TMZ Sports - Page 10

Michael Jordan is now so rich, he's considered one of the wealthiest 400 people in America!!!

Forbes just bestowed the honor on the NBA legend ... after it said the sale of his stake in the Charlotte Hornets earlier this summer pushed his net worth to $3 BILLION.

Jordan, according to the outlet, now comes in at No. 379 among the country's wealthiest 400 ... just a few slots below WWE honcho Vince McMahon.

He's become the first professional athlete to ever make the list.

His Airness, of course, gained a ton his of fortune through NBA contracts and his huge endorsement deals with companies like Nike and Gatorade ... but it was the Hornets sale that pushed him into the rarified air.

As we reported, Jordan sold the team to Gabe Plotkin and Rick Schnall in June for $3 billion ... this after he initially bought the majority stake of the organization in 2010 for a mere $175 million.

Malika Andrews says a man has been terrorizing her and other ESPN on-air talent -- including Stephen A. Smith -- and things apparently got so scary ... she filed for a restraining order against the guy last week.

Andrews claims in court documents, obtained by TMZ Sports, that Ahmed Abubakar, a 41-year-old New Jersey resident, is the guy who has made her and some of her colleagues' lives a living hell for much of the past year.

She says Abubakar initially began messaging her on X in Sept. 2022 ... and while it at first seemed like actions from just an overzealous fan -- it turned into threatening and harassing behavior quickly.

She says it all grew even more disturbing when he somehow got a hold of her unlisted phone number over the summer and called her numerous times.

What's worse ... she claims Abubakar acted similarly toward Smith and "First Take" host Molly Qerim.

In fact, Andrews says Abukbakar was actually arrested in August for allegedly showing up to Qerim's Connecticut home unannounced.

In her temporary restraining order request, she also noted Abubakar had recently traveled to ESPN's Los Angeles facility looking to make contact with her, Smith and Qerim ... causing her to fear for her safety.

She asked a judge to order Abubakar to stay at least 100 yards away from her and others, including Smith and her fiance, ESPN reporter Dave McMenamin ... and hours after her filing, the TRO was granted.

Taylor Swift and Travis Kelce's fling has now gotten the Halloween decor treatment ... popping up in an Indiana town as two massive skeletons.

The spooky era decorations recently appeared outside Michal Owens' house in Zionsville, IN -- the Swiftie's pair of themed skeletons are 12 feet high, with the Taylor look-alike rocking a shiny dress straight out of her "Eras" Tour wardrobe.

Michal says the blonde hairdo was a must, sewing 3 wigs together to pull it off. And of course, no Taylor Swift look could be complete without a bejeweled mic in her hand.

TS isn't the only one getting the transformation, though -- her rumored new boo, Travis, has been recreated in bone form just feet away from "Skaylor," fit with a huge Kansas City Chiefs jersey and a larger-than-life mustache.

Michal admits she's been getting quite the crowd to stop in front of her pad since putting up the undead lovers on her lawn ... but she's cool with it, as long as it doesn't lead to crashes!

Arnold Schwarzenegger is calling BS on Donald Trump's reported weight ... and while he ain't sure what the former prez's exact poundage is, Arnold's eyeballs tell him Trump missed the mark by about 100 pounds.

The actor was chatting with Jimmy Kimmel Monday night on the host's first show back since the writers' strike ended ... and since he's all about fitness, Arnold weighed in on the topic of Trump's booking records claiming he's 215 pounds.

Before he took a guess, Arnold gave Trump some advice on how he could lose weight -- a decent one-liner about going for a jog which got a big laugh from the crowd.

Jimmy asks again if Trump's Fulton County jail records are accurate when it comes to his size ... and Arnold has some pretty sarcastic responses for the potential of 215 lbs being legit. In his eyes, Trump might've put a 2 when he really meant a 3.

As you know, Trump surrendered to Fulton County authorities at the end of August and was charged for his alleged efforts to overturn Georgia's 2020 election results.

The booking docs claimed the "Blond or Strawberry" haired 77-year-old was 6'3" and 215 lbs.

On a related note ... Trump and/or his legal team had bags of McDonald's delivered Monday to a NY court where he's currently on trial for his $250 million civil fraud case.

