TMZ Sports - Page 16

Taylor Swift's about to get a larger-than-life "Eras" tour welcome ... 'cause New Orleans has dressed up the Caesars Superdome with some totally on-brand vibes.

The Big Easy venue's been blinged out with a giant friendship bracelet to greet Taylor before she kicks off her 3-night concert takeover of the town Friday.

It's definitely one heck of a personal touch that really amps up the excitement from both fans and the city to welcome Tay Tay.

The Los Angeles Clippers might not have won their season opener last night ... but, not even a 0-1 record could dampen fans' excitement over their new $2 billion state-of-the-art stomping grounds in Inglewood!

After years of construction, the Intuit Dome made its regular season basketball debut last night as the Clips hosted Kevin Durant and the Phoenix Suns.

The man who owns the team, and footed the massive bill for the project, Steve Ballmer, welcomed the fanbase like only he could! And needless to say, he was pretty excited.

LaMelo Ball was unfiltered after the Charlotte Hornets' season-opening win ... casually dropping an F-bomb during his postgame interview!!

It all went down after the 23-year-old guard had his way against the Houston Rockets at the Toyota Center on Wednesday ... scoring 34 points, 11 assists and eight rebounds in the 110-105 victory -- making him the first player in franchise history to record 30 points and 10 assists in the first game of the season.

Kemba Walker -- who played for Charlotte from 2011-2019 before joining the team as a coach this offseason -- dapped up Ball a few seconds right before his Q&A ... which prompted the reporter to ask about the impact the former guard has had on his game.

Kevin Durant wasn't in the giving mood after the Suns' season-opening win over the Clippers ... blocking "New Girl" actor Lamorne Morris' attempt at getting a special souvenir after the game.

K.D. and Phoenix spoiled L.A.'s housewarming party at the Intuit Dome ... handling James Harden and Co. in the 116-113 victory.

As K.D. was making his way to the locker rooms after the dub, Morris shouted at him and asked if he could get the jersey off his back.

Francis Ngannou returned to the cage last weekend -- 6 months after tragedy struck his family -- and the combat sports superstar admits he was unsure whether he'd ever fight again.

TMZ Sports talked to the 38-year-old former UFC champion turned boxer/PFL fighter just days after he dispatched Renan Ferreira via a first-round knockout in Saudi Arabia ... and then broke down in tears after the bout while talking about the devastating loss of his little boy, Kobe.

"Oh, yes [I didn't know if I'd fight again]. There was a point that you didn't know anything. Everything seemed so fragile," Francis told us, adding his mind was racing a mile a minute during that horrific time.

Marsha Kearney -- the mother of Kansas City Chiefs star Rashee Rice -- was slapped with a misdemeanor charge this month over allegations she stole her neighbor's package ... TMZ Sports has learned.

North Richland Hills Police in Texas tell us ... after Kearney's neighbor accused her of snatching some Chappell Roan records right off their porch in plain view of their Ring camera on Sept. 29, an arrest warrant for the 43-year-old was issued on Oct. 8.

Cops say Kearney ended up turning herself into the Tarrant County Sherriff's Office a week later -- on Oct. 15 -- and she was eventually charged with one count of mail theft.

Tyson Fury just revealed devastating news ... his wife, Paris, suffered a miscarriage six months into her pregnancy ... the day before the heavyweight boxer lost to Oleksandr Usyk.

The 34-1 superstar boxer opened up on Wednesday, saying Paris -- whom he married in 2008 -- called him to let him know she couldn't make his Usyk fight in Riyadh on May 18 due to high blood pressure.

But, Fury knew something was wrong.

"I asked her what was up and asked her to tell me, but she wouldn’t. So I knew," Fury said.

Vince McMahon is facing yet another lawsuit -- this time, the former WWE honcho is being accused of ignoring claims of sexual abuse made by former employees known as "Ring Boys."

The docs were filed in Baltimore County Wednesday ... with Vince's wife, Linda McMahon, WWE and its ownership, TKO Group, also named in the lawsuit.

In the suit .... it alleges Melvin Phillips Jr. -- who served as the ring crew chief and ringside announcer -- hired underaged boys to assist the crew with errands and tasks for wrestling shows.

