TMZ Sports - Page 50

Tyrese Maxey's thoughts were elsewhere after scoring 50 points in the Sixers win Sunday ... he dedicated the career-best performance to teammate Kelly Oubre Jr. after the star guard was badly hurt in a hit-and-run accident the day before.

As we previously reported, Oubre Jr. -- who joined the 76ers in September -- suffered broken ribs and other injuries when he was hit by a vehicle while walking in Philly on Saturday, hospitalizing the NBA star.

The Sixers played the Pacers the day after the accident ... and Maxey went off, dropping 50 points, with 7 rebounds, 5 assists, and 3 blocks!

It was Maxey's best game, but he gave the shine to his teammate and friend.

"Man, this had nothing to do with me," the guard told a reporter after the 137-126 win. "This all Kelly Oubre, man."

"We praying for him. I love my dog, I just met him but I love him. Hope he gets well soon."

The Sixers -- who are currently leading the Eastern Conference with an 8-1 record -- tried to reach Oubre, who is home now, after the win but sent him a video message instead.

"Get better soon, KO," Sixers coach Nick Nurse said while recording the clip.

Oubre -- averaging 16.3 points and 5.1 rebounds with the Sixers -- is going to be out for a while ... though the team is hopeful he can return before the end of the season.

Ben Affleck and his ex-wife, Jennifer Garner, haven't always been on the best terms after divorcing, but lately -- including this weekend -- they're 2 peas in a co-parenting pod.

The 2 exes -- who share 3 children together -- were hanging out Sunday in Santa Monica, where their son Samuel had a basketball game ... and while they were waiting for their kid so they could all leave, BA and JG were laughing something fierce in the lobby.

Take a look ... mom and dad chatted each other up and smiled ear to ear as they talked. Eventually, Sam wrapped up the game and they all left together ... in real good moods.

BTW, it's just the 2 of them here -- no J Lo or the other kids in sight -- so it seems this was just a day for the father-mother-son trio, which is a cool thing to see.

We already know Ben and Jen (and Jen) have a blended family these days ... and they're always in and out of each other's lives, especially for big events and holidays. The fact Ben and Jennifer can meet up like this without any issues is sort of a rarity in Hollywood.

That's not to say these two haven't had their issues post-divorce.

We've seen them argue in public before, including one instance from 2019 where they got testy on the street. With that said, they're on the same page more often than not ... and seem to care a great deal about each other in the years since their marriage ended.

In fact, it was Garner here who took Ben to rehab in 2018 ... so she's certainly there for her ex when he needs it.

She also appears to get along with BA's new wife and her own children ... JG has been seen taking the whole kid troupe out and about in public, and vice-versa obviously.

Aaron Rodgers is doubling down on his targeted return to the football field ... revealing he's hoping to make his big comeback from his Achilles injury in mid-December.

The New York Jets quarterback -- who said last week he was eyeing suiting up in "a few fortnights" -- made his intentions crystal clear in a pregame interview with NBC's Melissa Stark, who relayed the news during the Sunday Night Football broadcast.

"He said, 'I know it sounds insane, but you do a good surgery, you have a good patient, it makes this possible,'" Stark told Mike Tirico and Cris Collinsworth.

Rodgers also stated he was working out on a weight-limited treadmill at 50% of his body weight ... and planned to bump up to 75% this week.

The update lines up exactly with what TMZ Sports reported just a few days ago -- our sources told us Rodgers is recovering at a historic rate ... and he's basically in uncharted territory with how he's improving by the day.

If he does come back before Christmas, it will be much faster than the usual 9+ months it tends to take for an athlete to get to 100% before returning to action.

Rodgers has shown he's busting his ass in rehab -- he's been slinging the pigskin prior to Jets games recently ... and has been walking without assistance or any sort of limp.

There's another Fielder making his way to the MLB ... and this one's father, Prince Fielder, tells TMZ Sports the youngster could turn out to be the best in the family!