We're not sure if Arnold had that information when he guessed ... but we might wanna take another swing at it.

Ex-NFL player Sergio Brown was spotted in Tulum on Sunday ... dancing and partying his face off -- this despite an ongoing police investigation into the death of his mother.

Brown -- wearing red Nike swim trunks -- didn't seem to have a care in the world as he swayed shirtless with patrons on the dance floor at a popular club in the Mexican city.

One witness tells TMZ Sports ... the former Indianapolis Colts defensive back was at the venue for several hours -- chatting it up with people and buying alcohol for others, before bolting.

The scene is eyebrow-raising, to say the least ... considering cops in Maywood, Ill. have been searching for Brown after his mom, 73-year-old Myrtle Brown, was found dead near a creek on Sept. 16. Both she and Sergio were reported missing just hours prior.

Officials later ruled Myrtle's death a homicide ... saying she sustained injuries in an assault. Cops have not released information regarding potential suspects.

There had been speculation that the 35-year-old had left Illinois and traveled to Mexico ... after an Instagram account apparently belonging to the ex-football player posted a video of him in the country rambling about "fake news."

It's unclear where the investigation into Myrtle's death now stands ... we reached out to the Maywood Police Dept. multiple times on Monday but have yet to hear back.

Vikings star Byron Murphy says he's got a plan to get inside Travis Kelce's head this week ... and it includes Taylor Swift trash talk!!

The Minnesota cornerback told ESPN he's going to use some Swift quips when Kelce and the Chiefs come into town on Sunday in order to rile up the K.C. star tight end.

"I'm going to say something to him to get him going," Murphy said on Monday.

The 25-year-old, though, was otherwise complimentary of the "Love Story" singer ... saying he actually hopes she's in attendance for the big game.

"We're locked in, but that would be something," he admitted. "I've been watching her since I was a kid. That would be cool for sure."

But, if she does show, Murphy reiterated he's going to try to make things extremely difficult for her new beau on the field.

"We're going to try to get our hands on him in front of her," Murphy said.

It's not yet clear if Swift has plans to hit U.S. Bank Stadium to watch Kelce play ... although it's certainly not out of the realm of possibility, considering she traveled to Kansas City last week to catch his game before heading out to New Jersey on Sunday night to see him play against the Jets.

Kevin Porter Jr. has been instructed to stay away from the Houston Rockets following his recent domestic violence arrest ... and his future with the team appears to be in jeopardy.

Rockets GM Rafael Stone shared an update on the 23-year-old's status during Houston's media day on Monday ... calling the allegations made against the hooper "deeply troubling."

"Going back a few weeks, as soon as I heard the allegations, I informed his representatives that he could not be part of the Houston Rockets," Stone continued. "They understood and he has not been with the team or around the team or had any interaction with the team since that time and will not be at media day today or in training camp."

As we previously reported, KPJ is accused of attacking his girlfriend at an NYC hotel on September 11, leaving her bloodied and with a laceration above her eye.

Initial reports also stated Porter Jr. left the woman with a cracked neck vertebra... but sources later refuted the NBAer was responsible for the injury.

Stone wouldn't comment on whether KPJ would ever suit up for the Rockets again ... citing the league's collective bargaining agreement and domestic violence policy.

Porter Jr. signed a four-year, $85 million deal with Houston prior to last season ... averaging 19 points, 5 rebounds and nearly 6 assists for the Rockets in 2022-23.

Now, the Rockets will gear up for the 2023-24 campaign without one of its key players.

1:48 PM PT -- NBC just released updated ratings and says the game actually peaked at 29 million viewers and averaged 27 mil. The new numbers include people who watched on NBC network, as well as streaming numbers for Peacock, NBC Sports Digital and NFL Digital platforms.

So ... the Chiefs vs. Jets, Taylor Swift's Version, is now NBC Sports' biggest-ever streaming audience for a regular season Sunday Night Football contest.

Taylor Swift and Travis Kelce are seemingly still going strong ... but the number of folks tuning in for updates as Taylor cheers on TK dipped as Taylor went back for seconds.

The TV ratings are in ... Sunday night's telecast of NBC's Sunday Night Football saw 20.31 million viewers for a matchup between Travis' Kansas City Chiefs and the New York Jets.

