TMZ Sports - Page 44

To those hating on Bronny James, John Salley's got a message for y'all -- pipe down!!!

The former Lakers center defended LeBron James' son and L.A.'s decision to pick him up in June's NBA draft this week ... saying straight up, all of the teenager's detractors are simply "mad they didn't think of it or do it" themselves.

"Listen," the four-time NBA champion told TMZ Sports out at LAX. "If my dad had the power, if my dad was the leading scorer, if my dad was able to take a pay cut so I could get a check -- it's like no other business."

Blake Lively's getting by with some help from her friend Taylor Swift, who's hosting a celeb-packed weekend celebration for Blake's 37th birthday at her Rhode Island seaside mansion.

TMZ got the first shots of Taylor and her man Travis Kelce chilling at the $17 million pad on Saturday. It looked like a romantic weekend getaway for them but turns out they were also prepping for their big-name guests to arrive.

Later in the day, birthday girl Blake showed up with hubby Ryan Reynolds -- and the couple shared a smooch outside on one of the home's many sun-kissed decks.

Travis Kelce's dad's officially a Facebook first kinda guy ... 'cause he says he received a lifetime ban from X, and he's not sure why.

Ed Kelce took to Facebook yesterday to share a Newsmax article alleging Houthi arms dealers are selling weapons on X ... and, in it, he mentions he's banned for life from Elon Musk's platform.

EK says he got a lifetime ban for a "generic 'Terms Of Service' violation." He later clarified he wasn't banned because of this specific post, but instead posted it just to point out the platform's hypocrisy.

Matt Barnes says his son's had a pretty difficult week ... 'cause not only did a car run him down -- but, he also needed emergency surgery for a different issue!

The former Los Angeles Laker shared the news Sunday morning ... posting a pic of his boy Zay laid up in a hospital gurney -- middle finger flipped up toward his pop.

MB runs through the timeline of the week ... explaining Zay was first hit by a car on Wednesday while jogging -- a scary enough moment many might assume actually put him in the hospital.

You can't knock Floyd Mayweather's skills in the ring -- as a boss, anyway, because while he was boxing John Gotti III, he fired the referee ... bringing in fresh eyes when he didn't like a call.

While Saturday night's fight in Mexico City was just an exhibition, it was a highly anticipated rematch. Fans weren't exactly loving the action, or lack thereof, in the 2nd round ... when Floyd uncorked a punch that Gotti complained was a rabbit punch -- an illegal blow to the back of the head.

When referee Hector Afu penalized Mayweather for the right hook, the 47-year-old fighter got pissed and started waving him off ... gesturing for Afu to get out of the ring. After a brief exchange of heated words between the boxer and ref, Afu got the hell outta Dodge!

Cristiano Ronaldo may have broken the record for most subscribers in 90 minutes on YouTube ... but there's just no way in hell he's catching up to MrBeast's astronomical figures -- so says Jake Paul.

Many had wondered if the soccer superstar could reach 300 million like Beast, given his wild numbers in just a few days of launching his channel -- but Paul told TMZ Sports on Friday, he just doesn't see it happening.

Now, that's not any kind of shade from the boxer -- Paul actually praised Ronaldo for scoring the number -- but he just thinks MrBeast's digits are in a whole 'nother stratosphere.

WWE Superstar Liv Morgan might have the Women's World Championship AND Rhea Ripley's man, but she's not ready to make her "Revenge Tour" a thing of the past just yet ... telling TMZ Sports there's still some gas left in that tank!!

Liv's been on a mission ever since she returned from the shoulder injury she suffered at the hands of Ripley last year ... doing everything in her power to make her nemesis' life a living hell in 2024.

That all came to a head at SummerSlam earlier this month ... when Morgan defeated Ripley to retain the belt -- then stole "Dirty" Dominik Mysterio in the process.

Jennifer Garner is not leaving her man for Ben Affleck, Kamala Harris is ripping Donald Trump, and a couple NBA Anthonys are walking Floyd Mayweather into the ring ... all this on today's TMZ TV Hot Takes.