We got Prince and his 19-year-old son, Jadyn Fielder, out at LAX this week ... and when we asked if the young Fielder had potential to be better than Dad and Grandpa (three-time All-Star Cecil Fielder), Prince didn't mince words.

"He sure does!" Prince said.

As for why ... Prince told us his kid has been "practicing every day" -- while spending years in MLB clubhouses soaking up knowledge from him and other Big Leaguers.

While Prince is certainly a proud dad, he also clearly isn't blowing smoke ... Jadyn -- a 6-foot infielder who plays high school baseball in Florida -- is regarded as one of the best prospects in the 2024 class.

And, get this ... Prince says his other son, 17-year-old Haven Fielder, has a chance to make a name for himself on an MLB diamond one day too!!

It's all quite the sight ... considering it was just a few years ago that the boys were little tykes watching Prince mash in playoff games and Home Run Derbys -- something that's obviously not lost on Prince.

Bill Burr's wife doesn't seem to be a fan of Donald Trump's -- that is, assuming this middle finger she fired off was for him ... and it very well may have been.

Nia Hill accompanied her comedian husband to the UFC 295 event Saturday night at NYC's Madison Square Garden -- and during one of DT's on-camera moments on the jumbotron ... she flipped the bird, which many have taken to be directly targeted for Trump.

Frankly, it's hard to tell if this F-U was, in fact, intended for The Donald or not. It looks like Trump is in the same aisle as them, but slightly angled ahead of them as they're seated.

Nia throws up two single-finger salutes right at the UFC team pans to them ... but it seems like she's perhaps doing it straight to the camera itself, as opposed to DT who's to her right. Whatever her intention was, right-wing Twitter certainly took it as an insult to the ex-Prez.

As a result, he's getting a ton of hate from conservatives ... 'cause they see his wife's would-be gesture toward Trump as a reflection of his own politics -- even though he holds that pretty close to the vest.

Burr occupies this nebulous comedy space ... at times, he comes out swinging against "wokeness" but also rails on right-wingers just as much. Dude's an enigma, for sure -- and more importantly, there aren't many interviews he's done where he straight-up craps on DT.

Now, he's in the crosshairs of MAGA loyalists ... who are still very much with 45. The UFC crowd also appeared to welcome his presence ... as he rolled in with Dana White, Tucker Carlson and Kid Rock.

12:17 PM PT -- And just like that ... Travis Kelce is outta here.

The Chiefs tight end boarded a private jet Sunday to fly out of Argentina and presumably head back to the States. His team doesn't have a game until the 20th, but he's probably expected at practice and team meetings in the coming days.

No sign of Taylor here to send him off ... but ya gotta imagine they had a great night together after a huge PDA moment the day prior. Dude's got a pep in his step, for sure.

Don't cry for Taylor Swift in Argentina ... she had an amazing show Saturday night, after which she passionately made out with her man.

We've seen Travis Kelce and Taylor hold hands, wrap their arms around each other, etc, but this is the first big PDA moment. She races to Travis as she leaves the stage and they embrace and make out in a "get-a-room" type way!

As for why there seemed to be electric passion between the 2 ... well, Taylor changed the lyrics to "Karma" ... the OG version -- "Karma is the guy on the screen/Coming straight home to me." The updated version -- "Karma is the guy on the Chiefs/Coming straight home to me."

Travis is stoked when he hears the lyrics ... you see it in his face and he begins vibing to the song.

Taylor doesn't need it, but Travis sorta served as her hype man during the show ... getting the frenzied crowd into an even more intense frenzy.

BTW ... Taylor's dad was at the show and gave his stamp of approval to the relationship by wearing a Chiefs' lanyard. It's a big deal 'cause he's an Eagles fan.

This is the first show Travis has attended since their relationship went public, although we knew for weeks before it was the real deal.

T&T have been making the rounds in Argentina the last few days ... they were holding hands Friday during a romantic dinner at the swanky Four Seasons in Buenos Aires.