The overall figure was the biggest on TV last night, but it's 4 million less than last Sunday's Chiefs game, which drew 24.32 million ... the first time Taylor cheered on Travis from a suite.

Of course, last week's Chiefs game was on a different network, FOX instead of this week's NBC, and in a different time slot ... 4:25 PM ET kickoff instead of this week's 8:20 PM ET start.

There was a lot more hype around Taylor and Travis heading into the Chief-Jets game, though, and even more star power in the second week.

NBC constantly panned to Taylor during the broadcast ... she was in a suite with Sophie Turner, Ryan Reynolds, Blake Lively, Hugh Jackman and Sabrina Carpenter ... just to name a few.

Taylor's new bestie, Brittany Mahomes, also joined Taylor in the suite ... ditto for Travis' mother, Donna, who got a big hug from Taylor.

Before the game, Travis was spotted leaving Taylor's NYC apartment before heading over to New Jersey for his game ... but they left MetLife Stadium separately, unlike last week in Kansas City when they drove off in a convertible.

Travis and the Chiefs are on CBS next Sunday ... for a 4:25 PM ET kickoff on the road against the Minnesota Vikings -- and it will be interesting if Taylor shows up for her third game in a row, and how the final TV ratings shake out.

Stay tuned ...

Do you think Taylor Swift and Travis Kelce will last long term? Vote below.

LeBron James says Bronny is recovering so well from recent heart surgery that he's now hoping to suit up for USC this season.

The Lakers superstar revealed the plans for his 18-year-old son while meeting with reporters at L.A.'s Media Day on Monday.

Bron said his boy is "doing extremely well," and has already begun rehabbing to "get back on the floor this season with his teammates at USC."

"He's on the up-and-up," LeBron added.

As we previously reported, Bronny suffered cardiac arrest back on July 24 ... and was later diagnosed with a congenital heart defect that required a procedure to fix.

While docs believed the issue wouldn't derail his basketball career -- a timetable for a return to the Trojans' floor was not known. Clearly, however, LeBron thinks his son can get back within a matter of a couple months.

LeBron also called the summer "a whirlwind" that featured "a lot of emotions for our family" -- but he said the James Gang all leaned on each other to get through it.

11:33 AM PT -- Trevor Bauer's attorneys, Shawn Holley and Jon Fetterolf, released a statement to TMZ Sports ... saying, "Trevor Bauer and Lindsey Hill have settled all outstanding litigation. Both of their respective claims have been withdrawn with prejudice, effective today."

"Mr. Bauer did not make – and never has made – any payments to Ms. Hill, including to resolve their litigation. With this matter now at rest, Mr. Bauer can focus completely on baseball."

Bauer also made a video statement on the matter ... saying he hopes it is the last time he has to defend his integrity and reputation in a public setting.

"So today I’m happy to be moving on with my life," Bauer said.

Trevor Bauer and his accuser Lindsey Hill's days of battling in court appear over ... both the Cy Young winner and Hill have decided to settle their lawsuits, TMZ Sports has learned.

Hill is NOT paying Bauer and Bauer is NOT paying her, either. But, Lindsey is receiving a large sum of money from her own insurance company, according to her high-powered attorney Bryan Freedman.

"In April 2022, Trevor Bauer sued Lindsey Hill for defamation. In what turned out to be an outstanding resolution for Lindsey, neither Lindsey nor anyone on her behalf paid anything to Bauer. Not a single dollar," Freedman told us.

"Even better, Lindsey received $300,000 from her insurance company. Based on that payment, Lindsey agreed to settle the lawsuit. Now that the lawsuit is over, Lindsey looks forward to helping others."

Of course, Bauer filed the defamation lawsuit against Hill in April 2022 ... claiming she "fabricated allegations of sexual assault" in a plot designed to “destroy Mr. Bauer’s reputation and baseball career.”

A few months later, Hill filed a countersuit for battery against Bauer ... claiming he got physical with her on two occasions in April and May.

After more than a year of battling in court, the parties have decided to settle and move on.

Trevor is currently pitching for the Yokohama DeNA BayStars in Japan. Despite never having been charged with a crime in relation to Hill's allegations, Major League Baseball suspended Bauer for 324 games. The suspension was subsequently reduced to 194 games.

