TMZ Sports - Page 50

Kaskade is setting the music mood for the Super Bowl ... but he says the NFL hasn't called on him to shine a light on Taylor Swift -- telling TMZ Sports he has no specific orders to rock Travis Kelce's girl's songs during the Big Game.

We spoke with the league's first-ever in-game DJ before the San Francisco 49ers and Kansas City Chiefs take the field for the championship in Las Vegas ... and naturally, we had to ask if Roger Goodell's org. specifically requested to make the night Swifty-friendly.

Kaskade says he was given free reign on the night -- as long as the content is clean, obvi -- but no one put a bug in his ear to go out of his way to include anything from the Grammy award-winning artist's discography.

You can catch Sam Hartman on a football field, in a weight room, or in a quarterback meeting ... but one place you won't find the former Notre Dame superstar is a barbershop -- 'cause he tells TMZ Sports he knows he simply cannot cut his luscious locks.

The Fighting Irish star spoke with us while out in Las Vegas for Super Bowl week ... and he explained that one thing he's learned since he's risen to stardom -- both on the field and off of it -- is that his hair has to be here to stay.

"People are adamant about that," Hartman said with a laugh. "And my mom likes it."

Of course, the 'do has certainly opened up a lot of doors for the 24-year-old in the past year or so. While his play on the field has obviously garnered him a lot of attention in the sports world -- his looks have turned him into an internet sensation.

In fact, an ad he just recently appeared in has already gained over 20 MILLION views on TikTok ... with most of the watchers droolin' over his mane in the comment section.

Hartman is clearly aware of it all ... telling us jokingly, "Shoutout to Mom for giving me the hair and giving me the good genetics."

But, the signal-caller has his eyes slated on far more than being a heartthrob ... he's gunning to make the NFL -- working his tail off this offseason so a team will select him in April's draft.

Taylor Swift and her fellow wives and girlfriends of the Super Bowl know all too well what's on the line on Sunday ... and while they probably need to calm down ahead of kickoff, let's give these lovely ladies their flowers in honor of the Chiefs and 49ers duking it out on the field.

Travis Kelce's girlfriend is expected to be at Allegiant Stadium for the big game, following her 'Eras' tour stop in Japan ... we take it the TV broadcast will keep us in the loop on if/when she shows up.

Brittany Mahomes has also been in the headlines lately ... especially after her steamy Sports Illustrated Swimsuit photos were released ahead of her hubby Patrick's fourth Super Bowl appearance.

A ton of other ladies in Chiefs Kingdom will be pulling for K.C. ... including Justin Watson's wife, Erica, Drue Tranquill's lady, Jackie, and Jojo O'Connor, who recently got engaged to Clyde Edwards-Helaire.

The 49ers WAGs are gonna be rollin' deep as well ... like Kyle Juszczyk's fashion-designer wife, Kristin, whose branding has been blowing up thanks to the Swift effect.

Former Miss Universe and model Olivia Culpo will definitely grace us with her presence and support her fiancé, Christian McCaffrey ... posting up in a suite she copped for her future mother-in-law.

Culpo ain't the only model on the 49ers side, though ... Nick Bosa -- who posed for Kim Kardashian's SKIMS campaign -- will surely be dominating on the field as his new GF, Lauren Maenner, watches his every move.

George Kittle's wife, Claire, will also be there to show love (probably in another Juszczyk fit), as well as Jenna Brandt, who got engaged to Brock Purdy last summer.

Fred Warner's wife, Sydney, is on baby watch as she's 35 weeks pregnant ... but luckily, the doctors cleared her to fly to her husband's second Super Bowl appearance.

If Orlando Brown Jr. needed one quarterback to lead his team on a game-winning drive ... he tells TMZ Sports he's not taking Patrick Mahomes OR Lamar Jackson.

No, the four-time Pro Bowl offensive lineman says he's riding with Joe Burrow instead!!!