Travis doesn't have a game this weekend so he was clear to fly to his girl. Long-distance relationships are tough, but private jets and other perks make it a lot easier for sure, so good luck you two!

We covered it all on the latest episode of The TMZ Podcast, available on all podcast platforms.

Kim Zolciak and Kroy Biermann had a good weekend -- they were chowing down and looking awfully cozy during their 12-year anniversary ... even though they're getting divorced.

The ex-'RHOA' star was documenting all the festivities on IG, including a pit stop to one of Morgan Wallen's shows in Atlanta ... and a one-on-one dinner she shared with her estranged hubby at an Italian joint in nearby Smyrna, GA -- which was romantic as hell.

Take a look for yourself ... they had a mini buffet of food in front of them, and a fair amount of drinks too, which they partook in with the restaurant staff -- all of which KZ filmed.

She made no mention of their personal problems here -- relationship, financial or otherwise -- and instead commented on how good the grub was. She also didn't acknowledge Kroy's presence explicitly ... but the dude was definitely enjoying himself/the moment.

If a picture's worth a thousand words ... there are a lot of telling frames in these clips -- at first glance, it would appear they're on good terms at the moment ... despite a tumultuous past few months as they navigate their divorce and money problems, which are linked.

Like we said, they were celebrating the anniversary of their wedding date back in 2011. And even though they seem to be heading toward Splitsville ... they felt it was worth honoring.

No word on whether this means they're making up (again), but it's nice to see 'em happy.

Kelly Oubre Jr. is in the hospital and on the mend after getting struck by a car in a hit-and-run in the city he plays for -- and while it sounds like he'll recover ... he's banged up.

According to the Philadelphia 76ers -- on which Oubre is a starter -- their 27-year-old star player fell victim to a reckless driver Saturday night in the Center City neighborhood of Philly ... where Oubre was out and about, it seems, during a night off in the team's schedule.

The details of what exactly happened are a little murky at the moment ... but it sounds like he got hit at the corner of Broad and Locust Street, with the vehicle in question fleeing the scene without a trace. As a result of the hit, Oubre is said to have sustained some injuries.

Shams Charania reports the SF/G is dealing with broken ribs, bruises and other abrasions ... and he's currently hospitalized. Team personnel, including Prez Daryl Morey, showed up last night to visit him ... obviously, he's going to be out for a while.

Chad Johnson is advising Aaron Rodgers to pump the brakes on a potential return to the Jets this season ... telling TMZ Sports the star quarterback needs to chill before he reinjures himself.

The Bengals legend didn't mince words when discussing the topic with us this week, saying straight up, "Don't come back. You'll hurt yourself."

Johnson never had to deal with a torn Achilles during his NFL career ... but he certainly saw others go down with the injury in his 11 years in the league, and he's now warning Rodgers to not rush back this year.

"Don't do it," he said. "You're going to reinjure yourself. It's too soon."

Of course, 39-year-old Rodgers -- who tore his Achilles back on September 11 -- appears to be doing all he can to come rescue the 4-4 Jets despite outside concerns ... progressing to the point where he's now taking dropbacks and firing off passes during pregame warmups.

While Johnson is clearly impressed with the recovery so far ... he was adamant that he doesn't believe it's a good idea to return to NFL action so quickly.

"You have to understand," Johnson said, "there are few injuries that you don't want to play with. You don't want to play with anything having to do with your groin, your Achilles, or your knees. You don't rush back from those."

"I don't care what your doctors tell you."

Instead, Johnson is hopeful Rodgers will take the whole year off, get to 100 percent ... and then be ready for the 2024 season.

Kim Kardashian's getting left on read if she ever texts Shannon Sharpe ... 'cause the Hall of Famer tells TMZ Sports he's just too busy and too private to date the business mogul.

This might sound random as hell if you haven't heard Shay Shay's recent "Nightcap" podcast episode with Chad Johnson ... so let us explain.

Last month, Ochocinco decided to try and play matchmaker for Shannon ... pitching the idea of setting him up with Kim K, as they're both single, goal-oriented and focused on their businesses.

