TMZ Sports - Page 5

Don't hang Angel McCoughtry's jersey in the rafters just yet ... the 5x WNBA All-Star tells TMZ Sports she's looking to make a comeback to the league she starred in for a decade, and she feels as good as ever!

"It's comeback season," McCoughtry told Babcock on Friday.

Angel, who is now 38 years old, last played in the league two seasons ago for the Minnesota Lynx ... however, she only played a few games. Over the course of her stellar career, AM's averaged nearly 19 points a game.

7:50 PM PT -- Diddy's attorneys tell us, "As we've said before, Mr. Combs cannot respond to every new publicity stunt, even in response to claims that are facially ridiculous or demonstrably false. Mr. Combs and his legal team have full confidence in the facts and the integrity of the judicial process. In court, the truth will prevail: that Mr. Combs never sexually assaulted or trafficked anyone -- man or woman, adult or minor."

 Diddy is facing a new rape allegation, one that dates back to before he was famous ... and the alleged victim says it went down during an already infamous NYC event.

The accuser, who's filing as a Jane Doe, says she was attending a December 1991 charity basketball event at the City College of New York, which was co-sponsored by a then up-and-coming producer, Sean "Puffy" Combs.

She and a friend were invited by an unnamed rapper set to appear at the event, she claims in the lawsuit -- when she and her friend arrived, she says the crowd outside was large and getting unruly, and she convinced a security guard to let her and the friend in early.

Even though Daniel Jones and the New York Giants broke up, he still has love for his old linemen -- as the team's former first-round draft pick still provided some holiday cheer to the big guys up front!!

ESPN's Jordan Raanan reported the current Vikings backup quarterback sent his former O-line limited-edition bottles of Clase Azul Tequila -- a super-nice gesture, especially considering he was essentially kicked to the curb in the Big Apple.

While it's unknown how much the 27-year-old dropped in total ... these spirits don't come cheap -- as some bottles have quite the hefty price tags. But the team did owe him $35.5 million this year, so it probably didn't affect the wallet too much!

LeBron James' daughter is just like her NBA superstar pops on the court -- 'cause Zhuri is proudly repping the same number he's notably worn over the years for her volleyball team ... and he couldn't be more proud!!

The Los Angeles Lakers champ shared photos of 10-year-old Zhuri in her City Volleyball Club gear on Friday ... while sharing a special message wishing her the best of luck in the upcoming season.

"🥰🥰😍😍🤎🤎🤎 YOU GO GIRL!!!!!!" LeBron said in the IG caption. "LET'S GO BABY Z!!"

Talk about decking the halls ... and the workplace, 'cause Christmas came a little early at the TMZ office, with everyone sporting their favorite festive sweaters to spice up the workday.

When we say the TMZ crew knows how to slay a cheery look, we mean it -- just peep these pics! We’ve got everything from cheeky Christmas slogans and wild designs to grins so big, they could only come from the holiday spirit.

TMZ’s Sports desk swapped out the high-octane energy for some pure cold-weather coziness, and Lucas made sure to be the brightest star in the room -- literally -- with his sweater decked out in twinkling lights.

Rey Misterio Sr. -- legendary wrestler and uncle to WWE Superstar Rey Mysterio -- has passed away at the age of 66, his family announced Friday.

The news was shared by the son of Misterio Sr. -- real name Miguel Ángel López Díaz -- on social media. Details surrounding his death were not immediately made available.

Misterio Sr. was one of the top stars in the Mexican wrestling scene, making his debut in January 1976. He famously came stateside for a matchup at WCW Starrcade back in 1990 -- teaming up with Konnan.

Dennis Rodman's bad dad apology to his soccer star daughter Trinity fell flat ... with the Olympic gold medalist calling the mea culpa a "joke," and declaring she's done trying to fix her relationship with her pops.

The drama came to a head earlier this week when the Washington Spirit forward appeared on the "Call Her Daddy" podcast and called out her absentee father, accusing him of only showing up for PR stunts.

"He's not a dad," Trinity said. "Maybe by blood, but nothing else."

Bow Wow learned a valuable lesson in social media on Thursday ... 'cause the rapper fell for a fake Instagram comment involving Travis Hunter's fiancée -- prompting him to give a passionate plea to the Heisman Trophy winner.

For those who don't live on the internet, there's a popular parody X account -- @TheNBACentel -- which pretends to give up-to-date information on all things hoop ... and usually, it's pretty funny stuff masked as actual news.