"I'm going to go with my current QB," the Bengals left tackle said. "I'm taking my man Joe Scheisty."

Brown, of course, knows all three quarterbacks very well. He started his career in Baltimore, and protected Jackson for three seasons -- before he was traded to Kansas City to block for Mahomes.

This past year, he left in free agency to join Burrow in Cincinnati ... and he's clearly grown fond of what Joey B can do in crunch time.

"I feel like Joe Scheisty is going to get it done," he said.

Don't get it twisted, though ... Brown ached over the decision -- adding, "That's tough, man!"

Kelly Stewart is one of the best when it comes to sports betting, and she wants to help you earn a little extra cheddar this Super Bowl Sunday!

TMZ Sports talked to Stewart -- the co-host of OutKick's The Fade with Clay Travis -- about some of her favorite bets heading into the Chiefs vs. 49ers game.

"I think if you like either team you bet them on the money line," Stewart said.

"A 2-point spread, slight implied odds that the Niners are a little bit better on a neutral field than the Chiefs, which I would agree with here. But I don't know how we see these last few seconds playing out. I think for me, the last I want holding a Niners ticket is Patrick Mahomes to have 2 minutes left on the clock. That would make me a little uneasy come Sunday."

Despite that terrifying thought ... here's the bet Kelly made for herself.

"I did lay -$125 with the Niners, so if you like the Niners, I think you bet them on the money line."

If you're interested in over/unders ... Kelly has some advice.

"What I always tell people, before you bet, think about your game script. How do you think the game is gonna play out? I think we're gonna see a higher-scoring first half here. I like the first half over. I know some really good friends of mine that agree with me," Stewart told us.

"I think the second half is gonna be lower scoring. I think we're gonna see Steve Spagnolo's defense step up, we know the Niners defense has been one of the best second half defenses over the last two seasons," KS said ... pointing out that San Fran's D has won a lot of people money of late.

Consider Baron Davis on Stephen Jackson's side in his beef with Austin Rivers ... 'cause the former Hornets and Warriors star tells TMZ Sports he believes pairing LeBron James with his son, Bronny, would work wonders for the young hooper.

TMZ Sports caught up with B. Diddy just days after Rivers claimed it would be bad if King James' team drafted the USC standout ... which was met with heavy criticism from the "All the Smoke" podcast host, who referred to the former Clipper as "trash."

Davis -- who played 15 seasons in the NBA -- weighed in on the debate while out in Vegas for the Super Bowl festivities ... and he's optimistic about the potential pairing.

"Your daddy is LeBron James," Davis said, "I think it will do nothing but help him."

"You say it'll enable him because your daddy on the team, but like, nah, that s*** different. That's LeBron. LeBron's a coach, a basketball genius and that's his seed."

Davis used Ken Griffey Jr. as an example ... as the former MLB legend played with his dad on the Mariners in the 90s -- making them the first father/son duo to play on the same Major League Baseball team together.

"There's a certain type of swag, there's a certain type of s*** that you really didn't get to see as a kid," Davis said.

"Now you there, you get to see your dad's whole layout."

At the end of the day, Davis feels Rivers' own comparison to being coached by his dad is totally different than Bronny playing with his pops ... and the James duo will benefit whichever franchise they play on.

"[Bronny] already got the DNA. Now you got the whole layout, the whole trajectory, and the blueprint laid out for you."

Patrick Mahomes looks over the years are the real MVP!

Here is a 19-year-old version of the sophomore warmin' up playing for the Texas Tech Raiders back in 2015 (left). This was four years before he led the Kansas City Chiefs to a win against the 49ers at Super Bowl LIV.

And, nearly a decade later the hunky pro was still makin' 'em sweat -- playing against the Buffalo Bills in Orchard Park, New York (right).

Mahomes is gearing up to take on the 49ers yet again, but will his good looks and athletic skills be enough to take home the trophy?

It's SHOWTIME baby!

