TMZ Sports - Page 46

Tim McGraw showed love to Iowa's biggest star when he performed in Des Moines ... wearing Caitlin Clark's Hawkeyes jersey while he rocked out on stage!

The country music legend was in the Hawkeye state at Wells Fargo Arena for the latest stop on his Standing Room Only Tour ... and he was spotted rockin' a black and yellow Clark jersey while singing his hits, including the platinum song, "Truck Yeah".

"Gotta represent," 56-year-old McGraw said while pointing to his jersey.

The Iowa Hawkeyes-themed performance comes just two days before Clark and her top-seeded squad play the Holy Cross Crusaders in the first round of the NCAA tourney.

It's an interesting wardrobe choice for TM, a Louisiana native who pledged Pi Kappa Alpha at Northeast Louisianan University.

But, when in Rome ... not to mention Clark is one of the biggest women's basketball stars we've ever seen. In fact, she's the NCAA's all-time leading scorer, men or women, in addition to holding numerous other records.

Soon, Clark won't be hooping in Iowa ... she recently declared for the 2024 WNBA Draft.

There's a good chance LSU and Iowa may see each other down the road ... they're on a collision course that could see the rivals play in a highly anticipated Elite 8 matchup.

Celine Dion's proving she can still rock by jamming out to Bon Jovi at a Boston Bruins game ... and the heartwarming video also makes it clear she's not letting her health challenges stop her from living life to the max.

Check out the clip -- Celine didn't hold back as she started singing along to the rock band's classic "Livin' on a Prayer" Thursday night at the Bruins game against the NY Rangers ... a rare public appearance amid her ongoing Stiff-Person Syndrome battle.

Celine's right in the thick of the action at Boston's TD Garden alongside her twin sons Nelson and Eddy ... when the camera zeroes in on her as she pumps her fists in the air and claps along while singing along to the catchy tune.

Her inner rockstar comes alive in the X clip shared by fan account @celinebible ... she rises from her seat to unleash an air guitar solo that's pure magic.

You can take the girl off the stage, but you can't take the performer outta her!

Celine wasn't just there to watch the game ... she and her sons got the royal treatment from Bruins coach Jim Montgomery, who introduced them to the team for a legendary line-up read.

The icon's ice hockey antics came hot on the heels of her heartfelt tribute on International Stiff-Person Syndrome Awareness Day ... where she thanked her family, team, and fans for all their love and support since her diagnosis.

Celine was diagnosed with SPS in 2022, and she's been fighting tooth and nail to cope with the autoimmune disorder, even pulling the plug on her tour to prioritize her health.

The truth is ... she has her good days, and bad ones too during this battle. Her sister has said at times Celine is suffering and completely immobilized.

Olivia Culpo is baring it all in order to drum up interest in her upcoming clothing line ... rockin' nothing but a tiny bikini bottom in a steamy new ad.

Christian McCaffrey's fiancée posted the short commercial on her Instagram page Friday morning ... and, yeah, it's spicy, to say the least.

You can see the former Miss Universe champion sitting by a pool with her top off ... posing for a camera placed strategically behind her.

In a subsequent IG post, Culpo explained it was all to help sell her Montce x Culpo '24 Collection -- which officially drops on March 25.

This ain't the first sexy advert Culpo has taken part in this week ... on Tuesday, she and McCaffrey posed for some sweaty shots to help hawk Bodyarmor's new zero-sugar drink.

It could be one of the last times, however, that Culpo films as an unmarried woman.

Travis Hunter is the early leader in the clubhouse for Son of the Year ... the college football star blessed his mom with a big, brand-new home, and her reaction was priceless!

The Colorado Buffaloes cornerback and receiver surprised his mother over St. Patrick's Day weekend when his family, plus fiancee Leanne, took a trip to Savannah, GA, to celebrate the holiday.

Hunter took his whole family to view the massive house, and while they were there, he gave his mom a card to read aloud ... and when she was done, confetti flew everywhere.

That's when mom realized the house was hers ... and she completely lost her mind when Trav handed her the keys!

"Y'all got me good," Hunter's mom said about the surprise. "Wooooo!!!!"

Hunter, 20, noted the "nice ass house" -- 5 bedrooms and 2 1/2 baths -- was one of the two biggest purchases he's ever made.

Travis is a super generous person. Last year he got his fiancee a custom Hello Kitty Tesla along with a massive diamond ring when he proposed in February.

Hunter obviously isn't paid to play football yet (just wait), but he has benefited from several NIL deals, including one with Michael Strahan's company.

The money is well-deserved ... TH is one of the most talented and versatile athletes in all of college football. In fact, under Deion Sanders' tutelage at Jackson State and Colorado, he's racked up 5 interceptions and 50 total tackles in two seasons as a DB.

