TMZ Sports - Page 28

2:22 PM PT -- Ippei Mizuhara showed up to his court appearance with shackles around his ankles ... although the chains were ultimately removed as the hearing got underway.

During the proceedings, Mizuhara -- wearing a dark-colored suit -- learned he will be released on $25,000 bond ... but he will have to abide by a myriad of conditions in order to stay out of custody -- including no gambling whatsoever.

Mizuhara will also have to enroll in a gamblers addiction treatment program ... as well as, among other stipulations, have no communication with Shohei Ohtani.

Caitlyn Jenner is refusing to apologize for her blunt statement regarding O.J. Simpson's death, and she's calling out those who say she's just like him ... due to a deadly car wreck.

The Olympian faced a barrage of negative comments after she celebrated O.J.'s passing ... writing "Good Riddance" in a curt statement on X. In response, many slammed Caitlyn -- and compared her to Simpson by calling her a killer for her involvement in a 2015 fatal car accident.

Caitlyn responded to the criticism Friday, defending she is nothing like the controversial NFL star -- who was found liable in a 1996 civil trial for the killing of Nicole Brown Simpson and Ron Goldman.

Jake Paul and Jutta Leerdam are madly in love with one another, and they want the world to know it -- sharing mushy notes about each other on their one-year anniversary Friday!

The two just threw up the posts on their social media pages minutes ago ... and, yeah, they're gooey.

Leerdam shared a video of the two dancing and getting close. Paul, meanwhile, put up a collage of romantic photos.

Ben McLemore is breaking his silence days after he was arrested and charged with rape, adamantly claiming he's not guilty of the horrific crime!

The 10-year NBA vet was arrested Tuesday on a first-degree rape charge in Multnomah County, Oregon ... and later transferred to Clackamas County Jail on Wednesday.

McLemore, who was released after posting bond, addressed the sex crime accusation in a statement Thursday night.

“I did not rape this woman,” the 31-year-old said. “I am not sexually abusive. I have never pursued a sexual relationship when I understood the woman was not interested in me and acting willingly.”

As for what he's accused of doing ... Police say a woman claims McLemore sexually assaulted her at his Lake Oswego home in 2021 when BM was a member of the Portland Trail Blazers.

According to police, the investigation was delayed because McLemore was out of the country, playing professional basketball in China, Greece and Spain.

McLemore is facing one count of unlawful sexual penetration and two counts of sexual abuse, in addition to the first-degree rape charge.

The former Kansas University men's basketball star is obviously frustrated with how the case has been handled by authorities so far.

“I met every request they made of me, immediately and professionally," McLemore said.

"I indicated that I was interested in testifying in the grand jury but was refused that opportunity. When my attorneys were informed of the charges, we immediately made plans for me to return to the United States for the first court appearance -- and informed all law enforcement authorities and the Court of my travel plan."

"I could not have done more to assist in the process.”

Jared Goff's swimsuit model fiancée, Christen Harper, is celebrating her final days as an unmarried woman in fitting fashion ... soaking in the Mexico sun with other models in teeny bikinis!!!

The 30-year-old -- who got engaged to Goff back in June 2023 -- piled into a plane on Thursday morning with a grip of her closest friends ... and headed off to Cabo San Lucas to let loose one last time before her upcoming nuptials.

And, once they touched down, first order of business appeared to be to throw on some swimwear and catch some rays by a pool at a luxurious resort.

Of course, Harper -- who's been featured in Sports Illustrated several times -- was surrounded by other beautiful women who are no stranger to posing in barely-there attire ... including Katie Austin and Elizabeth Turner.

All of the girls seemed to be having a blast ... there were balloons, catered food -- and even temporary tattoos with Goff's mug on them!!

Harper and the ladies then threw on some dresses for a night on the town ... and it's expected they'll keep the party going throughout the weekend.

Harper and Goff first went public with their relationship way back in 2019 -- when TMZ Sports spotted them running errands at a Los Angeles-area Best Buy. They've since become inseparable -- even when the quarterback got traded from the Rams to the Detroit Lions.

Liver King has a new flex, and this one's got nothing to do with his famous physique ... it's all about spreading good vibes, and handing out lots of cold hard cash.

The fitness influencer tells TMZ he's giving away a grand a day on X (formerly Twitter) for 100 days as part of his game plan to swap out the internet's hate fest for some good ol' love and peace.

LK tells us tossing cash into the mix will hopefully help angry and hurting folks flip their mindset to a positive, winning one -- and he's walking proof a mental makeover is totally possible.

O.J. Simpson was surrounded by family in the final days before his death, and that includes all of his living children -- yes, even the 2 youngest he had with Nicole Brown Simpson.

