TMZ Sports - Page 33

NeNe Leakes and Kim Zolciak were once sworn enemies, but the two have changed their tune ... now acting as a support system for each other during really tough times.

NeNe was out shopping on Rodeo Drive in Bev Hills and told us she'd recently reached out to her fellow "Real Housewives of Atlanta" star in the midst of her messy divorce with Kroy Biermann.

NeNe tells us while the two chatted, it's still hard to tell exactly how Kim's doing behind the scenes -- every divorce is hard, especially with kids involved.

Fans of the show know NeNe and Kim haven't always seen eye to eye, but NeNe tells us Kim reached out to her during one of her low points when her husband Gregg died in 2021, so it felt right to reciprocate the love.

We've broken a bunch of stories about the huge mess between Kim and Kroy ever since she filed for divorce in May. Since then, there's been a big fight over custody of their kids, with both sides waging war ... Kroy's asking for sole legal and physical.

Kim called the police last month, -- claiming Kroy threatened to file a kidnapping report on a family friend who took their kid to a rodeo. Clearly, there's no sign of things easing up.

Someone who witnessed LeBron James break the NBA scoring record earlier this year is absolutely thrilled to have kept the ticket ... 'cause TMZ Sports has learned it's now expected to fetch a few THOUSAND dollars at auction next month!!!

The $92 stub that was used by a fan to watch James pass Kareem Abdul-Jabbar at Crypto.com Arena back on Feb. 7 just hit the block this week ... and Heritage Auctions experts say it could ultimately sell for over $5,000.

The ticket for the historic Lakers vs. Thunder tilt is awesome ... it's from the 2nd row of section 209 -- and it was given a Mint 9 grade by PSA.

As for the potential sale price -- it seems steep, considering nearly 20,000 people were there and the game happened just a few months ago -- but as we previously reported, it's far from the only thing that night that is worth a ton to NBA collectors.

You'll recall ... Chris Ivy, the director of sports auctions at Heritage Auctions, told us back in February he believes 'Bron's game-worn jersey from the night could land $3 MILLION if it ever made it to the auction block.

Mark Zuckerberg's new Twitter-like app is just days away from taking flight -- and it seems Elon Musk's not happy about the competition ... further fueling the two techies' beef.

In case you've forgotten ... the reason Mark and Elon are talking about fighting each other (for real) is because of this new service that Meta is rolling out called 'Threads -- which is said to be the "new" Twitter, if you, will ... only, it'll be rolled out under Mark's watch.

When Elon caught wind of MZ's new toy last month, he jokingly said he was willing to battle the guy -- and now, it's full-steam ahead on negotiations as they prepare to duel.

Welp, the impetus for this all came full circle Monday ... with word of Threads' supposed launch date being revealed as July 7 -- with the option to pre-order it now available on Apple's app store. There's more info as well as to what sorta data it's going to harvest from users ... something EM couldn't help but comment on Monday, taking a swipe.

In response to all the ways Threads is going to manage personal data (mining a helluva lot, frankly), Elon replied ... "Thank goodness they're so sanely run." That carries significance.

Reports have suggested that a Meta executive told staffers recently that Threads would be "sanely run" compared to Musk's wild west on Twitter lately -- but it sounds like Elon's scoffing at how much freaking user data they're going to control in order to do so.

Of course, you could argue Elon's probably a little worried about this new foe on the market -- especially in light of his absolutely hated decision to limit Twitter users' daily tweet count ... as far as being able to see new content. He's upped the count since the debacle this weekend -- but folks are still pissed and certainly looking for an alternative for news.

11:45 AM PT -- Joey Chestnut easily won the hot dog-eating contest (again) for the 16th time, and while his performance this year was solid ... it still wasn't as good as years past.

JC ate 62 hot dogs in 10 minutes, which secured him the victory and the belt. Like we said, he's eaten more before -- but it's impressive, nonetheless. Congrats, bud!

Chestnut and the rest of the hot dog-eating machines WILL gorge themselves this year after all on a Fourth of July tradition, -- despite Mother Nature trying to torpedo their plans.

Nathan's Hot Dog Eating Contest was almost canceled Tuesday at Coney Island ... all on account of a massive thunderstorm that rolled through, which dumped a ton of rain and lightning onto the area -- and sent patrons running for cover.