On offense, Hunter has 911 receiving yards and nine touchdowns ... and was awarded the 2023 Paul Hornung Award for being the most high-level performer in college football.

Jake Paul believes his boxing match against Mike Tyson is one for the history books ... saying the upcoming event with the combat legend will be "the biggest fight the world will ever see."

The Problem Child made the eye-popping statement on his latest episode of "BS with Jake Paul" this week ... in response to Conor McGregor's recent claim that there's a lack of interest in the bout.

Jake says the social media stats prove the UFC superstar is wrong ... and considering the whole thing will be available to Netflix's 260 million subscribers, it could go down as the most-watched event in the sport's history.

In fact, when he was asked if the Tyson fight would do better than Conor's Pay-Per-View fight against Floyd Mayweather ... Jake said it will undoubtedly outperform the 2017 spectacle.

"It'll be more viewed, 1,000%," Jake said. "For sure."

Jake made note of the fact they won't be able to compare PPV numbers, as the fight is free on the streaming service ... but in terms of eyeballs, he's going to run circles around Floyd vs. Conor.

FYI -- Conor's foray into the ring with Floyd had 4.3 million PPV buys ... and TBE's fight against Manny Pacquiao (the best-selling fight of all time) saw 4.6 million purchases.

Jake said the coverage leading up to the July 20 bout backs his stance ... and there are 10x more articles about the Tyson event than Conor's last fight announcement.

"No fight ever has done these numbers in terms of face-off views, Instagram reels," Jake said. "Just on our main pages alone, it's like 50-60 million Instagram views on both of our posts. Not to mention every single other sports page posting it, that's never happened in the history of the sport, to reach those numbers."

"So this is, in my mind, the biggest fight the world will ever see."

Jake said there's no need for anyone to be jealous ... 'cause, at the end of the day, he's helping the entire industry.

There's a lot more in the episode ... Jake also revealed he offered Tommy Fury a rematch, but his nemesis turned it down due to money.

News confirmed! Conor McGregor vs. Michael Chandler is finally happening!

Days after The Notorious told reporters he would fight Iron Mike this summer, 37-year-old Chandler joined Babcock on the "TMZ Sports" TV show (airs weekdays on FS1) ... and we asked him if McGregor was being truthful, or just blowing smoke.

"I've got the official announcement. It's happening this summer," Chandler said, adding, "I can't tell you the actual date, but it's happening this summer!"

We followed up ... so it's official?!

"We have an agreement. We are fighting this summer."

Ears, meet music.

Of course, the Michael and Conor fight has been in the works forever ... going back to mid-2023 when the men coached opposite one another on "The Ultimate Fighter."

So, Conor the coach has been relatively active ... but not necessarily the fighter. That's because in addition to shooting the highly anticipated "Road House" remake (which dropped yesterday on Prime), McGregor was also healing up.

Remember, McGregor gruesomely broke his lower leg during his UFC 264 scrap with Dustin Poirier in July 2021. That was his last fight.

As for Chandler, he too last faced Poirier ... in November 2022.

Bottom line, both guys are ready to get back in the Octagon ... and although the date isn't publicly known, it's not that far off (check out the clip -- we also talk about which weight class the fight will be contested in.)

We're finally at the finish line here at TMZ, and we're finishing strong with our TV topics.

First, we got "TMZ Live" ... where Charles and Harvey talked about the brewing drama among Michael Jackson's surviving family members -- particularly, between his son Blanket and his mother Katherine ... who are at odds in court over attorney's fees and who should pay.

Next up, we got "TMZ on TV" ... where the gang discussed a miraculous breakthrough from Neuralink -- namely, its first human subject ... and they have video proving the tech works!

Finally, on "TMZ Sports" ... Babcock and Mojo talked about the Shohei Ohtani scandal.

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

Rejoice, Eagles fans ... the NFL is NOT banning the "Tush Push" play -- at least, not in 2024.

NFL exec Troy Vincent announced Thursday that league officials will not hear a proposal on the play at its annual meeting in Orlando next week ... clearing the way for Philadelphia to keep using their ultra-effective quarterback sneak for next season.

Of course, there were plenty around the game who wanted to see it kicked out ... as it wasn't exactly the most fun play for fans to watch -- and hardly the safest for players to execute either.

But Vincent made it clear ... the play is here to stay for now -- explaining, "There wasn’t the sort of injury data that would give the committee the opportunity to make a decision."

The Eagles popularized the play starting in the 2022 season ... letting Jalen Hurts burrow behind Jason Kelce and the rest of the Eagles' O-line to pick up key first-downs on short-yardage plays.

Some have wondered how effective the play will be with Kelce now retired -- but the Eagles will almost certainly try to find out plenty next season now that it'll be allowed.