The important question here is...

It's Super Bowl Sunday ... and there's no better time than now to brush up on what TMZ was covering on their TV shows to end the week, all of which was topical/timely.

Starting with 'TMZ Live,' Harvey and Charles got into a story we broke Friday -- namely, the fact Usher has been hitting up Justin Bieber lately to talk about the prospect of JB joining him during the Super Bowl Halftime Show ... which now sounds like a very real possibility.

Still no word on whether Justin agreed -- but we know they've been chatting ... A LOT.

When it comes to 'TMZ on TV,' the gang got back to talking about Prince Harry -- but only 'cause he popped up in the most random of events ... the NFL Honors in Las Vegas.

Dude definitely didn't seem to fit in ... and the staff certainly seemed to notice, and comment.

Big day on 'TMZ Sports' ... we had the great Buffalo Bills player Damar Hamlin stop by!

Check your local listings for when TMZ is on in your area or catch up on past episodes!

Rap beef -- Super Bowl edition!!

San Francisco 49ers super fan E-40 and diehard Kansas City Chiefs backer Tech N9ne came face-to-face ahead of their teams' huge Super Bowl matchup ... and luckily, the TMZ Sports cameras were rolling for the whole hilarious interaction!!

The two MCs put their loyalty on full display at NBA legend Shaquille O'Neal's "Shaq's Fun House" event on Friday night ... and there was no shortage of friendly banter.

Our photog asked the two rap greats if there were any wagers going down for the Big Game ... and as you can tell in the clip, they have too much respect for each other -- and their teams -- to risk taking money from their "family."

But that didn't stop them from letting it known where they stand on the contest ... with N9ne pointing out Patrick Mahomes will lead the Chiefs to a second-straight championship ... and 40 giving "Mr. Irrelevant" Brock Purdy his flowers.

E-Four-Oh and Tecca Nina aren't just casual fans -- they've both gotten in the booth to record anthems for their beloved squads ... so no one can accuse them of being fair-weather fans at all.

While the two rappers may have placed their own individual bets on the game -- gotta love their confidence -- it's clear they'll still maintain their respect for each other no matter what the scoreboard says after the game.

Kayla Nicole's probably not rooting for Kansas City on Sunday ... instead she seems firmly in Niners camp -- partying with San Francisco wives and girlfriends

The ex-GF of Travis Kelce took to Instagram in the wee hours of Saturday morning to share a number of clips from a wicked rager she attended ... and a few familiar faces to 49ers fans popped up in the clips.

During the night, Kayla took a shot with some ladies ... and George Kittle's wife Claire threw one back alongside her. George of course is San Fran's tight end -- the same position Kelce plays.

Claire and Kayla are clearly friends ... having been photographed together at a different event near the end of January.

Kristin Juszczyk -- wife of versatile SF fullback Kyle -- tagged Claire in multiple posts last night from the party, so it seems she was there at least -- though it's unclear if she had any face time with Kayla as well.

Kayla's been fraternizing with people on both sides of the Super Bowl debate ... remember, we obtained photos of her and Patrick Mahomes' bro Jackson chatting amicably -- so maybe she's just being friendly to both teams.

Given her acrimonious breakup with TK, though -- and his new very public relationship -- we gotta imagine Kayla throwing back shots with Niners wives means she's chosen her side for the Super Bowl.

Rooting against your ex in the Super Bowl ... really adds a whole new meaning to "winning the breakup!"

Super Bowl LVIII's already bringing the stars to Las Vegas ... including reality TV mainstays, the KarJenners -- and it seems they've brought a super famous crooner with them.

The Kardashian clan's jet touched down in Sin City early Saturday morning ... with Kim Kardashian, Khloe Kardashian and Kendall Jenner all bundled up and clambering out of their private jet.

They kept a fairly low profile ... Kim covering up with a hat while all three of the ladies used big sunglasses to cover parts of their faces as they made their way from the airport to their luxurious accommodations.