Footage taken by journos on the ground shows swarms of people looking to get out of the rain any way they can ... and some got creative, standing on outdoor tables under umbrellas.

It got so bad that the NYPD actually pulled the plug on the rest of the competition -- the men's race, specifically -- out of an abundance of caution. But Nathan's organizers waited it out a bit and decided to proceed once the storm cleared -- which it eventually did.

It's unclear when exactly the contest will get underway, but the legend himself is waiting in the wings and clearly ready. JC was seen walking around mingling with onlookers who stuck around -- and he was hyping himself up as they chanted his name.

Indeed, the guy's back to defend his title ... last year he ate 63 hot dogs and won, but that wasn't anywhere near his record set the previous year at 76 franks -- which he hoped to topple in 2023.

The glizzy champ wants another bite at the apple, er, wiener. At this point, it's looking like he'll get his chance -- and seeing how he's the odds-on favorite to win ... people will be counting the dogs he downs as the true marker of victory.

Go get 'em, kid!

Just as sure as they'll be fireworks over the East River on Independence Day, Michael Rubin was true to tradition, throwing an insane July 4th white party bash that was, as per usual, the hottest ticket in town.

JLo and Ben Affleck were all decked out as they sauntered into the Hampton's soiree Jay-Z loaded up his whip with some pals and drove inside Rubin's gates.

Winnie Harlow was all that as she waved to the crowd, Evita style, and Emily Ratajkowski ... well, the photo says it all -- incredible!!!

EmRata showed off the goods, as Travis Scott -- who was just cleared of criminal charges in the Astroworld tragedy -- chilled with some buddies.

Justin Bieber and his wife Hailey mingled among the crowd, as Kendall Jenner and friends mugged for the cam.

Kelly Rowland looked fantastic, and Tom Brady was multi-tasking as he sipped his drink and texted away.

We're not even close to done ... Jack Harlow, Corey Gamble, Druski, Dixie D'Amelio, Fabolous, and a bunch of other members of the Rich-and-Famous Club all had a blast.

A couple of Nepo babies just got a taste of the limits of family fame ... because Bronny James and Shareef O'Neal were unceremoniously rejected from a hot Hollywood party.

Bronny, who's about to play at USC, and his pal Shareef showed up at Poppy Monday night, for Saweeties' birthday bash. You'd think they'd be a shoo-in given their famous fathers -- LeBron and Shaq, but it was embarrassingly not the case.

The 2 didn't get through the front door ... denied, denied.

On the other hand, it's possible their status isn't what torpedoed them. They were with a bunch of friends and no one got in.

Well, lots to do in Hollywood, so we're guessing their party went on.

If Jon Jones and Stipe Miocic ever actually fight, it'll be anything but a cakewalk for Bones, according to former champ Francis Ngannou ... who says the firefighter from Ohio is "still the most challenging guy" in the division, NOT the current champ!

"It's gonna be tough for Jones. I think we all don't give the credit that is due to Stipe. Stipe is not having enough credit. For me, he's still the guy at heavyweight. He's still the most challenging guy in the heavyweight division," 36-year-old Ngannou recently told us when we asked him if Jones would beat Miocic.

Of course, Francis and Stipe fought twice ... each winning one fight.

Miocic won the first fight at UFC 226 in 2018 by unanimous decision. The big guys rematched at UFC 260 in 2021 ... a fight Ngannou won by 2nd round knockout.

Stipe has not stepped in the Octagon since that night.

Despite the 27-month layoff, it's clear Francis believes Miocic is still the guy at heavyweight.

As for Jon, he's 1-0 at heavyweight after dominating title contender Ciryl Gane at UFC 285 earlier this year ... a fight the former light heavyweight champ made look easy.

The chain Nick Smith Jr. rocked to the NBA draft was SERIOUSLY iced out ... TMZ Sports has learned it featured a staggering 40 carats of VS diamonds!!

We're told the former Arkansas Razorbacks point guard hit up Courtney Roy of Clarity Custom Jewelry to get the piece made just before the big event ... and as you can see, the jeweler certainly delivered.

