TMZ Sports - Page 24

Caitlin Clark and Angel Reese's highly anticipated rematch dominated the ratings on Monday ... 'cause ESPN says the Iowa vs. LSU women's Elite Eight contest generated 12.3 million viewers -- making it the most-watched women's game on record.

The sports network confirmed the massive numbers less than 24 hours after the Hawkeye beat the Tigers, 94-87 ... clinching their 2nd-straight trip to the Final Four.

Not only was it the most-viewed women's game -- ESPN added it was the biggest audience ever for a college basketball game on its platform.

Women's hoops has continuously risen in popularity ... as the Sweet Sixteen round broke a record with 2.4 million views -- a 96% increase!!

The overall women's tournament has also seen a huge spike ... with an average of 1.1 million viewers.

Of course, hats off to stars like Clark, Reese, Paige Bueckers, Juju Watkins, Flau'jae Johnson and Kamilla Cardoso ... who have undoubtedly helped bring in new eyeballs this season.

Their influence has also resulted in NIL deals ... as well as a $5 million offer for Clark to join Ice Cube's Big3 league.

New couple alert??

Johnny Manziel and Jose Canseco's daughter, Josie, appear to be spending some quality time together ... after the model shared a snap of them cozying up on a plane.

Josie added the pic to her Instagram story on Tuesday ... which was meant to highlight her new Alo sneakers, but Manziel's notable hand tattoos were on display in the background.

On top of the ink, the man in the picture is also wearing a Swiftie-esque friendship bracelet that resembles a similar accessory Manziel has rocked in the past ... leading us to believe the post was a soft launch of sorts.

If they're an item, it's fair to assume they're still in the early stages ... as the two have not been spotted out on the town together just yet. They at least crossed paths and posed next to each other at Travis Scott's Cactus Jack celebrity softball game back in February ... so maybe that's when the sparks started flying??

It would be a pretty interesting pairing, to say the least -- Josie used to date rapper MIKE (FKA Mike Stud), who shared a podcast with Manziel back in the day.

The former NFL quarterback was famously married to Bre Tiesi ... although that relationship ended when the "Selling Sunset" star filed for divorce in 2019. He went on to date Kenzie Werner, but that seemingly fizzled out as well.

Josie previously dated Logan Paul and Brody Jenner  ... and was most recently spotted with country singer Morgan Wallen in London, although that was apparently just a friendly outing.

Rashee Rice was involved in the car crash that injured multiple people in Dallas Saturday ... and he admitted it to the company that owns the Lambo ... TMZ Sports has learned.

Rice owned the Corvette that was involved in the crash and leased the Lambo from a company called The Classic Lifestyle. Rice was in the Lambo at the time of the crash and, according to the leasing agreement, he's the only person who was permitted to drive the car ... this according to Kyle Coker, the attorney representing Classic Lifestyle.

Coker tells TMZ Sports, Rice fired off a text shortly after the wreck, acknowledging he was involved in the crash and promising to pay for the Lambo, which was totaled.

Retirement is opening new chapters for former Toronto Blue Jays pitcher T.J. House -- one of only a handful of openly gay ex-MLB players -- as he just got married to his longtime partner!!

The 34-year-old lefty tied the knot with Ryan Neitzel on Friday in New Orleans ... during a lavish outdoor wedding that came with all the bells and whistles.

The nuptials -- and the ensuing party -- featured a cigar roller, a tarot card reader and even a parade through the streets with a jazz band! There were also glow sticks ... and, yes, a ton of dancing.

Kristin Cavallari may be a new mom in the future -- at least that's what she's saying ... 'cause her boyfriend wants to have kids.

The reality star explained on her "Let's Be Honest" podcast that her 24-year-old BF, Mark Estes, has his sights set on being a dad -- and because of this, she's been mulling over potentially popping out another baby with him, assuming everything works out.

So far it looks like Kristin -- who's currently 37 herself -- might be leaning towards expanding her brood ... even joking with her cohost her future little one could become so famous it'd be her one-way ticket into retirement ... 'cause the kid would be so freaking good looking.

Jake Gyllenhaal and Conor McGregor might be the next dynamic duo in Hollywood ... 'cause their "Road House" reimagining just made history with 50 million views since its debut -- a new record for Prime Video.

The numbers were shared just over a week after the action flick premiered on the streaming giant ... with officials saying it attracted a ton of eyeballs.

50 million is a record-breaking number for a movie debut on Prime Video ... and McGregor was thrilled over the accomplishment.

Ex-MMA star Mark Coleman is getting the royal treatment after heroically saving his parents from a house fire last month ... with Dana White's organization hooking him up with tickets to UFC 300!!

The former heavyweight champion shared the exciting news on Tuesday ... saying he and his daughters will be present when the big event goes down in Las Vegas next weekend.

Coleman was clearly pumped over the gesture ... showing off some punches as he exercised during his video announcement.

59-year-old Coleman even joked he would be a backup fighter on the card ... adding he can't wait to check out Max Holloway and Justin Gaethje duke it out for the "BMF" belt, as well as the main event fights between Alex Pereira and Jamahal Hill and Zhang Weili and Yan Xiaonan.

Holloway spoke out in support of Coleman on Monday ... saying the UFC legend should present the belt after the fight, as he's the REAL BMF for risking everything for his loved ones.

As we previously reported, Coleman has been on the road to recovery following the life-threatening tragedy ... but has shown great signs of improvement, even returning to the gym just days later.

Joe Flaherty -- famous from "Happy Gilmore" and "Freaks and Greeks" -- has died ... so says his own flesh and blood.