Technically, Bauer is now eligible to sign with an MLB team, though it remains to be seen if anyone's interested.

Former New England Patriots Pro Bowl tight end Russ Francis, along with another man, were killed Sunday when the small plane they were flying in crashed in Lake Placid.

Francis was 70 years old.

The crash, according to police, occurred a few minutes after 4 PM near Lake Placid Airport in New York.

The plane was a Cessna 177 Cardinal ... a light, single-engine aircraft that was first introduced in the late '60s. The Cessna "experienced an emergency after takeoff" and "attempted to return to the airport but failed to make the runway," according to the Aircraft Owners and Pilots Association (AOPA).

The second passenger who died alongside Francis was Richard McSpadden, a Senior Vice President for the AOPA. McSpadden was a very accomplished pilot, commanding the U.S. Air Force Thunderbirds during his military career.

It's unclear if Francis, also a pilot, or McSpadden were flying at the time of the crash.

On the football field, Francis was one of the best at his position.

Russ was drafted with the 16th overall pick in the 1975 NFL Draft by the New England Patriots after starring at Oregon. He played 13 total seasons with the Pats and San Francisco 49ers, making 3 Pro Bowls and 2 All-Pro teams. Francis played in 167 games, catching 393 balls for 5,262 yards and 40 yards.

The Patriots released a statement on Francis' death.

"On behalf of the entire New England Patriots organization, we extend our sincerest sympathies to the family of Russ Francis, who tragically passed away yesterday," said Patriots Chairman and CEO Robert Kraft in a prepared statement.

A Las Vegas Raiders fan had a really rough Sunday afternoon in Los Angeles ... his team not only lost to the Chargers -- he was socked in the face by a huge haymaker while attending the game.

The Howie Long supporter was decked after he got into a spat with a Justin Herbert fan during the Raiders vs. Bolts tilt at SoFi Stadium ... and the wild fight was all captured on video.

You can see the fracas appeared to start when the Long supporter got into the face of the man in the powder blue jersey.

Apparently not liking the guy in his grill, the Herbert supporter got up and seemed to headbutt the Long fan ... before uncorking a massive right hand that caught the guy flush in the face.

The blow sent the Raiders fan straight to the ground ... but when he got up, he was hit by another couple punches. Eventually, the Herbert fan pushed the guy down several rows of stairs.

Thankfully, a man in a black Charles Woodson jersey stepped in to break up the fight before things escalated further.

It's unclear if either combatant was kicked out of the game over the melee.

Jimmy Butler looked like he was about to ask if "people ever heard of closing the goddamn door" at Miami Heat media day ... going full emo with a haircut and piercings!!

The NBA superstar was back at it with his preseason antics on Monday ... showing up to the team facility rocking a look that would fit right in at the When We Were Young festival.

Of course, the 34-year-old All-Star has made it his thing to debut a shocking appearance for his official team photos prior to the season -- last year, he wore dreads for the occasion.

This time around, he went with the straightened hairdo ... even rocking lip and eyebrow piercings to complete the style.

"This is my emotional state," Butler told reporters. "I'm one with my emotions. So, this is what you get."

To really lean into it, The Used's "The Taste of Ink" played over the speakers as Butler posed next to teammates Tyler Herro and Bam Adebayo for some snaps.

Last season, Butler explained he was trying out new looks to piss off the internet ... but this one seems to be getting a lot of approval from the emo hoops fans.

There was no joyride underneath the stars for Travis Kelce and Taylor Swift this time around for the budding couple ... the pop star and her new beau left MetLife Stadium separately after she watched him secure yet another win on the field.

Kelce bolted from the Chiefs' locker room area toward the team buses without Swift following Kansas City's 23-20 win. The "Love Story" singer, meanwhile, exited arm in arm with her pal Sophie Turner.

In a way, this exit further confirms their relationship. When they walked out of the stadium together last week and left in the same car, it was almost their coming out. This time around it was less showy ... almost like there was no reason to underscore what is now obvious.

After the game, Taylor hit up Zero Bond restaurant in NYC. It's unclear who she was with ... there are no shots of Travis, Sophie or any of her other buds who watched the game with her.

