TMZ Sports - Page 2

Dikembe Mutombo's family is looking to continue the Hall of Famer's many charitable endeavors ... encouraging his fans to donate to a memorial fund following his death -- which will help the causes and organizations he passionately worked on throughout his life.

Mutombo's loved ones -- wife, Rose, and kids Carrie, Jean-Jacques, and Ryan -- released a heartfelt statement on Thursday ... just days after Mutombo passed away from brain cancer at the age of 58.

"We are deeply grateful for the outpouring of love and condolences we have received from people around the world following the passing of our beloved Dikembe," the message read.

Alex Pereira knows he has his hands full on Saturday with Khalil Rountree ... but, the UFC's light heavyweight champion also has his eye on a future goal that'd put him in a class of his own -- winning a title in a third weight class.

It's never been done before. There are fighters who have been champions in two weight classes -- some even at the same time (Conor McGregor, Henry Cejudo, Daniel Cormier, Amanda Nunes) -- but no fighter has owned belts in three.

If anyone can do it, it's likely Poatan ... who TMZ Sports asked this week about moving up to heavyweight after his main event scrap with Roundtree at UFC 307.

Two moms turned an outing at an indoor playground into a violent scene ... exchanging blows MMA-style in a ball pit in front of their kids, and a surrounding crowd.

Check it out ... the 2 parents are seen wailing on each other, as bystanders try to pull them apart. Even with a kid clinging to one mom's leg, the fight does not cease ... the woman in a white top throws her rival in a cream-colored dress to the ball-covered floor.

The fight escalates as the women slap and claw at each other ... both ladies resorting to hair-pulling at different points of the grapple.

Utah State is joining a growing list of schools forfeiting volleyball matches against San Jose State ... in an apparent protest against a transgender player.

The Aggies are the fourth program to boycott against the Spartans this season ... after it was claimed in a lawsuit, filed by former college swimmer Riley Gaines, that a member of the SJSU roster is a biological male.

Gaines notably competed against transgender swimmer Lia Thomas at the NCAA championships in 2022 ... and has since become an activist against trans women competing in women's sports.

Sunday's alleged theft of a neighbor's package was not the first time Rashee Rice's mom has been accused of stealing this year ... she was actually arrested in the spring over similar allegations.

TMZ Sports has learned ... Marsha Kearney was arrested and hit with one misdemeanor count of theft of property greater than or equal to $100 but less than $750 -- following claims she took a bunch of household items from a man on March 27.

Court documents we obtained show prosecutors alleged she nabbed 40 items from the guy -- "including food, tumblers, laundry products, merchandise and socks."

The San Diego Padres booked their ticket to the NLDS following a 5-4 win against the Atlanta Braves on Wednesday ... and their star utility player Fernando Tatís Jr. was certainly in the moment -- letting his hips loose and enjoying the postgame clubhouse festivities!!!

Per tradition, the Padres players and coaches popped champagne and cracked open some cold ones to commemorate the victory -- and Tatís Jr. was in great spirits after sending the Braves packing.

The 25-year-old -- who went an impressive 4-for-6 at the plate with two RBIs and a homer in the two-game sweep -- decided to shake his backside for his teammates while enjoying a Budweiser.

Some moms of celebrities are stepping out from their famous kids' shadows and snagging A-list love of their own -- landing the cover of a national magazine!

Glamour Mag’s special "Women of the Year" issue is shining a spotlight on the powerhouse mothers of Beyoncé, Billie Eilish, Selena Gomez, and the Kelce brothers ... teaming up for a stunning photoshoot.

Tina Knowles, Donna Kelce, Maggie Baird, and Mandy Teefey are in their element for the shoot, striking poses and flashing smiles like the queens they are -- after all, they’re the proud mamas of some of the biggest stars in entertainment.

Travis Kelce finally made his big "Grotesquerie" debut ... and the takeaway is the Kansas City Chiefs superstar's role is not all that different from his real-life persona -- 'cause the dude's got a way with the ladies!!

The three-time Super Bowl champ hit the screen during the third episode of the Ryan Murphy show on Wednesday ... introducing himself as Ed Lachlan, who works at the hospital where Niecy Nash's character's husband is receiving treatment.