There could be several rule changes still coming, however ... officials are slated to decide on hip-drop tackles, kickoff regulations and much more in sit-downs next week.

Prosecutors have charged a third man in connection to the death of Lisa Lopez-Galvan and injuries to more than two dozen others at the Kansas City Chiefs' Super Bowl parade last month ... with officials tracking down the suspect using surveillance footage, social media and cell phone data.

20-year-old Kansas City native Terry Young was charged with second-degree murder, unlawful use of a weapon and two counts of armed criminal action for his alleged role in the tragedy ... after he was accused of pulling out a gun and firing several times during the shooting.

According to court docs, officials claim surveillance footage shows an individual brandishing a firearm during a verbal argument ... which led Young to reveal his own weapon, walk toward them, and pull the trigger.

Detectives were able to identify Young by scouring his social media profiles and YouTube videos ... which showed him wearing the same green and yellow teddy bear backpack he allegedly had during the parade.

Detectives also obtained search warrants for two other suspects' cell phones ... and discovered a group chat in which a number believed to be Young's sent a text that read "I dropped dat n**** first shot."

Officials got access to Young's Facebook, as well ... and they say it featured videos of him with firearms and other suspects in the shooting.

Young was arrested on Wednesday ... and prosecutors requested he be held on $1 million cash bond.

As we previously reported, Lyndell Mays, Dominic Miller and two juveniles have also been hit with charges stemming from the shooting.

The Detroit Lions have released Cameron Sutton ... just one day after it was revealed cops are looking to arrest him following an alleged domestic violence incident in Florida.

The NFL org announced the roster decision on Thursday ... without providing any further comment.

As we previously reported, the Hillsborough County Sheriff's Office began looking for Sutton earlier this month ... after a woman alleged that back on March 7, he roughed her up during a violent encounter.

Police say despite attempts to call Sutton and locate him at his Pinellas County residence ... they haven't had any luck getting a hold of him -- and they're now seeking the public's help to find him.

If and when he's caught, the HCSO said in a statement he's facing a charge of domestic battery by strangulation.

Sutton -- a 29-year-old Univ. of Tennessee alum -- was selected by the Steelers in the third round of the 2017 draft. Last March, he inked a three-year deal worth $33 million to play for Detroit.

It's been nearly three years since Floyd Mayweather threatened to "kill" Jake Paul ... but Logan Paul says his little brother is still taking the remark seriously, employing 24-hour security to this day.

Logan first explained to TMZ Sports back in 2021 that he and Jake were afraid Mayweather was being for real when he exclaimed "I'll kill you motherf***er" to the younger Paul following their now-famous "gotcha hat" encounter in Miami.

In a recent interview with Graham Bensinger, Logan said his brother is still so concerned over the words ... he's making sure a guard watches his back at all times.

"Jake has not been without a security guard since that moment," Logan said in a sitdown chat with Bensinger.

Logan said his brother's main worry was all the connections Floyd has in Miami ... alleging, "He's got goons who kill a man for $200."

The two didn't have any real issues, however, in the wake of the '21 incident -- at least, that was the case until 2023 ... when they both attended a Heat game in Miami.

You'll recall, Mayweather confronted Jake outside the arena following the tilt ... forcing the social media star to seek protection from cops.

Since then, it's been quiet ... although according to Logan, Jake's not taking any chances.

Logan also talked to Bensinger about potentially fighting Floyd again -- saying TBE actually offered him a rematch of their '21 bout in 2022 on short notice. But Logan said he didn't take it, knowing he'd need more time to prep.

12:14 PM -- LeBron James was clearly watching every second of the first-round matchup ... 'cause the Lakers superstar was quick to congratulate his former coach on the 71-67 upset win over BYU.

"YEAAAAHHHH @DruOnDemand LFG!!!! Go Dukes @DuqMBB," Bron said on Thursday.

As the saying goes ... it's gotta be the shoes!!

The Duquesne basketball team got a sweet surprise before their first-round game in the NCAA Tournament ... brand new LeBron James XXI kicks -- from the King himself!

The Lakers superstar had the white and light blue sneakers delivered to the 11th-seeded team this week before Thursday's game against 6th-seeded BYU ... in the tourney's East Region.

The players were HYPED when they saw the new shoes ... and were super appreciative of the gift.

FYI, the LeBron 21s "Blue Diver" dropped this month ... with Air Zoom cushioning and a glow-in-the-dark outsole. The shoe was modeled after an Oyster shell.

There's a deeper meaning ... and it's a tribute to Bron's daughter, Zhuri, and how the proud dad protects his daughter just as a shell shelters a pearl.

You're probably asking, why Duquesne? Well, James' former high school basketball coach is their current HC ... Keith Dambrot, who has been the coach of the Dukes since 2017.