"Y'all could be like Power Rangers, or a power couple, whatever they call it," the former Bengals star said ... adding Sharpe could have the same blowup Travis Kelce got from dating Taylor Swift.

Despite Ochocinco's best efforts, Sharpe isn't into the idea ... 'cause when we chopped it up with him at LAX this week, he shot it down.

"Kim has enough going on," Sharpe told us. "She's an outstanding businesswoman and what she's been able to do. That family is amazing but I got too much on my plate. She has too much on her plate and plus I'm too private of a guy. I don't want to live a public life."

Of course, Kim hasn't dated publicly since her breakup with Pete Davidson in 2022 ... but there were rumblings she was getting to know Baltimore Ravens star Odell Beckham Jr. earlier this year.

We're told they're just friends at this point ... and it's clear Ochocinco wanted Shannon to swoop in.

The start of C.J. Stroud's NFL career has been so impressive ... even his Houston teammate, Dare Ogunbowale, says he's having a hard time believing it.

"I'm not even going to lie," the Texans running back told TMZ Sports this week. "A little bit of it definitely surprises me just 'cause I know what it takes to be an NFL player, but I really know what it takes to be a quarterback in this league. It is not easy.

"And he's making it look easy."

Through eight games of his rookie season so far, Stroud's thrown for 2,270 yards, 14 touchdowns and just one interception. In his last game, a thrilling win over Tampa Bay, he set a rookie record with 470 passing yards.

Ogunbowale tells us it's all been incredible to watch ... explaining, "It's special, man."

"Obviously you see the talent," he added, "but the poise he has, the command he has in the huddle, the confidence he has in him and this offense, it's fun to see."

Stroud will be facing a tough test this weekend -- as he'll lead the 4-4 Texans into Cincinnati to play the red-hot Bengals.

Dare says it's obviously going to be hard a matchup ... though, sadly, he told us his duties for the game will not include kicking -- as they did against the Buccaneers last weekend.

Former NFL cornerback D.J. Hayden -- who was a first-round pick in the 2013 draft -- was reportedly killed in a horrific car crash in Houston that claimed six lives.

The devastating accident happened at 2 AM on Saturday according to Houston Police Department's Assistant Chief Megan Howard and it involved an Acura SUV and a Chrysler 300 that ran a red light on Fannin Street.

"It appears to be going very fast, high velocity," Chief Howard said during the press conference. "At the scene, there were a total of four individuals pronounced deceased."

Chief Howard said another four were sent to the hospital ... sadly, two of them died later.

"We have a total of five males deceased, one female deceased," Chief Howard said.

According to Joseph Duarte of the Houston Chronicle, one of the deceased is former NFL player Hayden who played for the Raiders, Lions, Jaguars, and Washington.

Prior to the NFL, Hayden played two seasons (2011, 2012) at the University of Houston ... and during his senior year, he had a near-fatal injury when the inferior vena cava in his heart was torn after a hit during practice.

He survived the incident and was drafted as the 12th overall pick in the 2013 NFL Draft.

D.J. logged 328 tackles, 4.5 sacks, 4 interceptions, and 4 forced fumbles in his nine-year career.

Another football player was also killed in the crash ... defensive back Zach McMillian who also played for the UH Cougars.

He was only 33.

Taylor Swift teamed up with her NFL beau Travis Kelce for an intimate dinner in Argentina -- and the lovebirds couldn't stop holding hands, proving they have an ironclad relationship.

The pop singer and the Kansas City Chiefs tight end were filmed together at Elena restaurant in the Four Seasons Hotel Buenos Aires Friday evening.

Check out the video ... after their meal, the two -- surrounded by security -- stroll across the room, passing by staff and patrons trying to catch a glimpse of the world's most famous couple. During the 20-second clip, Taylor and Travis are clearly gripping each other's hands as they make their way out the door.

