TMZ Sports - Page 5

Byron Scott is feeling MUCH better about JJ Redick leading the Lakers ... telling TMZ Sports he's more confident in his chances at success after bringing in some experienced coaches to be his assistants.

Scott -- a former Lakers player and coach himself -- spelled it out to us at LAX this week ... admitting he initially felt L.A. made a mistake in handing the reins to a guy with zero experience on the bench.

"I mean I got a lot of respect for him because of what he's been able to do in the league. But when you talk about coaches, everybody talked about they wanted to get an experienced coach," Scott said. "He has no experience."

Marjorie Taylor Green's not buying any lone shooter theories when it comes to Donald Trump ... claiming there's a whole conspiracy to kill the former prez.

The congresswoman posted just minutes ago about the shocking shooting ... reiterating information from officials who say the suspected shooter had a GoPro to film the alleged assassination attempt.

She points out this comes just two months after Thomas Matthew Crooks tried to kill Trump ... using the multiple attempts as proof there's a whole group of people working to kill the Republican candidate for prez.

Taylor Swift's showing her Kansas City stripes ... pulling up to her boyfriend Travis Kelce's second game of the season in an oversized K.C. shirt dress for his matchup with the Cincinnati Bengals.

The singer-songwriter has just arrived at Arrowhead Stadium for the game ... wearing a bright red Chiefs shirt, with the large arrowhead logo on the front.

She's not on her own at this one ... striding into the game with singer Danielle Haim at her side -- who showed up in her own bright red top.

Donald Trump wasn't that far from being fired upon ... with officials saying he was about 300-500 yards away from the suspect when Secret Service engaged the would-be shooter.

The Palm Beach Sheriff Ric Bradshaw just spoke publicly about the shots fired near Trump International Golf Course West Palm Beach around 2 PM ET this afternoon.

Bradshaw says a Secret Service agent spotted an AK-47-style rifle barrel sticking through the fence, ready for the former president to arrive at one hole, and the suspect had a GoPro to film the whole thing.

Jay-Z's got 99 problems, but not having a sportbook in New Jersey ain't one ... 'cause he cut the ceremonial ribbon to celebrate the first Fanatics Sportsbook in The Garden State.

The rapper hit Atlantic City Sunday, hosting the grand opening of the sportsbook at Ocean Casino Resort ... pulling out a giant pair of scissors and cutting away at the giant blue ribbon. Betting & Gaming CEO Matt King and Ocean Casino Resort GM Bill Callahan were also on hand for the event.

Founder and CEO of Fanatics Michael Rubin joined Jay-Z ... cheering wildly when the scissors sliced through.

1:51 PM PT -- The FBI has just released a statement to multiple news outlets, saying they are "investigating what appears to be an attempted assassination of former President Trump."

1:27 PM PT -- Donald Trump has just put out his own statement in a fundraising email ... telling people he's fine -- but, there are always people in this world who want to stop you, implying that he was fired upon.

1:26 PM PT -- A photo of the alleged SUV is circulating online ... showing the smashed up vehicle on the side of the road surrounded by police vehicles.

1:20 PM PT -- Sheriff William D. Snyder of Martin County has just confirmed his officers have apprehended the driver of the vehicle, and he is in custody. He says the investigation will now be handled by the FBI and Secret Service.

1:14 PM PT -- TMZ has confirmed U.S. Secret Service agents opened fire after seeing a person with a firearm near Trump’s golf club in West Palm Beach, Florida, while the Republican presidential candidate was golfing Sunday. No injuries were reported. The person fled in an SUV and was later apprehended in a nearby county by local law enforcement, the officials said.

1:02 PM PT -- CNN is reporting one person has been detained after the shooting.

12:50 PM PT -- Fox News' Sean Hannity has just given a recap of events ... saying he's spoken with Donald Trump and Steve Witkoff -- one of the people golfing with Trump this morning.

Hannity says the two of them were on the fifth hole when shots rang out. He says Secret Service returned fire to where they heard the shots. He says Trump and Witkoff told him Secret Service found an AK-47 at the scene and a suspect was identified and chased by local law enforcement -- unclear if they arrested the suspect.

SH says it's still unclear if the shooter was firing on Trump or if the shooter simply fired his weapon near where Trump happened to be golfing.

12:44 PM PT -- Kamala Harris just tweeted about the shooting ... saying she's glad the former president is safe and adding gun violence has no place in the U.S.A.

12:37 PM PT -- Joe Biden and Kamala Harris have been informed of the shooting, according to the Daily Mail which cites a White House statement.

Donald Trump's safe after his campaign says gunshots were fired near him ... marking this the second shooting scare of the summer for the Republican candidate.

The former POTUS' campaign team put out a statement just minutes ago ... assuring people 45 is safe after gunshots popped off "in his vicinity."

His communications director, Steven Cheung, adds the campaign has no further details at this time.

Tom Brady's second week in the broadcast booth seemed to go off much smoother than his first ... he just wrapped up calling the Cowboys vs. Saints game in Dallas -- and there appeared to be far fewer critics of his work this go-around.