Roy -- who also made pieces for Cassius Stanley and Jacob Evans -- tells us he spent about two weeks carefully crafting the bling ... not only decking it out in the diamonds but adding 14k of white gold to it as well.

The piece features Smith's "NS" initials ... and sits on a Cuban link chain -- and the 19-year-old hooper was clearly happy with the piece.

Smith Jr. wore it on stage with Adam Silver with pride just after the Charlotte Hornets took him with the 27th overall pick.

Magic Johnson may hate the show, but Larry Bird is gonna be THRILLED with the next season of "Winning Time" ... so says actor Newton Mayenge, who tells TMZ Sports he thinks the Celtics legend will love his portrayal in the project.

It's no secret -- some ex-Lakers superstars aren't too pleased with HBO's hit series that documents the Showtime era ... with Magic and Kareem Abdul-Jabbar publicly ripping it to shreds.

We spoke with Mayenge -- who plays former NBAer Jim Chones on the show -- about the backlash from the OGs ... and while he says the WT actors would love their support and approval, they still have a job to do.

"It was a love story for them," Mayenge tells us. "If they don't necessarily see it that way, it's unfortunate, but we gotta continue to move forward."

Season 2 will focus on the Lakers' rivalry with the Boston Celtics, which means Larry Legend will play a huge part ... and Mayenge had nothing but praise for the guy tasked with the role.

"My castmate who plays him, Sean Patrick Small, he was born to play Larry Bird, first and foremost," Mayenge says.

"He freaking killed it. My personal opinion is Larry's gonna love it because once again, it's a love letter to him as well."

In fact, Mayenge even praises Small's hoop skills ... saying the guy "embodies" the Hall of Famer on and off the court.

Logan Paul's gotta feel relieved after getting engaged to his boo, Nina Agdal ... which has gotta be why he took his fiancée on a boat after the big question for some R&R.

Logan and Nina were spotted soaking in the sun Monday, leaving the shoreside Grand Hotel Tremezzo on Lake Como -- and it didn't take long before he planted a kiss on his bride-to-be.

Of course, the WWE star popped his shirt off while on the water ... and Nina's view of her upcoming hubby is one we're sure she doesn't mind, either.

As we reported, sources close to the couple confirmed Logan proposed to Nina Sunday while on their Italian vacation.

He appeared in London for some wrestling just the day before, so the likely-sore guy is probably loving every minute of their vacay.

Michael Jordan has never been one to mince his words, and he's sticking true to form when asked about his son, Marcus, dating Larsa Pippen.

The G.O.A.T (to most) was spotted leaving dinner at Matignon in Paris Sunday when he was asked about 32-year-old Marcus' relationship with 48-year-old Pippen.

At first, MJ just laughs -- but the photog doubles down asking if Jordan approves -- to which Michael offers a resounding "No!" The photog asks again, and MJ just shakes his head no.

Obviously, MJ's take is much different than the story Larsa recently told a few months ago on "The Tamron Hall Show." When asked about her dynamic with Marcus' family, she said, "I feel like, we've spent holidays together and it's good. We're in a great place."

Of course, Marcus and Larsa have been dating for quite some time now. Larsa admitted when they first got together she had him saved in her phone under a different name to prevent anyone from finding out about the couple.

Logan Paul is soon to be a married man -- the dude proposed to his boo, Nina Agdal, while overseas ... and she said yes!

The social media and WWE star popped the big question while vacationing at Italy's Lake Como Sunday, sources close to the couple can confirm.

Logan just wrapped his latest WWE appearance the day before in London, high-flying and body-slamming into fellow competitors. He definitely took some lumps in the ring, but we're sure none of that matters with a wedding in his future!

DailyMail was the first to report the engagement.

For those unaware, the lovebirds have only been dating since last May, but went Instagram official months later -- and they sure have been enjoying each other's company during their 1+ year of dating.

The Danish model admitted earlier this year she first met Logan at an NYC event, inviting him up for drinks with some of her pals ... adding they clicked instantly.

It's only been a week since former NFL QB Ryan Mallett's tragic death ... a moment obviously still weighing heavy on his girlfriend, as she shared in a heartbreaking message.