LeBron James and his son, Bronny, are being dragged to a different kind of court ... TMZ Sports has learned they've just been sued over their alleged roles in a 2022 car crash.

Court documents we obtained showed the suit was filed by two plaintiffs in Los Angeles County on Tuesday afternoon ... just hours before the father-and-son duo took the floor together for the first time in a regular season game during the Lakers' season-opening win over Minnesota at Crypto.com Arena.

In the suit, April Almanza Lopez and Kiara Rae McGillen allege they were driving on a highway on November 13, 2022 in Littlerock, Calif. ... when the Jameses slammed into them.

10/23 12:15 PM PT -- Andy Dalton will not start this weekend against the Denver Broncos, the team announced ... meaning Bryce Young will be the starter for the first time since Week 2.

7:10 AM PT -- Andy's wife, Jordan, just said in a message on her Instagram page that while she and the family are "a little banged up," they're going to be just fine.

"Thank you to everyone who responded so quickly to the accident," she wrote. "First responders.. friends and strangers... our hearts could not be more greatful for how you showed up for our family.. specifically our kids."

Carolina Panthers quarterback Andy Dalton and his family were involved in a car accident on Tuesday ... but thankfully, no one needed emergency medical treatment.

Shakira says she needed to get back to making music to navigate her breakup with Gerard Piqué ... adding grief isn't a linear process.

The pop superstar opened up about her split from the former soccer star in a cover story in GQ Spain ... telling the magazine she stayed quiet in the months after -- but, she couldn't really begin to heal until she started writing music again.

Shakira explains it was hard to recognize all of her vulnerabilities and put them out there for the world to hear ... but, it's helped her kickstart the healing process.

While Zach Bryan's ex-girlfriend is on the bathroom floor crying about their recent split, he's putting out new music ... and it has the makings of a breakup song.

The musician just shared a snippet of a new track on his official Instagram page ... and he's banging away at the piano and singing.

Among the lyrics ... "Recall when we, went to Rockaway Beach, summer heat in eastern Queens, and a subway ride."

The boxer who was knocked out cold after taking a wildly illegal kick to the face during a fight wants to make sure his opponent never gets an opportunity to do it again -- telling TMZ Sports he wants the guy banned for life.

If you haven't seen the crazy video of the incident already ... Bagher Faraji was going up against Idris Abdurashidov in Phuket, Thailand ... when out of nowhere, the Russian pugilist used his foot instead of his fists -- resulting in an immediate disqualification.

Faraji was outboxing Abdurashidov in the ring prior to the disgusting move ... and naturally, fans quickly called for swift and severe punishment.

Jason Kelce is putting an end to sleep-gate ... emphatically saying he was NOT snoozin' during Taylor Swift's recent "Eras" tour show in Miami, despite what the internet thinks!

JK was choppin' it up with bro Travis Kelce on the latest edition of their "New Heights" podcast ... when the conversation turned to the recent viral photo which seemingly showed the retired NFL star catching some Zs during TS' latest show.

And, in the pic -- taken by Jason's former Eagles teammate Beau Allen -- it surely seems like Kelce was sleeping ... but he swears he was wide awake!

LeBron James dressed to impress ahead of his historic moment with Bronny in the Lakers' season opener ... showing up to the game draped in Louis Vuitton -- including a $4,000 jacket!

The NBA superstar put his impeccable fashion taste on display as he walked through the Crypto.com Arena tunnels before facing the Minnesota Timberwolves ... donning a double-breasted Jacquard Wool Jacket -- a special piece with a $4,150 price tag.

The shoes appear to be the LV Trainer Maxi sneakers (inspired by the late Virgil Abloh) ... and if that's the case, they run $1,690.

BTS member J-Hope is wasting no time getting back in the spotlight after completing his military service ... throwing out the first pitch at a KBO Korean Series game!!

Hobi was a special guest for the matchup between the KIA Tigers and Samsung Lions ... taking the field in an EV9 SUV and embracing the crowd before the ceremonial toss.

The fans in attendance let out a loud cheer for the singer and rapper as he took the mound ... and fittingly, he had a purple custom glove with his name stitched into it.