TMZ Sports - Page 32

Caitlin Clark has a lot to celebrate this week ... 'cause shortly after she broke the record for most points by a WNBA rookie, her boyfriend got a new job at Butler -- as a coach!

The university announced on Monday it's hiring Connor McCaffery -- who previously worked on the Indiana Pacers staff -- to be an assistant on its men's basketball team ... and it said in a statement it's thrilled to welcome him to Bulldog Country.

Clark -- who started dating McCaffery when they both played ball at Iowa -- was also pumped for her man ... congratulating him with a sweet message on Instagram.

Derrick White was hit in the head by a spinning backfist on Saturday, new video obtained by TMZ Sports shows ... and it all appeared to be because the NBA champion was showing love for his alma mater.

White, a Boston Celtics star and a Univ. of Colorado alum, attended the Buffaloes' big rivalry matchup with Colorado State over the weekend at Canvas Stadium in Fort Collins in some CU swag ... and, initially, it looked like he was enjoying the game without issue.

But, one witness in attendance tells us during the second quarter ... the hooper got into a bit of a verbal spat with some Rams fans as Deion Sanders and Co. began handling business on the field.

The New York Mets are in a tight race for the final wild card spot in the MLB postseason -- currently tied with the Atlanta Braves -- and they're clearly hoping that honoring a blast from their near past provides them some good luck down the home stretch!!

According to MLB reporter Mike Mazzeo, the team is ready to bring back Grimace on Monday night -- and in preparation for his return, it's installed a purple seat in section 302, row 6, seat 12 of Citi Field.

The row and seat selection, of course, is very deliberate ... as the Purple celebrity made his first appearance at Citi Field on June 12 -- and following that showing, the Mets then went on a seven-game winning streak.

Bryce Young has been booted to the bench after stumbling out the gates to start the 2024-25 season ... with the Carolina Panthers reportedly shifting to veteran quarterback Andy Dalton under center.

Panthers head coach Dave Canales confirmed the development minutes ago ... saying the team is going with the 36-year-old Pro Bowler starting this week.

It's been nothing short of a disaster for the 2023 No. 1 overall pick ... he's thrown for just 245 yards, three interceptions and zero touchdowns in his first two outings.

Love may be in the air for Brielle Biermann, but things are as icy as ever between her estranged parents Kim Zolciak and Kroy Biermann ... with KZ declaring there's no chance at a reconciliation.

Photogs caught up with the Bravo personality outside Craig's in West Hollywood, where she was grilled about her current relationship status ... including her situationship with 'Surreal Life' costar Chet Hanks and her divorce from KB.

Kim danced around commenting directly on a potential fling with Tom Hanks' son, noting she was all for his recent move to Nashville ... but made it abundantly clear she has zero interest in reuniting with her hubby -- even amid their daughter's impending nuptials.

9:30 AM PT -- The U.S. District Attorney's Office for the Southern District of Florida released an affidavit ... in which an FBI agent claims Routh’s public Facebook post from July 10 urged followers to contact him via WhatsApp and points out records apparently placing the phone near the golf course from 1:59 AM to 1:31 PM on September 15 ... suggesting he was scouting the area before the attempted assassination.

The affidavit also notes Routh was seen fleeing in a Nissan SUV, which was later stopped by police. Routh was the sole occupant and acknowledged knowing why he was pulled over, according to authorities.

The Nissan’s license plate was apparently registered to a stolen Ford truck, and the agent says a witness near the golf course identified Routh at the vehicle stop as the person they had seen fleeing the scene.

Ryan Wesley Routh, the man suspected of attempting to assassinate Donald Trump at his West Palm Beach golf course Sunday, made his first appearance in Florida court Monday morning.

Routh was charged with 2 counts -- possession of a firearm by a convicted felon, and possession of a firearm with an obliterated serial number.

Routh will be back in court Monday, Sept. 23, for a formal detention hearing, and is set to be arraigned on Sept. 30.

NFL teams in need of a quarterback might want to see what Caitlin Clark's up to on off-days ... 'cause the WNBA star threw out some swag at the Fever game Sunday -- and it's clear, she's got a cannon!!

Check out video Indiana posted to its social media pages following its 110-109 win over the Dallas Wings ... you can see the 22-year-old signed some mini-basketballs, and then hurled them into the stands like she was Patrick Mahomes.

