TMZ Sports - Page 22

Netflix said it ... ya can't spell the streaming giant's name without "NFL" ... and starting this season, you can't watch Christmas Day football without a subscription!

The NFL broke the news Wednesday morning, announcing Netflix would stream two "marquee" games on December 25, starting in 2024. They'll also host games in 2025 and 2026, and possibly beyond.

“We couldn't be more excited to be the first professional sports league to partner with Netflix to bring live games to fans around the world," NFL executive Hans Schroeder said.

The 'Hard Knocks' cameras are rolling long before training camp this season ... 'cause a new installment of the successful docuseries was just announced -- "Hard Knocks: Offseason with the New York Giants."

HBO honcho Casey Bloys shared the big news on Wednesday ... saying the popular show has already been following the G-Men as they prepare for the 2024-25 season.

As it turns out, the crews got to work back in January and will stay with the team through July ... meaning the show will feature the NFL combine, draft and minicamps.

Kelsey Plum might be a new SKIMS model, but she certainly wasn't wearing any on Tuesday -- at least up top -- 'cause the WNBA star rocked a super revealing 'fit to the Las Vegas Aces season opener.

The two-time champion arrived at Michelob Ultra Arena like it was fashion week ... decked out in a sleek, all-black Alexander Wang ensemble ahead of her team's matchup against the Phoenix Mercury.

Plum lit social media on fire with her clothing choice ... which featured baggy leather pants, a tiny vest and a matching bag.

Deshaun Watson just made a massive commitment to his girlfriend ... getting a huge image of her face tattooed on his left shoulder blade.

The Cleveland Browns superstar hit up Onder Ink's Andres Ortega in Arizona this month to get the work done ... and you can see, the Jilly Anais pic came out awesome, but it was just one part of a tat that now covers the entirety of the 6-foot-2 signal-caller's back.

The fresh ink also features homages to Watson's mother, his hometown and other family members.

Caitlin Clark's WNBA debut finally arrived on Tuesday, but it didn't go as planned ... she logged 10 turnovers -- and her Fever team lost by double digits.

The former Iowa superstar's W career officially kicked off in Connecticut ... as she and Indiana took on the Sun for their season opener -- and initially, things went well.

The arena was packed -- and she was cheered at player introductions ... despite it being an away game.

AEW World Champion Swerve Strickland's one of the most accomplished wrestlers in the world ... and he says he owes a lot of his success to years spent in the United States Army.

Swerve stopped by the TMZ office on Monday for a conversation with Babcock ... where he opened up on everything from becoming the first Black AEW world champ, to how his military service prepared him for life, including wrestling.

"Like two weeks after I graduated high school, I was going to basic training and that got me ready to like do stuff on my own. It's not going to get done if you don't do it, if you don't take the initiative to get up and just grind and go," Strickland said of the experience.

Don't expect another roast of Tom Brady to happen any time soon ... the NFL legend admitted this week he has regrets about the special -- as some of the jokes "affected" his children.

The former New England Patriots star made the revelation during a chat with Fred Taylor, Ryan Clark and Channing Crowder on "The Pivot" ... telling the guys he loved when he was the butt of the barbs on Netflix's 'Greatest Roast of All Time' -- but not so much when his family was brought up.

"I didn't like the way they affected my kids," he said of some of the quips.

The last pair of trousers Tom Brady ever wore in an NFL game are up for grabs -- the super-rare piece of history has hit the auction block ... and could fetch a TON of money!!

TMZ Sports has learned ... the uniform pants TB12 wore during Tampa Bay Buccaneers' 2023 NFC Wild Card game against the Dallas Cowboys have been made available via Grey Flannel Auctions ... with bidding starting May 20.

The opening bid is $10k ... but considering the GOAT's jersey from the same game fetched $1.4 million last year, it's safe to say these slacks are gonna sell for a pretty penny.

Not everybody in the WNBA is traveling in style just yet -- Angel Reese and her Chicago Sky teammates are still flying commercial to start the 2024 season ... as the league continues to smooth out its new charter flight program.