We're not gonna give away all the deets in case y'all want to catch up ... but Kelce's screen time -- and there's quite a lot -- is filled with mackin' on Nash's Detective Lois Tryon.

Turns out, there's not many NFL players who are hate hate hating on Taylor Swift's newfound presence in the league ... as a recent poll of pros revealed she has their support.

The Athletic asked over 100 NFLers earlier this season about Swift-mania -- which kicked off in September 2023 after she sparked a romance with Chiefs star Travis Kelce -- and for the most part, the guys said she's been great for business.

The outlet -- which granted the jocks anonymity so they could speak their minds freely -- reported a whopping 74 out of 102 players "viewed the singer’s interest in the game (and the coverage that stemmed from it) as a positive."

Rashee Rice's mother is being accused of swiping a package containing Chappell Roan records right from her neighbor's porch just hours after the Kansas City Chiefs receiver went down with an injury on Sunday ... and the neighbor says it was all captured on video.

TMZ Sports has obtained Ring footage of what one Texas resident claims shows Marsha Kearney -- wearing a custom "Momma-Rice" No. 4 jersey -- walk by their doorway and look right into the camera before walking down the hall around 6:39 PM CT on September 29, a few hours after the Chiefs defeated the Chargers in Los Angeles.

You can see the woman in the jersey then made her way back to the door, slid a package sitting on the ground with her foot and moved it out of frame (or so she thought).

Pete Rose arguably signed more autographs than any ballplayer in MLB history, but that doesn't mean "Charlie Hustle" memorabilia isn't experiencing a sizeable boost in value in death, according to a top expert.

TMZ Sports talked to David Kohler, founder and president of SCP Auctions, just days after Rose's death ... and we asked whether items signed by the legendary Reds player have increased in worth following Pete's death on Monday.

"Every time a really important person in a game of a big American sport such as baseball passes, there's a lot of interest. I'm sure on eBay, there's a lot more sales now for his memorabilia," Kohler told us, while noting, "for a long, long time, [Pete] was at all the card shows, making appearances, signing a lot of balls and bats. He did it for a long time."

James Earl Jones was widely respected on the set of "The Sandlot," even by his 13-year-old costars ... actor Patrick Renna recalls to TMZ.

We caught up with the former child star outside LAX, where he told us what it was like working with the film and stage legend ... and he had nothing but nice things to share.

As Patrick put it ... everyone knew who James was while filming the 1993 coming-of-age movie ... but, they unfortunately didn't get a ton of interaction with the A-lister.

Diddy accusers are coming forward now that he's behind bars, Taylor Swift's guitar smasher is clearing the air and a UFC star saved a man's life in Hawaii ... all this on today's TMZ TV Hot Takes.

First up on "TMZ Live," Harvey and Charles explain why the feds are seeing an uptick in Diddy accusers now that he's in custody.

John Daly says his home in Florida was completely wiped out by Hurricane Helene last week.

The legendary golfer revealed the sad news to PGATour.com on Wednesday ... adding that a few of his close family and friends in the area lost their houses in the storm as well.

"You live in Florida," he said, "you have to understand that's going to happen, but not like this. I didn't think it would be this bad."

Caitlin Clark's popularity is being used to catapult the WNBA's racism conversation to the forefront ... so says retired legend Sue Bird, who claims the negative treatment from fans has been an issue long before the Indiana Fever superstar was drafted.

Clark's fellow WNBA ballers have spoken out on their mistreatment numerous times this season ... which has led many to believe it's the new spectators she brought to the league that are majorly at fault for the hate.

Bird weighed in on the subject on her "A Touch More" podcast with her ex-USWNT superstar wife, Megan Rapinoe ... and she said given her 21 years in the league, she knows damn well Clark wasn't indirectly responsible -- she's just being used as a "pawn" in the situation.

Forget plyometrics, Tom Brady's clearly hitting the weights in retirement ... check out his arms following his latest gym session Wednesday -- dude's biceps are bulging!!!

TB12 got in the sweat sesh down in Miami on his off day from his Fox broadcasting duties ... and it's clear it was an upper-body hump day for the GOAT.

Take a look at what was underneath the sleeves of his tan shirt as he walked out of the fitness facility ... his pythons were hissin'!