TMZ Sports - Page 50

Justin Timberlake's arresting officer is living his best life, country star Shaboozey is making history with Jack Daniel's, and JJ Redick is sliding into a new role ... all this on today's TMZ TV Hot Takes.

First up on "TMZ Live," Harvey and Charles react to exclusive footage of the Sag Harbor rookie cop who busted JT for DWI enjoying his summer on a boat ... close to where he arrested Justin.

Los Angeles Lakers head coach JJ Redick is flat-out denying he called a woman the N-word while a member of the Duke men's basketball team ... saying the interaction simply never happened.

Halleemah Nash -- an author, speaker, and Duke alum -- dropped the bombshell allegation on social media on Tuesday ... claiming, "I've only been called the N word to my face by a white man once in my life and it was on the campus of Duke University while I was doing work with the basketball team."

"And today he was named the new head coach of the Los Angeles Lakers. What a world."

WNBA star Cameron Brink isn't letting a torn ACL keep her from enjoying the simple things in life ... 'cause the L.A. Sparks hooper posted photos and video cheesin' it up with her BF (and adorable puppy), just a week after suffering the serious injury!

The 22-year-old tore her anterior cruciate ligament during the first quarter of the Sparks' contest against the Connecticut Sun on June 18 ... when Brink drove the lane, and her leg buckled underneath her.

Just like that, the 2024 WNBA season was over for the 2nd overall pick.

Dr Disrespect is opening up on allegations he inappropriately messaged a minor several years ago -- leading to his ban from Twitch in 2020 -- with the streaming superstar admitting he did communicate with an underage person, but he's adamant "nothing illegal happened."

The conversation in question went down in 2017, and the ban was four years ago, but the story gained traction again this week ... when a former Twitch employee finally revealed the alleged reason Disrespect, who at one point was one of the most popular streamers on the platform, was booted.

"He got banned because he got caught sexting a minor in the then existing Twitch whispers product," the employee claimed. "He was trying to meet up with her at TwitchCon. The powers that could be read in plain text. Case closed, gang."

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.