The actor's daughter, Gudrun, dropped the sad news, saying her father passed away Monday after a brief illness. She didn't disclose what ailment he was battling, or where exactly he died ... no further details were shared.

JF's famous friends had recently rallied to raise money to provide round-the-clock care for the comedic legend ... with his daughter serving as his sole caregiver at the time.

The Boston Red Sox are mourning the loss of longtime executive Larry Lucchino on Tuesday ... with the team announcing the former CEO and president passed away at age 78.

After serving the same roles for the Baltimore Orioles and San Diego Padres, Lucchino -- a former Princeton basketball player -- joined the Red Sox organization in 2001 ... and was tasked with putting together a squad that would end the franchise's World Series drought.

Not only did he succeed in 2004, breaking the 86-year curse, he also led the Sox to two more championships in 2007 and 2013. Lucchino was the chairman of the Worchester Red Sox, the team's AAA affiliate as well.

Caitlin Clark ... that's why Angel Reese is famous, according to Jason Whitlock who says the LSU hooper only got big 'cause she taunted the Iowa superstar -- no more, no less.

The polarizing columnist and host shared his harsh opinion after Reese -- the SEC Player of the Year -- and the Tigers lost to the Hawkeyes in the Elite Eight of the Women's NCAA tournament on Monday.

Clark was unstoppable ... leading all scoring with 41 points. Reese put up her 27th double-double of the season (17 points and 20 rebounds) ... but that didn't change JW's opinion.

"We can officially quit putting Angel Reese on Caitlin Clark's level," the 56-year-old said. "Stop it."

"One is an all-time great player. The other got famous for taunting. The rivalry is dead."

Of course, Whitlock is referencing to last tourney's memorable moment ... when Angel mocked Caitlin during the title game, which LSU won, 102-85.

AR also used John Cena's famous "You Can't See Me" hand gesture ... something Clark had previously employed.

Reese became a big star after the calendar flipped on March Madness ... and has since been everywhere, including the Sports Illustrated Swimsuit Issue.

But, it's clearly taken a toll on her. Following the end of LSU's season last night, Reese talked about some of the struggles since becoming famous.

As for Clark, she's in the process of collecting just about every record that exists ... but she hasn't won a title (yet).

The NFL says it's keeping a close eye on Rashee Rice ... this after one of his vehicles was allegedly involved in a massive car wreck in Dallas on Saturday.

A spokesperson for the league told TMZ Sports on Tuesday they're "monitoring" the situation ... although no further details surrounding their probe into the matter were given.

As we previously reported, two high-end cars -- a Lamborghini and a Corvette -- caused a huge pile-up on an expressway over the weekend, after they were seen speeding in and out of traffic. None of the passengers of the cars, cops say, stayed on the scene to see if anyone needed medical help.

Angel Reese opened up to media members following LSU's loss to Iowa on Monday night ... and through tears, she revealed she's been the subject of death threats over the past 12 months.

The 21-year-old took the podium with two of her Tigers teammates after falling to Caitlin Clark and the Hawkeyes in the Elite Eight -- and after about three minutes on the dais, Reese began to cry.

At first, she got emotional when Flau'jae Johnson praised her for her toughness and her leadership. But then, she really teared up when she told reporters how difficult everything has been for her since she helped LSU beat Iowa in the national championship one year ago.

Rashee Rice was celebrating with family and friends before one of his cars was involved in a nasty car wreck ... at least based on new pics we got from a restaurant/bar and new video from the accident scene.

TMZ obtained photos we're told were taken Saturday in Dallas, appearing to show the Kansas City Chiefs wide receiver hanging out with his mother, Marsha Kearney, at the restaurant/bar ... and they all seem to be enjoying themselves for a special occasion.

There's a photo that looks like Rashee posing with his mother -- and another shot that shows him next to others as they appear to raise drinks in the air for a toast.

Ryan Garcia might be causing a ruckus on the internet, but there's one guy who's sticking by his side no matter what -- 'cause Canelo Alvarez tells TMZ Sports he's got the young superstar's back amid his bizarre social media antics.

"You know, he's a good kid and we don't need to judge him," Canelo told TMZ Sports. "He's a good kid and this is the moment when you need to support your friends and, I know, we have a lot of issues before but ... I don't care."

Of course, Ryan has been making a ton of noise leading up to his April 20 fight against Devin Haney ... spewing wild conspiracies and promising free BBLs -- among other wild proclamations.

Have a bad case of the Mondays??? Cheer yourself up with some hot takes courtesy of TMZ.

Let's start out on "TMZ Live," where Harvey and Charles broke down Tori Spelling's divorce filing ... and how the "Beverly Hills, 90210" actress broke the news to her estranged husband, Dean McDermott, while recording a podcast.

The famous Boston Marathon dog, Spencer -- who became well known for cheering on runners for years before his death in 2023 -- will now be remembered forever at the iconic race ... officials just erected a statue in his honor.

The bronze sculpture was unveiled over the weekend -- less than two weeks before the next iteration of the famous marathon will take place -- and you can see it features the golden retriever posing with two "Boston Strong" flags in its mouth.

Spencer's owner, Rich Powers, was at the unveiling ceremony ... and he said it was a very "emotional day" for him.

"THANK YOU to all that helped to make this happy," Powers said. "SPENCER is back on the marathon route."

The statue will be positioned at the intersection of Frankland and West Union in Ashland, Massachusetts -- where runners will pass by frequently on the Boston Marathon route.