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Longtime NBA referee Tony Brown, who spent 20 seasons in the league and was one of the league's most respected officials, passed away on Thursday after courageously battling pancreatic cancer.

He was 55 years old.

The NBA announced the awful news this afternoon.

“Tony Brown was one of the most accomplished referees in the NBA and an inspiration to his colleagues. After his pancreatic cancer diagnosis early last year, Tony fought courageously through countless rounds of treatment to return to work this past season at the NBA Replay Center, demonstrating the dedication, determination and passion that made him such a highly respected official for 20 years," commissioner Adam Silver said.

"The entire NBA family mourns Tony’s passing and we send our deepest condolences to his wife, Tina; their children, Bailey, Basile and Baylen; and his fellow referees.”

Brown, who was diagnosed with stage 4 pancreatic cancer in 2021, officiated 1,110 regular season games and 35 playoff games throughout his NBA career.

Tony's wife, Tina, released a statement thanking everyone for their support during this difficult time.

“We are and have been sustained by the consistent outpouring of love and support through this journey in developing strength, acceptance and peace," Tina wrote.

“We ask that you join us in that spirit as we prepare to celebrate Tony’s life. Our biggest thank you to our village of family and friends, near and far, old and new. Your love is immeasurable. Thanks to the Lustgarten Foundation and PanCan. Keep striving for the cures."

Several NBA stars are devastated by the tragic news ... including Jayson Tatum and LeBron James who said he will miss seeing Brown on the court.

"R.I.P. Tony man!! Great ref but greater dude!" James said via Twitter.

"Loved when I ran on the court for warmups and he would be on the game that night! Your smile & laugh will be missed tremendously here in our sport!"

Officials for the Bucks and Sixers game on Thursday are wearing '6 STRONG' purple wristbands to honor Brown's referee number.

Mississippi State football player Sam Westmoreland was found dead on Wednesday at a church ... cops tell TMZ Sports.

A spokesperson for the Oktibbeha County Sheriff's Office says they discovered the offensive lineman's body after they were called out to Blackjack Missionary Baptist Church in Starkville regarding a death investigation.

The spokesperson said they canvased the scene after arriving ... but cleared it a couple hours later.

The OCSO official did not release a cause of death ... saying a probe into the case is still ongoing.

They added, though, that they had "no reason to suspect foul play" at this point.

Westmoreland had just joined the Bulldogs roster this year ... and was playing offensive tackle while majoring in industrial technology at the school.

"Sam was a beloved son, brother and teammate, and a tremendous young man with a limitless future," MSU head coach Mike Leach said in a statement Wednesday. "He will always be remembered and deeply missed by everyone who knew and loved him."

Westmoreland was just two days away from celebrating his 19th birthday.

Zion Williamson's NBA return was one for the books ... but before the Pelicans star hit the court at Barclays Center, he received a custom "Terror Squad" chain from Joey Crack himself, Fat Joe!

TMZ Sports has learned Joe wanted to hook up the NBA superstar with something nice, so he gifted him a custom TS piece made by Avi Davidov, owner of Pristine Jewelers in NYC.

The chain's made with gold and diamonds ... and there really wasn't a special occasion outside of the South Bronx rapper being a fan of Williamson.

But, Zion didn't just walk away with the Terror Squad piece ... Avi tells us he also copped a new timepiece that took the jeweler 10 days to make, and is worth 6 figures!

With Zion's latest purchase, he joins Diddy, Meek Mill, Nas, DJ Khaled, N.O.R.E., and Gucci Mane on the list of celebs who own a timepiece from the world-renowned jeweler.

Before Wednesday night's game, Williamson hadn't played an NBA game since May 2021 ... thanks to a foot injury that sidelined him for the entire 2022 season.

Tom Brady isn't about to give up and quit on the Buccaneers ... and the Tampa Bay quarterback finds it pretty comical to think otherwise -- laughing off the notion and saying he has no immediate plans to retire.

TB12 was asked about whether he was considering hanging it up mid-season during media availability on Thursday ... which wasn't really a thing until the guys on "PFT Live" had a hypothetical conversation about the topic earlier this week.

Despite no real reason to believe Brady was thinking about leaving the sport behind, he answered the question ... but with some humor.

"That's really why I'm here. I'm here to announce finally ... you guys pushed me to the brink," Brady joked before getting serious.

"I love the sport, and I love the teammates," Brady said. "And I want to go do a great job for this team like I always have. No retirement in my future."

Even the reporter knew the idea was pretty "crazy" ... but Brady's comment should put any speculation to rest.