First up on "TMZ Live," Charles and Babcock explain why Jennifer is not going to break up with her boyfriend John Miller just because her ex-husband is getting divorced from another famous Jen.

Erislandy Lara's knockout win streak all comes to an end on September 14 ... so says Danny Garcia, who tells TMZ Sports the middleweight boxer will instead catch an L!

We spoke with the 37-3 fighter ahead of his anticipated match against Lara -- "Swift's" first fight in two years -- something he says has been good for him, both mentally and physically.

"I feel better than ever," the 36-year-old told us of the break from the ring. "That was the best thing I did."

Taylor Swift and Travis Kelce's love story's heating back up ... 'cause they're side-by-side again after weeks apart -- cuddling up at her beach house.

TMZ has obtained photos from Taylor's Rhode Island home ... capturing the pair appearing just over the edge of her balcony as they soaked in the salty air coming off the Atlantic.

The pics are taken pretty far away ... but, there's Kelce, recongizable mustache and longer hair slinging his arms around Taylor as the two reunited for some much-needed time together after weeks apart.

An ESPN commentator got a real injury from a fantasy league ... dislocating his shoulder while determining a fantasy football draft order -- and, it was all caught on tape.

Field Yates -- a longtime ESPN personality who hosts a show all about fantasy football -- was out on the beach with his cohosts for a skills competition to figure out who would pick first in their fantasy football league.

Yates' ESPN colleague Adam Schefter -- known for breaking some of the biggest NFL news -- shared the video to his X account ... and, it ain't for the faint of heart.

Bryan Danielson is staring down the barrel of what could be the last match of his wrestling career ... but, if he ends up beating Swerve Strickland for the AEW title, he'd love to become the face of AEW!

Danielson chopped it up with Mojo Muhtadi on the TMZ Sports TV show (airs nightly on FS1) to discuss his Title Vs. Career match going down this Sunday at AEW All In.

While people are busy reflecting on the career of BD -- with speculation he could be done after the match -- he told us if he were to win Sunday, he'd welcome a role he's rarely been allowed to fill ... being considered "The Man."

Jared Cannonier may be outside what many consider a fighter's "prime years," but the 40-year-old isn't stressing Father Time ... telling TMZ Sports he's taking things one fight at a time, and still sees title shots in his future!

We caught up with the fifth-ranked UFC middleweight before his main event contest with 12th-ranked middleweight contender, Caio Borralho.

Cannonier -- who celebrated his 40th trip around the Sun in March -- says he isn't thinking about how much longer he plans on fighting.

Could Jennifer Lopez bounce from Batman to Superman?? That's what the oddsmakers are thinking ... 'cause Eminem is the betting favorite to be J Lo's next man after her divorce from Ben Affleck.

Fresh off the bombshell breakup news, the peeps at BetOnline wasted no time coming up with a batch of A-listers Ben and Jen could date next ... and in all honesty, some aren't all that farfetched.

Starting with J. Lo, Slim Shady has the best odds at +800 ... with fellow musician, The Weeknd, right behind him at +1000.

Kanye West and Bianca Censori are overseas, Lily Allen is returning a dog and Simone Biles is celebrating her Olympics success with a new car ... all this on today's TMZ TV Hot Takes.

First up on "TMZ Live," Charles and Babcock explain why Ye and his wife are with his kids over in South Korea.

Caitlin Clark was on the receiving end of a sick alley-oop from Erica Wheeler ... 'cause the WNBA star rookie just got an iced-out diamond chain from her teammate's jeweler -- and it's dope!!

A while ago, Wheeler -- who signed a multiyear deal with the Fever in 2023 -- shared a video on social media showing off a diamond-filled chain and pendant featuring her jersey number.

Clark -- who was right beside her -- said she wanted one, too. So, Wheeler made a call to her jeweler, the GLD Shop, to hook her friend up ... and they delivered!!