TMZ Sports - Page 26

Travis Kelce just heaped some praise on Bill Belichick for his newfound love with a 23-year-old ... calling the legendary NFL coach a "smooth operator" who's "killin' it!"

The Kansas City Chiefs star briefly weighed in on Belichick's romance with Jordon Hudson on Wednesday's episode of "New Heights" ... and while he cracked a little bit of a joke about it, it wasn't hard to see he still has respect for Bill's off-the-field game.

The discussion all came up because Travis and his big brother, Jason Kelce, were trying to figure out which NFL figure most compared to Benjamin Franklin.

Russell Wilson may be Mr. Unliiiiimited or DangeRuss, but he really should go by Muscle Wilson from now on ... 'cause the Pittsburgh Steelers quarterback showed off his swole bod in a recent boxing session!!

The 35-year-old veteran -- who signed a one-year deal with the Stillers in March -- shared a snippet of himself in the ring on Tuesday ... and you can't help but notice Russ' physique (especially his biceps) as he hit the mitts.

Fans were impressed with the 9-time Pro Bowler's performance ... with one saying in the comments, "Oh boy he’s working on stamina and awareness he finna be dangeruss😳"

MLB star Hunter Greene uncorked a fastball on Tuesday night ... and then he unloaded the contents of his stomach -- vomiting all over the mound right in the middle of the Reds' game.

The nasty moment happened just minutes after the ace took the bump for Cincinnati's tilt with the Pirates at Great American Ball Park.

Greene walked the first batter he faced, and then in the ensuing at-bat, he threw up everywhere after making a pitch.

Things between Bill Belichick and his 23-year-old girlfriend definitely appear to be serious ... as TMZ Sports has learned the couple has been living together for months.

Sources close to the duo tell us ... Jordon Hudson moved in with 72-year-old Belichick at the ex-New England head coach's home in Hingham, Mass. right around the start of the new year -- and since then, where one goes, the other isn't far behind.

We're told the duo has hardly spent any time apart since the move-in -- even when they're away from their now-shared residence.

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?