Madison Carter took to Facebook Sunday night, writing, "I prayed for you for 27 years, and we finally found each other. I trust that God has a plan for everything, but I don’t think I will ever understand why this happened. I’m so sorry I couldn’t save you, and I hope you know how hard I tried."

She goes on to talk about how loving Mallett was, always looking for the good in the world ... a trait many who knew him outside of football were quick to notice about Ryan.

Madison continues, "We were planning our future. We were just getting started. I’m sure some think we’re crazy for feeling the way we did about each other in such a short time. I thought we were crazy at first too. But you helped me understand that when two souls connect the way ours did, love has no set timeline."

It was June 27 when Mallett drowned in Florida, a spokesperson for the Okaloosa Co. Sheriff's Office called the incident a "tragic loss of life," but indicated there were no dangerous conditions at the beach to cause Mallett's death.

Some boat racing fans got quite the spectacle over the weekend when one vessel rose completely out of the water and did a flip while traveling at close to 200MPH.

Check out the insane video, taken Sunday at the Madison Regatta in Madison, Indiana. The boats, part of the H1 Unlimited hydroplane racing league, took off down the Ohio River.

All of a sudden, the 40 boat, driven by Dustin Echols for Bucket List Racing Unlimited catches air, doing a complete rotation before landing right-side-up. Luckily, Echols was not injured during the crash in what could have been a much more scary conclusion.

From there, Echols’ boat was obviously out of commission ... rescue boats came to his aid to help tug the boat back to shore.

The Nathan's Hot Dog Eating Contest might not be the toughest competition on Joey Chestnut's radar ... 'cause the greatest eater alive tells TMZ Sports he is down to go head-to-head with the Gronkowski brothers in an epic showdown!!

We spoke with the the 15-time champion ahead of the annual Fourth of July tradition ... and he says he feels healthy and ready to go as he looks to break his own world record of 76 franks.

"The goal is to win, but if the dogs are good, the weather is right, I feel like that record of 76 could definitively go down," Joey tells us.

In fact, Jaws says he's even broken 80 glizzys during preparation for the big event ... but notes that went down in "perfect" conditions, and anything can happen when it all goes down in Coney Island.

The last time we spoke with Chestnut, he said he was interested in taking on a fellow G.O.A.T. -- Tom Brady -- in an eating competition ... and while he didn't hear from the 7-time Super Bowl champ, his former teammate's fam wants to put him to the test.

"The Gronkowski brothers, they reached out," Chestnut tells us. "That might even be better, eating against the Gronk brothers, the Gronk clan. Those guys are beasts and maybe we can make that happen."

When we pitched the idea of Joey going up against Rob, Dan, Gordie, Chris and Glenn all at once ... he seemed 100% in.

"Those are big boys. That would be fun. I think that is gonna happen."

The NFL's full of blazing-fast guys, but there's one who's a little bit quicker than the rest ... and no, it's not Tyreek Hill.

That distinction belongs to 28-year-old Philadelphia Eagles wide receiver Devon Allen ... who happens to be an elite-level hurdler. The 3x track national champ and NCAA football champ recently competed in a USATF event in NYC, where he clocked a 13.04, the fourth-fastest time in the world in 2023.

Days after the race (where Devon finished 2nd), TMZ Sports talked to the former Oregon track star and 2x Olympian ... and asked him if he was the fastest player in the league.

"I definitely am [the fastest]," Allen said matter of factly.

Of course, Hill (60m) and DK Metcalf (100m), two bonafide stars considered among the fastest in the league, also recently tried their hand on the track ... something Devon says he respects.

"I'm not gonna roast those guys because what they did was impressive. I raced Tyreek Hill when I was in high school. We raced and he smoked me when we were in high school and DK Metcalf ran a 10.3 a couple years ago is super impressive for a guy that's 6'4", 6'3", 225, but I think especially at the top level, top 5, top 10 in the world, there's a big gap in terms of just performance."

We also talked to Devon, who once ran a 12.84 in the 110m hurdles (the world record is 12.80), about his return to football ... after a 6-year layoff following college, when he focused solely on track.

"The first whirlwind for me was training camp, getting thrown into the fire, and realizing this isn't college anymore. I played at the University of Oregon, which is high-level ball, but the NFL takes it the another level," Allen told us.