TMZ Sports - Page 40

Team Australia's 2024 Summer Olympics experience isn't off to a hot start -- BMX star Logan Martin revealed their van was broken into ... and his wallet and backpack were jacked.

The gold medalist detailed the cruel act to his half-million Instagram followers from Belgium on Wednesday ... showing the passenger side window of the team's van completely shattered, with law enforcement on scene to check things out.

"Crazy start to the trip," Martin said.

The Paris Games got a good omen ahead of their official kick-off this week ... the moon rose perfectly inside one of the Olympic rings that had been set up on the Eiffel Tower!!

Check out these stunning images from France -- as the moon crawled into the night sky ... it couldn't have taken a better path for one lucky photographer who happened to be at the iconic monument at just the right time.

Not only did the orb cross through the center ring -- it created some other amazing visuals as it danced around the Games' symbol.

A 13-year-old basketball player viciously stomped on his opponent's head in the middle of a game over the weekend ... and now, the whole incident is under police investigation.

It all went down during a matchup between Payton's Place and Tumakbo United organizations at the College of Alameda in California on Sunday ... when the players were battling for possession of the ball.

During the action, a 13-year-old athlete for Tumakbo United fell to the ground as he tried to maintain control over a defender ... when out of nowhere, another Payton's Place player got involved and forcefully used his foot to put the kid's head to the hardwood.

Team USA's starting Olympics flag bearer lineup is set ... two days after the Americans picked LeBron James to be the male one -- they announced Coco Gauff will be the female one.

The two will hold the Stars and Stripes high and proud at the Games' opening ceremony festivities on Friday in France ... and when the tennis star learned of the honor on Wednesday, she was pumped.

After some initial shock, she told TODAY she had "no words, honestly."

Kroy Biermann is fuming, but this time it's not at Kim Zolciak -- he's pissed cops ticketed him over his dog escaping his yard, and new body cam footage shows him fighting tooth and nail to keep his cool.

TMZ obtained this video of Kroy's run-in with cops in late June outside the couple's Georgia home, where neighbors called authorities to report the Biermann's Cane Corso -- named Stone -- for getting out into the community and terrifying some folks on the streets.

As we first told you ... cops cited Troy for the dog getting loose, but now we're seeing exactly how he took the news when officers confronted him, and it's interesting.

Jordon Hudson spent a night away from Bill Belichick last week to let loose at a glitzy bash ... and not only did she get to party with an ex-Patriots cheerleader at the event, but she rubbed elbows with the Larry O'Brien Trophy too!

The 23-year-old -- who's been dating Belichick since 2022 -- left the legendary NFL coach at home, put on a gold-colored gown for a girls night out and cruised over to the Best of Boston Soiree in Massachusetts to have a good time.

Hudson, a former beauty pageant queen, spent a lot of the July 17 night with some of her friends from the pageant world -- including Miss Massachusetts USA 2024 Melissa Sapini -- but also former New England cheerleader, Zoe Bucuvalas.

Celine Dion is set to return to stage, George Clooney is getting behind Kamala Harris and Tiger Woods is showing off some gnarly scars ... all this on today's TMZ TV Hot Takes.

On "TMZ Live" Harvey and Charles have all the details on Celine's big return to music, now that she's set to perform at Friday's opening ceremony for the Paris Olympics.

Lil Rel Howery is proudly showing off his body transformation -- he's looking a lot slimmer and fitter, and some folks think he's getting a helping hand from a popular drug.

The comedian is being hounded by allegations he's using one of the weight loss drugs -- like Ozempic or Wegovy -- which are super popular these days, especially among celebs looking to shed pounds.

For his part, Lil Rel says his new look is all from diet and exercise -- specifically, he's chalking it up to 5 years of physical, mental and spiritual work on himself.

Move over, LeBron James and Shohei Ohtani ... there's a new name taking over the trading card market -- "Hawk Tuah" girl Haliey Welch!!

The internet sensation -- who went viral just weeks ago -- inked yet another deal amid her meteoric rise in popularity ... this time, linking up with Leaf Trading Cards for an exclusive series of cardboard collectibles.

The company says fans can buy packs for $100 a pop ... and each batch will feature one autographed card with a unique inscription below a snapshot of her rocking a cowboy hat.

The WNBA's growing popularity is resulting in some seriously historic merchandise numbers for the organization ... and Caitlin Clark and Angel Reese deserve a ton of credit, 'cause the two superstars lead the entire league in sales.

Fanatics -- the W's official retail partner -- tells TMZ Sports it has seen a 500% surge in business during the first half of the season when compared to the same time period in 2023.

In fact, there's been an 1,000% increase in player-specific merch sales, and Clark and Reese are Nos. 1 and 2, respectively.

Francis Ngannou is speaking into a mic for the first time since his 15-month-old son died suddenly back in March ... and his words are nothing short of heartbreaking.

Ngannou made an appearance on Joe Rogan's "JRE MMA Show" Tuesday and he talked about a wide range of subjects, including the moments he experienced in the leadup to the death of his son, Kobe.

Ngannou revealed his son had mild inflammation of the brain ... which led to him fainting twice. The first incident happened while they were in Cameroon, but he said the doctors found nothing.

The 2024 Paris Olympics kick off in three days, but the International Olympic Committee just invested in an entirely new field of competition -- announcing the creation of the Olympic Esports Games!

The IOC held a vote to officially create the Esports Olympics at its 142nd session on Tuesday ... with seemingly no one opposing the move.

This vote comes on the heels of the IOC and the Kingdom of Saudi Arabia announcing a joint partnership to host the inaugural tournament in Saudi Arabia in 2025.

Joe Biden might want to think twice about a potential golf face-off with Donald Trump ... No. 45 just recently hit the links with Bryson DeChambeau -- and he was so good, the U.S. Open champ couldn't believe his eyes.

The 78-year-old hooked up with the LIV Golf star sometime before he was nearly killed during a July 13 assassination attempt ... to film a video where the two would try to break a score of 50 on 18 holes from the most forward tees at one of Trump's courses.

The format for their game was simple -- they'd each hit their shots ... and whoever had the better one, they'd play from there. Normally -- in this kind of scramble -- DeChambeau's strokes would almost exclusively be used. But Trump was so locked in, the pair actually took a bunch of the former President's balls.

Disgraced sports play-by-play announcer Thom Brennaman is returning to the broadcast booth ... securing a job calling college football games four years after he resigned for hurling a homophobic slur on air.

Brennaman was working a game between the Cincinnati Reds and Kansas City Royals on Aug. 19, 2020, when, at one point in the broadcast, he was heard on a hot mic referring to a place as "one of the f** capitals of the world."

Brennaman then issued an apology later in the game ... which eventually was turned into a meme online, as he paused the mea culpa to call a Nick Castellanos home run before stating, "I don't know if I will be putting on this headset again."

Olympic athletes are provided with top-notch protection as soon as they arrive in Paris ... 'cause this year's welcome packages come decked-out with condoms for all!!

Canadian sailor Sarah Douglas -- who holds the country's best individual performance in the sport -- shared her discovery in a TikTok video showing off her Olympic Village room.

Douglas went through a goodie bag that was already waiting for her on her bed ... and it's filled with cool stuff -- including a cell phone, water bottles and a toiletry bag.

Celine Dion will perform Friday at the opening ceremony for the 2024 Olympics in Paris, and organizers have opened the vault for her ... TMZ has learned.

The icon touched down in Paris Monday, and sources with direct knowledge tell TMZ, she is getting ready to take the stage Friday.

Our sources say she will be paid handsomely ... $2 million!!! By the way, that's for just ONE song!