Earlier in the day ... Travis hopped on a plane for a 13-hour flight to watch Taylor perform in Buenos Aires Friday night, but the show got canceled due to torrential rain.

Travis also missed Taylor's Thursday concert in the capital city because he attended a charity event thrown by his teammate, Patrick Mahomes, in Kansas City. At the gala, Travis was pictured standing at a table and clapping his hands, while appearing happy.

The question -- how much time will Travis spend on the road, given that Taylor will be performing the international portion of her Eras Tour for a long, long time.

Travis sure has a lot to smile about these days ... not only is he dating Taylor, but he's a 2023 Super Bowl champion.

New Orleans Saints wide receiver Michael Thomas spent his Friday night in jail after he was arrested for allegedly getting into a violent, brick-throwing altercation with a construction worker.

Law enforcement sources tell TMZ ... Thomas was taken into custody by Kenner PD in Louisiana and booked for simple battery and criminal mischief -- both misdemeanors. He then cooled his heels in a jail cell for a few hours before he was released around 10 PM.

According to cops ... Thomas got into a shouting match with the hardhat, who was helping to build a home in the same neighborhood where the NFL player lives.

Police say Thomas started making threats because he was pissed the guy parked a truck in front of his house.

Using a cell phone, the worker began recording Thomas, who became irate and scooped up a brick, throwing it at the man's truck and damaging the windshield, cops said.

Thomas then allegedly got up in the man's face and smacked the phone out of his hand. Police say Thomas also pushed the man and demanded that he stop filming the incident.

The victim notified police and filed a report, accusing Thomas of the misdemeanors. Thomas was apprehended without incident and has been cooperating with the investigation.

The Iceman won't be showing his icicle on OnlyFans anytime soon ... 'cause even though fellow former UFC fighter Paige VanZant is making a killing by ditching her clothes, Chuck Liddell tells TMZ Sports he's simply not about that life.

PVZ has been making a fortune on the subscription platform ... recently revealing she raked in more dough in one day than she did throughout her whole MMA career.

We spoke with the former champ out at LAX this week about Paige's thriving new venture ... and he's thrilled for the fighter-turned-model.

"That's awesome, that's good for her. I'm excited for her," Chuck told us. "I'm glad she's doing it. She's a cool girl."

While Liddell has nothing but love for Paige, he says he won't be following in her feet pics footprints.

"No, but thank you, though," Chuck said with a laugh.

All silliness aside, we talked about UFC 295 and the big matchup between Jiří Procházka and Alex Pereira ... and he spills on who he's got in the interim light heavyweight bout.

Jiri Prochazka admits Alex Pereira is a good freakin' fighter, but is he the most dangerous man he's ever faced? Prochazka doesn't think so.

TMZ Sports talked to the 31-year-old, #1 light heavyweight contender ... and we asked Jiri if Alex presented the biggest challenge to him over his 10+ year pro-MMA career.

"I will see that when I face him. I will feel that who is he. But what I've saw with his style, I think I've fought with more dangerous guys."

Surprising ... until you look at the opponents he's shared an Octagon with over the years, including Glover Teixeira (submission win, 2022), Volkan Oezdemir (KO win, 2020), and Dominick Reyes (KO win, 2021).

But, as good as those fighters are, none possess the crushing knockout power of Poatan (8-2, 6 KO) ... especially when it comes to his vicious left hook. Alex has put many men to sleep with that shot over the years.

We asked Jiri, a dynamic striker in his own right, if he believed he could win a stand-up battle against Alex, assuming things don't go to the ground where Prochazka would seemingly have the advantage.

"Yes, yes. 100 percent yes," Prochazka said without any hesitation.

Of course, the guys are fighting for the belt held by Jamahal Hill ... who ruptured his Achilles a few months ago.

We asked Jiri what it'd mean to him to once again have the UFC championship belt wrapped around his waist ... and he was at a loss for words.

"I can't talk about it. You will see that in Madison Square Garden, and I believe in that."

As for Pereira, we talked to him, too ... and let's say he sees things going a bit differently.