Big reveal at the hotel though ... because a man in a huge puffy coat, white beanie decorated with a black palm tree, and blue jeans on -- and with style choices like those this could only be Justin Bieber!!!

At least, we're pretty sure it's Biebs ... check out the pics for yourself. It definitely looks like JB from the back, and he's carrying what seems to be a Louis Vuitton dog carrier -- and we only really know one celeb who regularly schleps that around.

Of course ... Justin's tight with the Kardashian family -- particularly Kendall and Kylie Jenner through his wife Hailey, so flying with them isn't totally surprising.

And, we broke the story ... Usher's personally been in contact with his protégé about performing during the Super Bowl Halftime show -- not handlers passing messages between the two, but direct communication.

So, it looks like Justin took Usher up on his offer ... or he just wants to take in the game with his pals. Either way, we're definitely probably sure that's Justin!

Bottom line ... celebs not named Taylor Swift are trickling into Vegas before Sunday's 3:30 kickoff -- and there may be a few more surprises in store for fans.

Darius Rucker's singin' his blues away ... 'cause he hopped onstage in Las Vegas to belt out a few tunes -- alongside Miami Dolphins QB Tua Tagovailoa.

The legendary singer-songwriter was joined by TT for a performance of his song "Wagon Wheel" ahead of Super Bowl Sunday in Sin City ... and the dynamic duo seemed to give the crowd the time of their lives.

Check out the vid ... Darius' staying on lead vocals of course -- dude's got three Grammys on his shelf, so he's in charge -- but there's Tua right next to him, dark shades on, strumming away on his acoustic guitar.

Tua's not hiding in the back though ... the 25-year-old's supporting DR with both his guitar and his voice it appears -- no lip sync controversy here!

The crowd's belting away too ... with most of them ripping away on vocals -- including Giants QB Daniel Jones who's really getting into it with a couple buddies.

FWIW ... this isn't a stir-of-the-moment performance. Tua showed off his musical talents during an episode of the ManningCast back in December -- plucking away on his guitar as the Jaguars took on the Bengals.

The performance seemed to catch Rucker's eye ... 'cause the longtime Dolphins fan said he'd be down to jam with Tua sometime -- and that time finally came!

BTW ... Darius doesn't look like any of his recent legal drama's weighing him down -- we broke the story, Darius was arrested early this month on three misdemeanor charges all stemming from a February 2023 arrest.

The Super Bowl may not be the most star-studded sporting event in Vegas these next few days ... 'cause Dana White's Power Slap 6 Friday night in Sin City had some of the biggest stars in the world, including Tom Brady and Travis Scott!

And we've got a bunch of pics and video from the event.

It wasn't just TB 12 and La Flame in the building ... Charles Barkley, Pat McAfee, Johnny Manziel, Taylor Lewan, Bert Kreischer, IShowSpeed, billionaire Michael Rubin, and a bunch of others were also there for the festivities -- and judging by the stars, it slapped.

Friday night marked the first event White held outside of the UFC's own Apex center ... going down at the Durango Resort, marking a big step forward for the young org.

We talked to Dana backstage during the event (while he wasn't rubbing shoulders with Tom and Travis) ... and asked him about the night.

"This is the first time ever selling tickets. We sold VIP packages. It was a good night," White said with a big smile on his face.

As for the action on the mats, the main event, Manny Muniz vs. Christopher Thomas, was a barn burner ... and the scrap DW was most looking forward to.

"Muniz has never been knocked out, and Chris Thomas knocks everybody out," White told us.

Manny ended up beating Chris by knockout in the 5th round.

We also talked to UFC legend Chuck Liddell at the event ... and while it's clear he likes watching, it doesn't sound like he's going to be coming out of retirement to compete at Power Slap 7.

Jax Taylor was also in the house ... and the former "Vanderpump Rules" star told us how he became a slap-fighting fan.