Sources with direct knowledge tell TMZ ... everyone who came to visit O.J. at his home in the days before he passed had to sign NDAs for his privacy -- that went for friends, family and even medical personnel who were coming into contact with him while he was under hospice care.

We're told on Friday, a medical professional checked on O.J. and notified those around him that he was starting to transition -- and that's when everyone came flocking to his bedside.

Travis Kelce reached yet another life milestone on Thursday night, receiving his college diploma from the Univ. of Cincinnati, and in true Kelce fashion, he celebrated by -- you guessed it -- sucking down a beer!!

The Kansas City Chiefs star and his big brother, Jason, were at their old stomping grounds to film a live episode of their 'New Heights' podcast ... and when it came time to put a bow on the festivities, officials at their alma mater surprised them with an impromptu commencement ceremony.

Both dudes had previously graduated from the school ... but neither got to walk across the stage to snatch their diplomas -- so the moment was pretty special for the two.

O.J. Simpson's death has sparked new interest in his memorabilia ... one collectibles store in Las Vegas tells TMZ.

Company Inscriptagraphs tells us ... they've been hit with an increase in web traffic and sales hours after O.J.'s death was confirmed by his family. We're told the owner even opened the store early due to the high demand.

40 sales were made the morning after O.J.'s death from items ranging from $150-$2,000 in pricing -- and Inscriptagraphs is planning to add more inventory to its already impressive collections. The business is located in Tivoli Village ... minutes away from where O.J. lived in Sin City.

O.J. Simpson's cancer battle took a heavy toll on his health over the past year -- and in his final days, he was incredibly frail and virtually unrecognizable ... TMZ has learned.

Sources with direct knowledge tell us O.J. was, in fact, diagnosed with prostate cancer -- something he first alluded to in May 2023 in a video he posted to X. He never offered much detail, and seemed to suggest he had beaten it.

Despite the brave face he put on, our sources tell us the cancer was not at all in remission and greatly impacted his health. Whereas, we're told, he lived as if he were a younger man -- even into his later years -- his physical state seriously deteriorated over the past 11 months.

4/12 -- 5:55 AM PT -- Rashee Rice posted bond shortly after he was taken into police custody.

He did, however, take a mug shot before he was released ... and you can see in the picture, he looked stoic.

Rashee Rice is currently in police custody after the K.C. Chiefs star surrendered to law enforcement on Thursday ... and is now behind bars in a Texas jail.

If Kentucky still wants a UConn coach to lead its program next year, it might want to forget about Dan Hurley -- and target one of his assistants instead ... Bill Murray's son, Luke Murray!!

That's because Huskies superstar Donovan Clingan tells TMZ Sports the younger Murray has been just that good on the sidelines during his career in Storrs!!

Clingan -- who just won his second straight national championship under the tutelage of Hurley and Luke -- spelled it all out for us while he was working a promotional shift at Raising Cane's this week ... saying straight up Luke "is a head coach."

It's almost the weekend, but another busy day of big news hit Thursday ... and, TMZ was there to cover it all.

On "TMZ Live," Charles and Jason break down O.J. Simpson's death ... discussing the life of an incredibly polarizing public figure.

The news of O.J. Simpson's death is sparking a wave of commentary -- much of it coming in the form of humorous memes based on the most controversial aspects of his life ... because the Internet is gonna Internet.

Almost immediately social media users rushed to upload their hot takes/jokes, going in hard on Simpson ... with several focused on the infamous low-speed Bronco chase from 1994.

Several people photoshopped the Bronco into a hearse ... while others used footage of the chase to create imagery of the cops following a hearse down L.A.'s 405 freeway, and joking that Simpson's funeral procession should look just like that.

Ron Goldman's family describes O.J. Simpson's death as a "mixed bag of complicated emotions" ... because now that he's gone, so is their hope for true justice.

Ron's sister, Kim, and father, Fred, put out a joint statement late Thursday, saying ... "For three decades we tirelessly pursued justice for Ron and Nicole, and despite a civil judgment and his confession in 'If I Did It,' the hope for true accountability has ended."

The statement -- referring to Simpson's 2007 book, "If I Did It: Confessions of the Killer" -- makes it clear the Goldmans, like millions of others, have no doubts about who murdered Ron and Nicole Brown Simpson ... no matter what the jury said back in 1995.

10:48 AM PT -- Kato Kaelin -- who was a key witness during the O.J. Simpson trial -- just posted a video responding to the news ... and he sends thoughts and prayers to O.J.'s children, as well as the families of the victims, including Nicole Brown Simpson.

He doesn't say much else about O.J. himself.