Caitlin Clark's Indiana Fever and the Minnesota Lynx were the first two teams to reap the benefits of the WNBA's private plane partnership with Delta ... traveling to Connecticut and Seattle respectively in the comfort of their own aircrafts.

But the remaining three teams with away games to kickstart the season weren't so lucky ... as the Sky and Atlanta Dream hopped aboard commercial jets for their games.

Shaquille O'Neal stands on business ... and good luck moving the 7'1" Big Fella!!

TMZ Sports caught up with the 4-time NBA champion this week -- days after his on-air exchange with this year's NBA MVP Nikola Jokic -- and Shaq ain't backing down even a little!!

"Let me say something to all the people that are not smart enough to comprehend what I say," O'Neal told Babcock. "Never said I didn't like Joker, never said anything bad about the Joker. Joker is the best big man in a long time. I just said that I thought Shai Gilgeous-Alexander should've gotten the MVP."

11:29 AM PT -- Rory McIlroy's manager, Sean O'Flaherty, said in a statement Tuesday afternoon the golfer will not be commenting on Monday's filing, but he's adamant he wants to make "this difficult time" "as respectful and amicable as possible."

Rory McIlroy and his wife, Erica, are headed to Splitsville ... TMZ Sports has learned the PGA Tour star just filed for divorce.

Court records show the 35-year-old golfer submitted the documents in Florida on Monday ... some seven years after the couple first tied the knot.

The man who could've potentially turned a hundred bucks into a whopping $1.7 MILLION on one bet is taking the guaranteed money and running ... cashing out of his viral championship-winner parlay at $80,900.

Wayne Shelton became internet famous over the past few weeks ... after it was revealed he was an Oklahoma City Thunder NBA Finals title away from becoming a millionaire thanks to a three-leg parlay he placed last year -- when he picked OKC, the Texas Rangers and Kansas City Chiefs to win their respective championships at +1143000 odds (with 50% boost).

Of course, the Rangers and Chiefs did their part ... leaving Shelton one leg away from a MASSIVE payday -- but with each Thunder win and loss in the 2024 playoffs, his cashout option fluctuated like crazy.

Rudy Gobert apparently didn't learn the first time around -- the Minnesota Timberwolves Defensive Player of the Year was fined AGAIN for making a money gesture toward officials during a game ... this time, getting hit with a $75k punishment.

Gobert was clearly upset with calls during the Wolves' Game 4 loss to the Denver Nuggets on Sunday ... and an offensive foul late in the fourth quarter led the 31-year-old to throw up another money gesture -- implying the refs were influenced by sports betting.

The league announced the consequences on Tuesday ... saying Gobert was fined 75 racks for making an "inappropriate and unprofessional gesture that questions the league and its game officials."

Elwood Dalton is back -- Jake Gyllenhaal is slated to star in a sequel to the super-successful "Road House" reboot ... with Prime Video announcing the project on Tuesday.

The confirmation comes less than two months after the reimagining of the 1989 cult classic hit the streaming service ... but really, it should come as no surprise.

As we previously reported, the movie did NUMBERS when it came out in March ... becoming the most-watched debut in the platform's history.

Albany State University volleyball player Mariam Creighton was tragically killed in a nightclub shooting in Atlanta over the weekend. She was only 21 years old.

The Atlanta Police Department said the incident happened around 2:28 AM on Sunday ... when officers responded to shots fired at the Elleven45 establishment.

Responders found six people shot ... two of whom were pronounced dead at the scene -- Creighton and 20-year-old Nakyris Ridley.

Gayle King is a swimsuit model at the ripe age of 69 -- because she's on the cover of Sports Illustrated ... and even as a senior, she's showing off her rockin' bod.

The CBS News anchor was among 4 women tapped to appear on different covers of an upcoming SI issue -- and she's kinda the odd woman out, since the others are veteran models in the biz ... including Chrissy Teigen, Hunter McGrady and Kate Upton.

All those gals are also a lot younger than Gayle, which makes her shoot all the more eye-popping. Frankly, she looks incredible in her spread ... rocking several different bathing suits.