WWE Hall of Famer Kevin Nash's son, Tristen, who recently started working with his father's podcast, tragically passed away this week ... it was announced Thursday.

He was only 26 years old.

No cause of death has been revealed.

Sean Ross Sapp shared a statement on behalf of Tristen's parents, Kevin and Tamara, confirming the terrible news -- adding the family is asking for privacy during this difficult time.

Tristen's death comes seven months after Kevin lost one of his best friends in the wrestling industry, Scott Hall, who died earlier this year at 63.

Today actually would have been Scott's 64th birthday.

Rest in peace.

Chess grandmaster Hans Niemann is suing one of the sport's biggest legends for $100 MILLION ... because he says the guy made up claims that he cheated during a match.

Niemann played Magnus Carlsen -- a five-time reigning World Chess Champion and the highest-ranked chess player ever -- at the Sinquefield Cup in St. Louis back on Sept. 4 ... and, in Niemann's words, "soundly defeated" him.

Afterward, the 19-year-old budding superstar danced on Carlsen's grave, taunting him during an interview ... and that's when Niemann claimed all of the trouble began.

The chess player, in a lawsuit filed on Thursday in Missouri, said 31-year-old Carlsen couldn't accept defeat, became "enraged" ... and launched an all-out attack on his rival.

Niemann says Carlsen fabricated a story that he had cheated to win the match. Days later, when the two were supposed to run things back at the Julius Baer Generation Cup ... Niemann says Carlsen "gutlessly forfeited the game after making one move" and then repeated the "false" cheating accusations against Niemann.

Niemann says the ramifications of Carlsen's lies were endless.

He claims that despite several independent and unbiased sources clearing him of any wrongdoing during the Sept. 4 match ... Carlsen used his partnership with Chess giant Chess.com to essentially blackball him in the chess world.

He says in the suit that the org. banned him from its website and all of its future events -- which comprise the majority of the world's most prestigious chess tournaments.

Niemann says he's suffered irreparably from Carlsen's defamatory allegations ... and is suing for NINE figures.

Tom Brady has just issued an apology for comparing the NFL season to military deployment ... admitting Thursday afternoon that it was all a "poor choice of words."

Brady actually interrupted a reporter at the beginning of his Buccaneers press conference to deliver the mea culpa -- saying he wanted to express to everyone who "may have taken it in a certain way" that he was sorry.

Brady initially made the war-themed comments during his "Let's Go!" podcast on Monday ... while talking with Kevin Durant about the struggles he's encountered when trying to balance work and pleasure in the middle of a season.

"I almost look at like a football season like you're going away on deployment for the military," Brady said. "And it's like, 'Man, here I go again.'"

The remarks were hit with backlash almost immediately, with many on social media calling them tone-deaf. Army veteran Brad Thomas, who fought in Black Hawk Down, even took to his Instagram page to blast the quarterback over it all.

"Hey @tombrady - this statement is naive and offensive on many levels," he wrote. "You play a game, for entertainment, and seem to have lost your perspective."

Brady clearly felt bad about everything ... looking downtrodden as he delivered his apology Thursday.

DeAndre Hopkins is back!

The Arizona Cardinals receiver -- one of the best in the NFL -- is making his return to the field after serving a 6-game suspension for PEDs ... and he's amped!

The 30-year-old even dropped a hype video celebrating his comeback hours before the Cardinals' "Thursday Night Football" home game against the New Orleans Saints.

"Don't call it a comeback," DHop captioned the clip.

The video shows the 5-time Pro Bowler's recent workout with a mix of LL Cool J's "Mama Said Knock You Out' song and Black Sheep's "The Choice Is Yours".

Several NFL players showed support for Hopkins in the comments ... including teammate Budda Baker who wrote, "It’s Time!!! 🔥🔥🔥"

As we previously reported, DH was suspended in May for violating the league's PED policy. Hopkins initially appealed the punishment, before withdrawing.

His return couldn't come at a better time ... the Cardinals just lost star receiver Marquise "Hollywood" Brown for a month due to a foot injury.

And, Hopkins is one of Kyler Murray's favorite targets ... in the last two regular seasons, the two connected for 1,979 yards and 14 touchdowns.

"I'm excited to have him back," the Cardinals QB said earlier this week, "He's been waiting on this moment. He's an electric player."

The Cardinals are currently last in the NFC West but with DHop back ... AZ could make a run.

Ja'Marr Chase is finally saying what everyone already knew -- Dolphins TE Mike Gesicki's got his Griddy touchdown celebration all wrong ... and the Bengals wide receiver says the guy needs to do some homework!!