Taylor says he initially saw highlights on Instagram, so he messaged Power Slap ... which led to an invite from Dana.

Taylor Swift and Travis Kelce's families are getting super close ... taking in Sunday's big game from a suite together TMZ has learned -- and, like a gentleman, Travis is paying.

Sources with direct knowledge tell TMZ ... Taylor's mom, Andrea, dad Scott, brother Austin and his girlfriend Sydney are going to sit with Travis' mom Donna, dad Ed, brother Jason and sister-in-law Kylie Kelce while watching Travis compete for his third Super Bowl ring.

Taylor's gonna be there of course, and we're told some of her friends are tagging along ... though we don't know if any of her famous entourage will join the two families.

Allegiant Stadium sources tell us the suite costs well over $1 million ... and we're told that Travis is covering all of it because he just wants everyone to enjoy Super Bowl Sunday together.

87 sorta said this was the case on his "New Heights" podcast earlier this week when he joked he was "just counting how much money I'm spending on this damn Super Bowl for family and friends to come."

Well, we now know exactly who he spent all that dough on ... and it seems like he'll definitely be staying in the good graces of the Swift family.

There's been a ton of interaction between the happy couple and their families this year ... whether it be pics and videos of Donna cheering alongside Taylor or T-Swift hanging out with her own parents at a game, Travis has been feeling the love and support this season.

Taylor Swift just wrapped up her fourth and final concert in Tokyo – but she's now rushing to her biggest show back in The States – the Super Bowl!

Check out this video of Taylor taking a bow and waving to her multitude of fans at the Tokyo Dome Saturday night followed by her leaving the venue to take a mini-break from the international leg of her 'Eras' tour.

Her last show went off without a hitch after she suffered a couple snafus on previous nights.

Taylor seemed to have a spring in her step as she apparently made her way to the airport to fly back to the U.S. for Sunday's big matchup between the Kansas City Chiefs and the San Francisco 49ers.

While Taylor is not scheduled to perform at the game, she will be showcased in a major way before, during, and after Super Bowl LVIII.

Every camera will be focused on the pop superstar as she cheers on her hunky boyfriend, Chiefs tight end Travis Kelce, from her private suite at Allegiant Stadium in Las Vegas.

Our sources tell us ... it will be a family affair inside Taylor's VIP room. Taylor's mom, Andrea, dad Scott, brother Austin and his girlfriend Sydney will be seated next to Travis' mom Donna, dad Ed, brother Jason and sister-in-law Kylie Kelce. Of course, everyone will be watching Travis compete for his third Super Bowl ring.

And get this ... Travis is paying the $1 million-plus bill for the suite so his loved ones can have the time of their lives for free. We're also told some of Taylor's closest buds will also be on hand ... but we don't know if any of her famous friends will join the two families.

Shaquille O'Neal threw the biggest and craziest pre-Super Bowl party in Las Vegas, turning the event into his annual "Shaq Fun House" -- with a major performance by none other than Lil Wayne!

The retired NBA legend kicked off the Friday night soiree at XS nightclub on the Vegas strip with hordes of people packing the venue to bear witness to Shaq's master skills as a disc jockey followed by Wayne's energetic show.

Check out this video, obtained by TMZ ... Shaq, who also goes by the name DJ Diesel, revved up the record player and spun some tunes, getting into the groove with the crowd.

Wearing some major bling around his neck, Shaq kept the house music going for a while until Diplo took over the DJ duties before it was time to bring out the hip hop icon ... AKA Wayne.

After Wayne took to the stage, he rapped like there was no tomorrow, getting the crowd all worked up into a frenzy.

Wayne performed some of his biggest hits, such as "6 Foot 7 Foot" and "John." And the audience just loved it, recording the whole gig with their cell phone cameras.

There was one touching moment when Shaq got emotional while talking about the recent unveiling of late NBA superstar Kobe Bryant's new statue.