One after another, she rifled them to people who were sitting in Gainbridge Fieldhouse nosebleeds ... and people were left in awe of her right arm.

Terence Crawford ain't m.A.A.d after the UFC broadcast mistook him for Kendrick Lamar on Saturday ... telling TMZ Sports he laughed it all off -- 'cause he's convinced it was done on purpose!!

Bud went viral for his appearance at Noche UFC at the Sphere in Vegas ... when a lower third graphic misidentified him as the "Not Like Us" rapper.

Screengrabs of the goof made rounds on social media ... and it was pretty ironic, as K. Dot name-dropped the boxing superstar on his "euphoria" diss track directed at Drake earlier this year.

Merab Dvalishvili had himself quite the weekend ... he defeated Sean O'Malley for the UFC Bantamweight championship, and celebrated the win deep into the night at a Sin City hotspot!

We're told the 33-year-old Georgian hit up XS Nightclub inside Wynn Las Vegas around 1:30 AM ... rolling up to the joint with around 70 people to celebrate the massive moment -- and of course was showing off his new hardware!

MD received a welcome worthy of a champ -- he was greeted with illuminated LED marquees, massive photos, and an LED drumline as confetti flew in the air.

The son of the man suspected of attempting to assassinate Donald Trump says his father hates the former president ... but is shocked, because his dad isn't a violent person.

Ryan Wesley Routh's son, Oran, spoke with the Daily Mail ... saying his father hates Trump like "every reasonable person does." Like father, like son -- Oran also isn't a fan of the former prez, but was floored to find out his dad is the gunman who allegedly targeted Trump at one of Trump's Florida golf clubs Sunday.

Oran says as far as he knows, his father's run-ins with the law only include a couple of traffic tickets ... but there's more to the suspect's record.

Patrick Mahomes turns 29 Tuesday ... but he was already in celebration mode over the weekend and his wife, Brittany, gave everyone a behind-the-scenes look at his bday party.

Brittany posted a series of photos and videos on her Instagram story, providing a sneak peek into Patrick's birthday bash Sunday evening at their Kansas City, Missouri home.

Check out the images -- one of which showed a large display of red and black balloons surrounding two signs that read, "Patrick's 29." Other pictures captured more balloon arrangements, drink holders with old photos of Patrick smiling as a boy and blown-up pics on a column decoration with more throwback pics of the star KC Chiefs quarterback.

President Joe Biden is calling on Congress to load up the Secret Service with more resources ... indicating he thinks the protection agency is currently spread too thin to be fully effective.

The president spoke with reporters outside the White House Monday, where he gave his blunt assessment of the Secret Service after former president and current Republican nominee Donald Trump faced his 2nd assassination attempt this year.

When asked about the status of a full report into the incident, 46 said he is relieved to know Trump is okay ... and thinks the Secret Service is not up to standard in its current operations.

10:20 AM PT -- Detroit Police tell TMZ Sports the second man involved in the shooting has tragically passed away.

A Lions fan lost his life on Sunday -- after he was shot and killed during a party after Detroit's home game against the Buccaneers.

Detroit Police say the man -- who was in his 40s -- had been at a tailgate at Eastern Market in downtown in the hours after the Lions lost a heartbreaker to Tampa Bay ... when he got into an altercation with another man.

Cops say witnesses told them the two guys squared up as if they were going to fight -- when, suddenly, the man's opponent pulled out a gun and fired.

Packers center Josh Myers had a sick game Sunday, literally ... he PUKED ON THE FOOTBALL before snapping it to his quarterback, Malik Willis.

The vomit-inducing moment went down during the second quarter of the Packers' 16-10 win over the Colts ... right as 26-year-old Myers was about to snap the ball on 3rd and 10.

The 6-foot-5, 309 pound athlete was in his stance, hand on the football, as Willis went through his cadence ... when, projectile vomit, all over the football.

Hike!

The suspect who allegedly brought a gun to Trump International Golf Course in what the FBI says appears to be another attempt on Donald Trump's life in West Palm Beach has been revealed ... with sources confirming his identity to TMZ.

According to law enforcement sources, the individual they say brought an AK-47-style weapon to the course is Ryan Wesley Routh -- a 58-year-old man from Hawaii.

Routh's social media is full of pro-Ukraine posts ... and, there's a YouTube video of Routh talking about why he left the U.S. to go to Kyiv to help fight back against the Russians.

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."