Gesicki went viral recently for trying to do the fun dance that Chase and his old LSU teammate Justin Jefferson made famous ... but not necessarily nailing the vibe.

Chase joined "The Pat McAfee Show" and was asked if he had any plans of helping Gesicki with his Griddy ... and it's safe to say he's not giving him a good grade on Mike's performance.

"Listen, that guy is just doing his own thing," Chase said. "He's having fun out there doing the Griddy. It's not the right way to do the Griddy, but he's out there doing his thing."

Chase said he isn't upset with Gesicki routinely butchering the popular dance ... but admits the 27-year-old needs to hop on YouTube and watch tutorials.

JC's advice comes just days after Gesicki whipped out his version of the Griddy against the Minnesota Vikings last Sunday ... which had Robert Griffin III begging for an end to the madness.

"Somebody STOP THIS MAN and his unseasoned Griddy," Griffin wrote on Twitter.

This isn't the first time Chase has commented publicly about Mike's Griddy -- on Sunday, the Bengals wideout told Gesicki, "I ain't gone lie, this ain't it!"

After weeks of backlash ... Gisecki put everyone's mind and eyes at ease, saying that his days of doing the Griddy are over and that he's leaving the viral dance to the pros.

"I promise i’m done," Gesicki tweeted. "I’ll leave it up to the professionals for sure. Only around the house from here on out."

Paolo Banchero says being the BMOC at Duke actually ain't all that ... explaining this week that sometimes he felt like a straight-up "zoo animal" at the school.

The #1 overall pick broke down what life was like as a Blue Devil superstar to R.J. Hampton on Fubo Sports Network's "The Young Person Basketball Podcast" ... and he said, at times, people treated him weirdly on the Durham campus.

Don't get it twisted -- he said he LOVED being a member of the team and a student at the university ... but things did get awkward from time to time.

The new Orlando Magic wing said people would whisper behind his back, stare at him ... and take sneaky videos of him.

"Sometimes it'd feel like you was, like, a zoo animal or something, bro," the 19-year-old said. "They would like, on God, in class, you would see them over there whispering about you. Like, staring at you."

Banchero even said students would bring their entire families to his dorm room -- just to get a peek at the basketball standout.

"I open my door and it's a mom, dad, their daughter who goes to Duke and, like, they're little brother," Banchero recalled. "And, I'm just like, 'Damn.'"

Banchero spent only one season at Duke in 2021 before he was selected in this year's NBA draft. And, he did say ultimately he had fun on the ride.

Mariners catcher Cal Raleigh was so moved after seeing a classroom full of elementary school students lose it after he smashed a playoff home run, the big leaguer went to the classroom and hung out with the kids!

25-year-old Raleigh visited Cascade View Elementary School in Snoqualmie, WA, where he spent time with a group of fifth-graders who recently went viral for their reaction to Raleigh's dinger.

Mr. Rooney, a teacher at Cascade, posted video of his students going nuts after Raleigh blasted a homer in the wild card round of the playoffs against the Blue Jays.

And, the kids had reason to cheer. Raleigh's two-run blast in the first inning off Jays' ace Alek Manoah propelled Seattle to a 4-0 victory that day.

Seattle ended up sending the Jays home, but then lost to the Houston Astros in the ALDS.

Little did Rooney know ... Cal got wind of the video, and decided to show his appreciation for the youngsters by spending quality time with them.

Raleigh -- who hit 27 home runs in his second season with the Mariners -- posed for pics with the kids, who were all smiles throughout the day, and he even answered questions, too.

Fivio Foreign was excited to bring his hit singles to the Brooklyn Nets season opener at Barclays Center ... but something was clearly off with his performance, and the fans let him have it.

Fivio took center court at halftime to deliver a medley of "Say My Name," "City of Gods" and "Big Drip" but there were apparently some technical difficulties ... the Brooklyn rapper missed the cue on most of his lyrics, resulting in a live performance of ad-libs.

Fans split the blame down the middle ... with some blaming the Nets audio crew and others just chalking it up to Fivio being a slouch on the job.

Of course, Twitter users let him have it, writing, "If you’re illegally streaming this Nets game you know that this fivio foreign halftime performance is one of the worst things in history." Another wrote, "I don’t know who fivio foreign is, but this one of the worst halftime shows I ever seen."

T.I., being the experienced rapper, noted Fivio's lack of in-ear headphones to hear the songs properly.