Taylor was all in again as she watched the Chiefs eke out a win, throwing up her hands and cheering. She was joined by Sophie, Hugh Jackman, Ryan Reynolds, Blake Lively, Sabrina Carpenter and others.

Taylor's new bff, Brittany Mahomes, and Travis' mom, Donna, were also in the suite.

Travis was spotted earlier in the day leaving Taylor's apartment before heading to the stadium.

Short story ... the Taylor Swift game was super entertaining.

Do you think Taylor Swift and Travis Kelce will last long term? Vote below.

Taylor Swift is becoming quite the trendsetter for football game attire ... 'cause the denim shorts she wore at Travis Kelce's latest football game are already sold out online.

As you know, Taylor was in a celeb-packed box at MetLife Stadium Sunday night in New Jersey ... wearing a pair of logo-lettering denim shorts by fashion label AREA.

The jorts were being sold on Farfetch for a whopping $1,213 but were 50% off the night of the game -- but it's all sold out as of Monday morning.

Shouldn't come as a total shock ... millions had their eyes on Taylor during the Chiefs vs. Jets game, with NBC's 'SNF' leaning hard on her viral craze that went down just a week before, and cutting to her a lot throughout the game.

This isn't the only Swift/Kelce clothing choice to run out -- as we reported, a fashion line added "1989" to the name of the jacket Travis wore last week when he was spotted walking out with Taylor, a reference to one of her albums.

That one sold out incredibly fast, too ... so it looks like the 2 will be picking their outfits wisely from now on -- either that, or brands will be reaching out like crazy to get them to put on their threads!

Do you think Taylor Swift and Travis Kelce will last long term? Vote below.

5:26 PM PT -- Taylor Swift was just officially introduced to start the broadcast, and it looks like her box is completely packed -- as she hugs and kisses friends, and hob-nobs with celebs.

No sign of Donna Kelce just yet, but she's almost certainly in the mix as well.

And yes, NBC is fully leaning in to Taylor-mania -- they just did this whole Carson Daly intro recapping the viral frenzy ... and they made a lot of Swift-y song references along the way. Last but not least ... Aaron Rodgers is also in the house -- this just a few weeks after tearing his Achilles and undergoing surgery. The dude is here to root on his underdog team.

It's game time!

Taylor Swift and Travis Kelce's romance is going strong -- so much so that she popped into another football stadium to cheer him on ... this time with some famous pals in tow.

The pop star is again the guest of honor Sunday during NBC's 'SNF' broadcast of the Chiefs vs. Jets game -- in which her rumored tight end BF is obviously playing. Taylor showed up and slipped in through a back area, but got caught on camera entering the building.

This time around, TayTay had some A-list company ... including Blake Lively, Ryan Reynolds and Hugh Jackman, among others. She's expected to be in a luxury suite near the field, and word is ... she'll be joined by Travis's mom, Donna Kelce -- like last week.

As for TS's entourage -- Blake makes sense ... they're best buds, and they were just out and about yesterday together in the Big Apple -- not to mention a starry dinner alongside some other famous ladies, like Sophie Turner and even Patrick Mahomes' wife, Brittany.

Hugh's not all that random either -- he's good friends with Blake's hubby, and they're in this new obscure movie that's coming out next year -- something called 'Deadpool 3,' apparently.

Anyway ... Taylor's appearance is no surprise -- we'd been hearing all week that she'd be here, and they were telegraphing as much by being within a stone's throw of each other earlier this weekend.

We'll see how much of Taylor gets shown throughout the broadcast. FOX kept it mostly focused on the game last week -- but seeing how much of a rating bonanza her mere presence turned out to be ... ya gotta figure NBC will cut to her at least a few times today.

If today/tonight turns out to be as eventful as last week's Kansas City outing ... we're in for a whole lot of news. Travis and Taylor were all anyone talked about -- and now that they're showing PDA in public, it's safe to assume we might see even more of it in the near future.

Some might've thought this was all BS at first, but it's sure looking more real by the day. There were reports that Travis even swung by Taylor's NYC apartment before the game -- so yeah, he's been in her quarters now ... and all signs point to this being an intimate thing.

With Swifties and NFL'ers all flocking for the show ... it's a classic case of worlds colliding.

Trayvis is officially on ... and kickoff is just minutes away!!!