Several notable figures have fallen victim to the hi-jinks ... and Shad Moss was the latest to get duped after the infamous profile shared an edited snap of Hunter's partner, Leanna, putting a money emoji under Timberwolves superstar Anthony Edwards' picture -- a reference to the gold digger claims she's faced (and denied) in recent months.

Karl-Anthony Towns' return to Minnesota was interrupted by a couple of models who stormed the court in the middle of the game ... and as it turns out, this wasn't their first time causing chaos at a sporting event in the past week.

The moment went down two minutes before halftime on Thursday -- after the Knicks called for a timeout, two women in white jerseys bolted from their good seats and attempted to sprint onto the hardwood.

TMZ Sports has learned the ladies in question are Toochi Kash and Amberghini -- the same pair who rushed the field at Levi's Stadium when the San Francisco 49ers hosted the L.A. Rams.

A bunch of quarterbacks are getting their linemen gifts this week, but Joe Burrow's presents to his boys were simply a cut above the rest ... as he got them all swords!!

The Athletic's Paul Dehner Jr. reported on Thursday night that the Bengals signal-caller scored some "authentic Japanese Katana swords" for Cincinnati's big men -- and let each one pick out their own.

"They are all unique," Dehner Jr. reported. "Each sword comes with its own story, from certain towns or battles."

It wasn't quite the Malice at the Palace, but fists were nearly flying during the Pistons vs. Jazz game in Detroit, with Jordan Clarkson and Ron Holland squaring up to fight during the game!

The altercation occurred Thursday night during the 3rd quarter of the Jazz vs. Pistons game at the Little Ceasars Arena (The Palace of Auburn Hills was demolished in '20) ... when Pistons center Paul Reed bumped and shoved Clarkson while running up the court after a layup, which Jordan didn't appreciate.

Reed's teammate, 19-year-old Holland, then stepped to Clarkson ... and both guys squared off, just feet from one of the referees.

Chris Jericho is set to defend his Ring of Honor World Championship Friday in NYC ... and the self-proclaimed "King of New York" tells TMZ Sports he is prepared to go all out in his main event match against Matt Cardona!!

Babcock caught up with the legendary wrestler ahead of the ROH Final Battle PPV -- a showdown Jericho believes is the biggest opportunity his opponent has ever had in his career.

"Win, lose, or draw, this is the biggest stage he has been on in a long time," he said. "I'm expecting a great match from him. But he knows what to expect from me, which is one of the greatest of all time as the world champion in the main event."

NFL fans looking to Texas Hold some Beyoncé-themed cocktails during her halftime performance on Christmas Day are in luck ... TMZ Sports has learned Houston will be selling drinks with Yoncé flair in honor of her much-anticipated show.

Aramark Sports + Entertainment -- which has provided football fanatics with goodies at Texans games throughout this season -- tells us four specialty drinks paying homage to Beyoncé will be available for purchase at NRG Stadium during Houston's Dec. 25 tilt with the Ravens.

The first is called the "Texan Honey" -- and it's a mix of whiskey, lemon juice, honey syrup and ginger beer that will all come mixed in a souvenir cup.

Rest easy, Dolphins fans ... Tyreek Hill says he doesn't want to go anywhere anytime soon -- telling reporters his "Time for me to go coach" social media post wasn't what it seemed like.

The star wide receiver sent the Miami faithful into a panic Wednesday morning after sharing the ominous tweet ... which, if read a certain way, certainly sounded like he was hoping to get traded out of Florida.

Hill cleared the air at the team facility on Thursday ... explaining the actual message he was trying to convey in his post.

GloRilla's amazing year didn't prevent her from giving back to her roots ... the "TGIF" rapper surprised students at her old high school in Memphis Wednesday afternoon -- with a chunky check for $25,000!!!

The 5-figure donation will benefit the school's new library space, giving both Melrose High students and the neighboring Orange Mound community access to the new tech.

Melrose High repaid the favor by renaming its library The Gloria H. Woods Media Center, uncharted territory for Glo's old stomping grounds.

12:28 PM PT -- Dion Dawkins ended up making his way to the Bills' facility on Thursday afternoon ... and he told reporters in attendance he was saddened by the tragedy -- and he's praying for the pilot's family.

Bills star Dion Dawkins missed Buffalo practice on Thursday ... after a small plane crashed in his yard.

Authorities in Aurora, N.Y. say the single-engine aircraft went down at around 11:22 AM -- after it had apparently experienced mechanical issues.

Law enforcement stated the plane was engulfed in flames after it landed on the ground just feet away from Dawkins' residence -- and one person tragically died.