The glitchy performance certainly didn't inspire the home team ... Zion Williamson and the New Orleans Pelicans blew out the Nets on their home floor 130-108.

Daniel Ricciardo took his horse to that old town Grand Prix on Thursday ... showing up to Austin in the most Texas way possible!!

Of course, the Australian McLaren driver is OBSESSED with the Lone Star state ... and has become a fan of all things Texas since the event made its way to Austin in 2012.

In fact, DR has even tried to do his own Texas accent in interviews in the past ... and it's not half bad!!

Riccardo decided to show off just how much he loves his second home as he showed up to the Circuit of the Americas on Thursday ... by throwing on a Stars and Stripes shirt and cowboy hat and hopping on a horse to make a truly American entrance.

To make it even better, Daniel had country musicians accompany him as a crowd formed around him.

The best part?! Ricciardo's horse, apparently named "Horsey McHorse," had its very own VIP access badge -- complete with photo identification!!

Kyrie Irving took time out of a pre-game speech Wednesday to demand Joe Biden get Brittney Griner home ... saying straight up, "Do your job!"

The Nets star made the call-out just seconds before Brooklyn took on the New Orleans Pelicans ... right in the middle of the Barclays Center court.

The 30-year-old grabbed the mic, and urged fans to cheer his team and his teammates on ... before he turned the conversation to Griner and the U.S. President.

"I appreciate us being able to share this floor together, all of us as brothers," the point guard said, "but the big picture that's going in the world is free our sister, Brittney Griner, please!"

"POTUS, do your job!" he added. "Everybody do your job! Please bring our sister home."

Griner has been incarcerated in Russia since February ... after authorities accused her of bringing hashish oil in her luggage at a Moscow airport.

Biden has said repeatedly he's working hard to bring her home -- and U.S. officials have said they've made a substantial offer to Russia to get her out.

Griner's wife, Cherelle, said earlier this week on the basketball player's birthday that she appreciated the President's efforts.

Others around the NBA also used their season-opening platforms this week to raise awareness for Griner's situation ... with Steph Curry saying at the Warriors ring ceremony Tuesday that he didn't want anyone to forget about her.

Paul Pierce continues to be the butt of the joke after his viral raunchy twerking party last year -- his friends trolled him by getting a birthday cake with a picture from the infamous Instagram Live session ... and it's hilarious!!

Pierce, who celebrated his 45th birthday last Thursday, posted a picture of the cake on Twitter ... which poked fun at his NSFW gathering that led to his exit from ESPN.

On the cake is a pic of Paul -- who looks mesmerized -- pictured next to a scantily clad woman with the words, "Monica come through," and "Happy Birthday Habibi."

"My boys got me this cake fa my bday they play to much," Pierce said on Twitter ... seemingly accepting the friendly jab.

Remember ... the former Celtics superstar posted a video on Instagram showing him having a good time as scantily-clad women twerked on the floor behind him.

Pierce was fired from his ESPN job just days later.

Paul didn't seem too phased by his firing at the time ... posting a video of him smiling and laughing, saying, "Big Things coming soon stay tuned make sure u smile."

Shoutout to Paul for being a good sport about it all.

Kevin Durant is fed up with how hoop fans are treating Russell Westbrook ... saying it's completely fair to criticize players for poor performances -- but people are taking it to an unnecessary level with his old teammate.

You've seen the memes and clips -- Brodie's game has been under the microscope ever since he played his first game for the Lakers in 2021 ... with folks highlighting his miscues on social media and cracking jokes.

KD -- who played alongside Russ in Oklahoma City -- says he's seen all the posts and is clearly annoyed with how the 2017 MVP is being treated ... and thinks NBA fandom is getting to "toxic" levels.

"I understand there's certain points where you don't play well," KD said on "The Etcs" with Boardroom. "And, you are open to criticism when you don't play well. We get that."

"But, it's like now, you make him the butt of your jokes now. It's going to a point to where it's like, alright, I get the criticism for what he did that night, but now it's starting to reach a different level of some s*** that I don't understand right now."

Durant says fans are being extra hard on Westbrook because he's now on a huge market team and playing alongside the most famous NBA player in the past 30 years ... which has a big impact on how he's evaluated.

Despite all the talk, KD is pulling for Brodie ... saying he hopes he sticks to his game, blocks out the haters, and proves everybody wrong -- with one exception.

"When we play [the Lakers], I hope they play s****y," he joked.

Durant adds he thinks current NBA fans are overall being more negative than usual ... saying, "I hate how they talk. The dialogue around our game is so toxic at this point. I get criticism, but it's starting to turn into something else right now."