 third-overall pick in the NBA Draft was transported to the Port Authority police department for processing ... and an aunt took the son to a local hospital to get checked out.

Gordon won an NCAA Championship with Jim Calhoun at UCONN in 2004 ... and went on to average 15 points, 2.5 rebounds and 2.5 assists per game in his 11-year career.

He has had several legal issues off the court -- he was arrested in June 2017 for allegedly freaking out in an apartment building and pulling the fire alarms.

Five months later, he was arrested for allegedly roughing up a man in an apartment.

Gordon spoke out about his battles with depression in 2020 ... saying, "I was obsessed with killing myself," but sought help to better his mental health.

The man who was leveled by Bobby Wagner after running on to the field during "Monday Night Football" last week suffered a concussion from the tackle ... this according to a police report obtained by TMZ Sports.

The Santa Clara Police Dept. says Alexander Taylor came to cops at around 1:45 p.m. on Oct. 4 -- nearly 24 hours after he was hit by Wagner during the Rams vs. 49ers game at Levi's Stadium.

He told them, according to the report, that he sustained multiple injuries after the Los Angeles linebacker drove his helmet and shoulder into him as he was streaking across the field with a smoke bomb.

"Mr. Taylor had a headache," cops said in the report, "a concussion without loss of consciousness, and a burn on his inner right bicep."

It's unclear if the burn was caused by his own smoke device. Cops say they are still investigating the incident.

As we reported, animal rights org. Direct Action Everywhere said Taylor -- along with a woman -- ran onto the field during the second quarter of the game to raise awareness for a trial involving the alleged theft of pigs from a factory farm.

A spokesperson for the group said Taylor -- who was cited over the field invasion -- filed the report because he believes a "blatant assault" took place.

Wagner said last week he took down the fan for safety reasons.

Draymond Green's mom is justifying her son's actions at Warriors practice last week ... saying he only hit Jordan Poole because he was shoved in the first place.

Mary Babers-Green went to social media to give her two cents on the wild incident ... and essentially put the blame on how Poole handled their interaction, claiming Draymond was not trying to pick a fight.

"That wasn't a Sucker punch," Babers-Green said on Monday. "Dray didn't aggressively go to Poole. His hands were down. Man to Man you go over to talk (to ask what's up, what you say)!"

"Got shoved and reacted," she added. "End of story!"

Mary also believes the incident has been blown out of proportion ... and says the two "can get beyond this."

"Anything is fixable! Everything ain't always what you think you see!"

As we previously reported, Green is taking a few days away from the team after TMZ Sports posted video of the practice punch ... and he has since apologized to the team, Poole and Poole's family.

The punch has been a major topic in the sports world ever since it was released -- but folks appear to be divided on whether or not it was a big deal.

Kenny "The Jet" Smith recently told us violent altercations happen all the time on NBA teams ... calling it nothing but a "scuffle."

Tom Brady is addressing the controversial penalty called in his team's favor during Sunday's game against the Atlanta Falcons ... saying don't blame me, "I don't throw flags, I throw tablets."

"As I said after the game, I don’t throw flags," Brady joked on his "Let's Go!" podcast with Jim Gray. "What I do throw is tablets. I didn’t have one accessible at that time."

Falcons defensive end Grady Jarrett was penalized for roughing the passer ... after sacking Brady on a pivotal 3rd and-five play with about 3 minutes to go in the fourth quarter.

The call was, umm, let's say ... questionable.

Brady admitted Jarrett wreaked havoc Sunday afternoon, saying, "He was in the backfield all day. He had a hell of a game. I’ll leave it at that.”

If you've watched Tom play long enough, you know tablet-throwing is on brand for the 7x Super Bowl-winning QB ... when things aren't going according to plan (see Saints game this season).