Brady cruised into AT&T Stadium in a dark suit and dark tie -- after receiving mixed reviews during his call of the Cowboys vs. Browns Week 1 matchup last Sunday -- and he seemed comfortable from the get-go.

He had a fun interaction with Jerry Jones down on the field in the pregame -- receiving a custom ball from the Dallas owner. Minutes later, he got into a spirited chat at the 50-yard line with Mike Tyson, who was at the stadium promoting his upcoming fight against Jake Paul.

The UFC did not disappoint with the first-ever sporting event at The Sphere in Vegas ... and Jeff Bezos' fiancée, Lauren Sánchez, was right there chronicling the whole amazing night.

Lots of celebs hit up UFC 306, including Chris Brown, Taylor Lewan, Andrew Schulz, Bob Iger and Shannon Sharpe.

Of course, Jeff and Lauren sat cage-side -- seats were SUPER expensive, but they scraped up enough dough -- as she pulled out her cell phone and sprayed the venue with video for her followers.

Conor McGregor recently expressed interest in running for president of Ireland. But, despite his popularity, does the former champ-champ stand any chance at winning his nation's highest office??

Chuck Liddell thinks he just might ... telling TMZ Sports he believes "The Notorious" can rack up some votes!

We caught up with "The Iceman" at LAX this week and asked him for his thoughts on McGregor's desire to run for public office, and whether he sees a world where Conor can actually win.

A'ja Wilson celebrated her new record for most points in a WNBA regular season ... by spending the day with NBA star Bam Adebayo!!

TMZ Sports obtained photos of the two basketball centers making their way downtown in Indianapolis on Thursday -- just hours after Wilson secured the single-season scoring title against the Indiana Fever.

The six-time WNBA All-Star and Miami Heat hooper were among a group of people on a stroll down Market Street ... and they appeared to be multitasking, as they had some grub in hand.

Losing out on the starting quarterback job this season might be a blessing for Drake Maye ... 'cause Patriots wideout K.J. Osborn tells TMZ Sports he thinks being a backup will only benefit the rookie signal-caller.

Of course, there were many in Foxborough who thought differently ... with a bunch of fans believing Maye had shown enough in the preseason to start under center ahead of veteran Jacoby Brissett.

But when we spoke to Osborn following New England's upset win over Cincinnati, he made it clear he believes Maye's career in the long run will be positively impacted by sitting and learning.

Nikki Bella isn't just a former WWE Superstar ... she's a super-mom too -- spending some quality time with her four-year-old Matteo after filing for divorce.

The former wrestler stepped out in Napa Valley Friday ... taking her son to his dance class with a big smile on her face.

Check out the pics ... both Nikki and her son look ready to work out -- twinning in all-black, sporty outfits.

If Dr. Bennet Omalu -- the brain expert credited with the discovery of CTE -- was running either the NFL or the Miami Dolphins ... he tells TMZ Sports he'd force Tua Tagovailoa to retire following his latest head injury.

The inspiration for the famous Will Smith "Concussion" movie didn't mince words when talking about the matter on Friday ... saying straight up the consequences for allowing the 26-year-old back on the field after yet another concussion could be dire.

Specifically, Omalu says if Tagovailoa were to sustain another significant blow to the brain -- he could become "permanently incapacitated."

Edgar Berlanga plans on beating Canelo Alvarez on Saturday, and the boxing star already has his next move plotted out, telling TMZ Sports the winner should get Terence Crawford!

The 22-0 fighter will try to take Alvarez's super middleweight world titles (WBC, WBA, WBO) in one fell swoop when the pugilists meet in a 12-round bout at T-Mobile Arena in Las Vegas this weekend.

If Berlanga does win, it'll be a major upset. Sportsbooks have Edgar as the underdog, as you'd expect when facing someone with the pedigree of Alvarez, one of the top pound-for-pound boxers in the world. Alvarez has 61 victories, with 39 coming by way of knockout.

Justin Timberlake is pleading guilty, John Legend is pleading for sympathy in his hometown, and Dwight Howard is getting talked out of wrestling ... all this on today's TMZ TV Hot Takes.

First up on "TMZ Live," Harvey and Charles break down Justin's big day in court in Sag Harbor, New York.

Brian Ortega is one of the twenty fighters who will scrap on the UFC's one and ONLY Noche event at the Sphere ... something the veteran MMA star describes as an "honor."

"Bro, it's another level. We get to fight on a historic event by a promotion that's already known for making history. So it's an honor to be chosen to go in there, a featured fight and kind of kick off the night for both co-main and main event," T-City told TMZ Sports earlier this week, just days before his clash with 29-year-old Diego Lopes.

Remember, Ortega, 33, and Lopes were supposed to fight in June at UFC 303 ... but the fight was scrapped the same day the men were due in the Octagon after Brian, who was coming off a win over Yair Rodriguez, got sick and couldn't fight.