TMZ Sports - Page 21

WWE Hall of Famer Sika Anoa'i, the father of current WWE Superstar Roman Reigns, has died at the age of 79.

One of Anoa'i's nephews, Jahrus Anoa'i, announced the sad news on Tuesday ... writing in an Instagram post, "He was many things: a hard working father, a caring brother, a supportive uncle, and a proud grandfather."

"He was a cherished friend to many, a loving family member whose warmth and kindness knew no bounds, and an inspiration to countless individuals," Jahrus continued. "His legacy will continue to inspire and uplift future generations, reminding us of the impact one person’s life can have on so many. Rest in love Uncle Sika."

The Florida Panthers are Stanley Cup champions ... and star forward Matthew Tkachuk is celebrating accordingly -- parading it around a Florida bar, before dipping it in the ocean!

The 26-year-old took Lord Stanley to the Elbo Room -- an iconic watering hole in Fort Lauderdale -- bright and early on Tuesday ... and he created quite the scene.

Alongside Sam Bennett, Tkachuk helped give fans a chance to do something many could only dream of -- drink out of the trophy ... just hours after the team had won it over Edmonton in Game 7 of the Finals.

Move over, Travis Kelce and Taylor Swift -- the Kansas City Chiefs got their own romance brewing ... courtesy of a new Christmas flick!!

The Super Bowl champs announced their move into the movie biz on Tuesday ... saying the organization is teaming up with Hallmark Media and Skydance Sports for a project titled "Holiday Touchdown: A Chiefs Love Story."

The flick -- which will air on the Hallmark Channel -- is slated to begin filming next month ... and stars Tyler Hynes, Hunter King and Ed Begley Jr.

Travis Kelce ain't trying to have bad blood with Taylor Swift's exes ... that much is clear, based on the artful sidestep he made when 2 of her former BFs awkwardly came up in conversation.

During the NFL star's appearance on the "Bussin' With The Boys" podcast, Travis was asked about Taylor's mega-hit, "Karma" -- the one where she sings about a "guy on the screen coming straight home to me" ... or, at least, that's the OG line.

For the non-Swifties out there, it's a reference to British actor Joe Alwyn.

Drake's summer vibes aren't high right now ... and they certainly didn't get any better on Monday, as he lost a massive $500k bet after Game 7 of the Stanley Cup Final!

The Toronto-based rapper put down a $500,000 wager on the Edmonton Oilers (vs. Florida Panthers) to win the country's first Stanley Cup since the Montreal Canadians did it back in 1993. Unfortunately for Drake and our friends up north, the wait will continue.

The Panthers took game seven by a final score of 2-1 ... handing Drake an L.

Chandler Jones reached a deal with prosecutors this month to close out his domestic violence case ... and, for now, the former NFL star has dodged jail time.

According to Nevada court records, Jones reached the pact with Clark County prosecutors on June 17 -- agreeing to plead no contest to a misdemeanor domestic violence charge. In exchange, the other misdemeanor DV charge he had been facing was dropped.

The 34-year-old was sentenced to 90 days behind bars -- though it was suspended ... and, according to the records, if the ex-pass rusher keeps his nose clean for the next six months, the case will be dropped entirely -- and he'll avoid jail time altogether.

The Florida Panthers won their first-ever Stanley Cup on Monday night, and perhaps nobody was happier to see it than golf star Brooks Koepka, who celebrated the dub with a boozy night in Nashville!!

Matthew Tkachuk, Aleksander Barkov and Sergei Bobrovsky got the job done in Sunrise ... beating the Edmonton Oilers in Game 7 of the Final, 2-1 -- and while Koepka couldn't be there in person, he certainly didn't let the moment pass by quietly while he was out in Tennessee.

Watching from a bar in the Music City, Koepka went crazy as soon as the clock hit 0:00 on the Panthers' season.

Barstool Sports founder Dave Portnoy is gearing up for round two of his epic pizza party on steroids ... running back his successful One Bite Pizza Festival in the city that never sleeps -- New York City!!!

El Pres spoke with TMZ Sports about the upcoming event on Randall's Island in Manhattan -- which is slated to go down on September 14. One of the significant differences from last year is that there will be two sessions at a bigger venue -- allowing even more pizza lovers to experience all the great joints Portnoy raves about.

Dave said the first time around was better than he ever could have imagined. But if there was one thing he could change?

Conor McGregor is keeping himself busy as he nurses the pinky toe injury that forced him out of UFC 303 ... by tracking down the latest viral sensation -- the "Hawk Tuah" girl.

A Tennessee resident Haliey Welch is believed to be the woman who took the world by storm with a street interview she participated in a few weeks ago ... and if you somehow have no idea what we're talking about, the video is provided below for your viewing pleasure.

Naturally, the silly clip spread like wildfire ... and folks rushed to get a hold of the woman's profiles.

The man who was viciously stabbed in an altercation with ex-wrestling star 2 Cold Scorpio is lucky to be alive ... with TMZ Sports obtaining horrific images of the aftermath of the June 15 incident.

As we previously reported, the former WCW Tag Team Champion told cops he was working a security shift at a Love's Travel Stop in Kanas City, Mo. ... when an argument with a patron over a cigarette turned physical.

58-year-old 2 Cold Scorpio -- real name Charles Scaggs -- told authorities he used a knife out of self-defense ... claiming the man threatened him and tried to grapple.

Taylor Swift and Travis Kelce are taking the next step, Dave Grohl's taking shots and Ryan Garcia's no longer taking punches ... all this on today's hot takes.

First up on "TMZ Live" Charles and Babcock explain what led to Travis getting on stage at Taylor's concert across the pond.

Tragedy struck Roy Jones Jr.'s family over the weekend ... as the boxing legend's son, DeAndre, died by suicide, TMZ Sports has learned.

55-year-old Jones Jr. released a statement on the heartbreaking loss on Monday ... saying, "Unfortunately, my son DeAndre took his life on Saturday."

Jones Jr. went on to say he was with DeAndre the night before his passing.

The Giants organization will honor the late great Willie Mays on Monday ... with the entire San Francisco squad rocking the MLB icon's number 24 jersey as they take the field against the Cubs!

"Tonight, all uniformed #SFGiants personnel will wear 24 in honor of Willie Mays 🧡" ... the team announced on social media this afternoon, along with a photo of several jerseys as they hung in players' lockers.

The 36-42 SFG are playing the 37-41 CHC at Oracle Park in the Bay.

JJ Redick is a content creator no more -- the Los Angeles Lakers head coach just announced he's putting his podcasting career on hold after accepting his new gig with the Purple and Gold.

The former NBA sharp-shooter revealed the status of his "Mind The Game" podcast with LeBron James during his introductory press conference on Monday ... and it's bad news for fans of the show.

"For the time being, and hopefully it's a very, very long time, I am excommunicated from the content space," Redick said minutes ago. "There will be no podcasts. We'll do something when I have a breather from what we have coming up -- I'm gonna be drinking from a fire hose for the next month."

If Ryan Garcia is serious about fighting bare knuckle, BKFC has a spot for the boxing star ... David Feldman tells TMZ Sports.

The idea originated late last week when the 25-year-old, 25-1 fighter, who was just suspended for one year, told us he'd be interested in fighting in the UFC and/or BKFC.

"I like 'Suga' Sean [O'Malley] cause he defended me [after cheating allegations]. But if he really wants to run it in the UFC, I'll run it. Or Bare Knuckle. S***, I'm ready to fight anyone at this point," King Ry said Friday afternoon.