The special delivery comes on the heels of Duquesne's biggest basketball game in decades ... they haven't been in the NCAA tourney in 47 years, and last made a trip to the Final 4 in 1940, 84 years ago.

Conor McGregor got fully naked for his role in the new "Road House" movie ... and we can't even front -- the dude has a nice ass.

The UFC superstar's cheeks make a brief cameo in the new Prime Video project that dropped on Thursday ... when at one point, Conor shows up wearing nothing but a smile on his face.

We're not going to reveal any spoilers -- the flick literally just dropped -- but considering Conor has talked about the nude scene in the promo tour leading up to the release, it's fair game to talk about the dude's peach.

It's pretty funny -- Conor previously stated he had no idea his "Knox" character would be shown in the buff ... but his dedication to the role kept him from turning down the opportunity to lay it all on the line.

Of course, "Road House" is a re-imagining of the 1989 cult classic ... and the late Patrick Swayze also shows off his tush in the original, too -- so apparently it's become quite the tradition for dudes to show skin in these flicks.

There's been a ton of hype around the Jake Gyllenhaal-led movie -- not only does Conor have a big role, but Post Malone also shows off his acting chops as well.

Metta World Peace says St. John's was snubbed by the NCAA Tourney committee, but he isn't trippin' ... 'cause the former Red Storm star says the squad will be dancing next season!

TMZ Sports talked to the Queens-born, ex-SJU and NBA star after St. John's was left out of the 68-team field, despite finishing with a 20-13 (11-9 in the Big East) record. St. Johns won 6 of their last 7, with the one loss coming to UCONN, the number 1 overall seed.

Still, the Big East, one of the most talented and competitive conferences in the sport, was disrespected ... only receiving 3 bids, while SJU and Seton Hall were shafted.

"Rick Pitino is getting it going back in the right direction," Metta told us earlier this week. "It was unfortunate, but I think next year, they'll go to the NCAA tournament."

Of course, if anyone can do it, it's Pitino. The legendary coach, who just finished his first season in Queens, has been to seven Final Fours ... and won two NCAA titles. He has over 850 collegiate wins. Rick's also spent time in the NBA, with coaching the New York Knicks and Boston Celtics.

Speaking of coaching, Metta -- who played at St. John's from 1997 to 1999 -- is no stranger to the sidelines himself. MWP has served as an assistant for Cal State L.A.'s women's basketball team.

Planet Fitness seems to be going through the exact same thing Bud Light did last year -- and yes, it's once again all about a transgender person ... who's got a certain group fired up.

You've probably heard about this by now ... a woman in Alaska posted a photo of a trans woman in the women's locker room at her Fairbanks location -- accusing the company of allowing men in a space that she thinks should be exclusive to cisgender women.

The original pic appeared to show the trans woman in question shaving over a sink in the locker room, and the lady who took it ranted and raved on a video that went viral afterward.

In the aftermath ... her local Planet Fitness reportedly revoked her membership, and let the unidentified trans woman stick around -- who has continued using the locker room. Planet Fitness has also explicitly defended the transgender member, saying their policy allows people with certain gender identities to use the locker rooms that they see fit.

With that said, they also say people can't act in bad faith on this ... or they'll get booted.

Now, more photos of this trans woman have been taken and circulated in the days since all this first kicked off ... and as you can imagine, it's drummed up a lot of outraged reactions.

Specifically, a lot of folks on the right have been blowing this story up over the past week or so -- and they've been calling on people to cancel their Planet Fitness memberships nationwide ... and on its face, it would appear a good handful of members are doing so.

The reason that seems apparent ... PF's stock price has taken a somewhat big hit, and their market value has also plummeted -- with the stock going from $66 to about $56 over the course of 12 days or so, the amount of time that's passed since this firestorm has taken off.

As a result of the stock dip, their market cap has also fallen around $400 million -- going from about $5.3 billion to about $4.9 bil over the course of 5 days, starting last week.

A.J. Hoggard's NCAA tournament run didn't get off to the best start -- the dude accidentally played the first few minutes of Michigan State's game Thursday with his shorts on backward!!!

Eagle-eyed fans noticed the wardrobe mishap just seconds into the Spartans' tourney-opening game against Mississippi State ... pointing out that his uniform certainly looked different from his teammates'.

You can see in images from the game's broadcast, while every other MSU player on the floor had a Spartan on the left side of their leg and a design on the right ... but Hoggard's were flipped.

Thankfully, it seems somebody informed the senior of the issue after just a few minutes on the court ... because following a break in the action, the direction of his shorts suddenly changed.

Doesn't seem it had any effect on his game, though ... the point guard balled out in the first half, piling up five points, two rebounds and five assists -- as MSU leads Mississippi St., 31-24, at the break.