TMZ Sports - Page 4

JJ Redick says his loved ones were among the thousands forced to evacuate amid the Los Angeles wildfires ... and his family is distraught as the flames continue to spread throughout the area.

The Lakers head coach provided the update prior to his team's 118-97 road loss to the Dallas Mavericks ... revealing the blaze in the Pacific Palisades is right in his neighborhood.

Redick said his thoughts and prayers are with those affected ... and that also includes his wife's sister's family.

Former MLB pitcher Brian Matusz has tragically died at 37 years old.

Matusz's team, the Baltimore Orioles, announced the heartbreaking news late Tuesday evening ... though a cause of death was not revealed.

"Brian's family and loved ones are in our thoughts and prayers at this difficult time," the team wrote.

The New York Giants won't have a new head coach or general manager this offseason -- and at least one person in Big Blue Nation is just fine with that ... former NY star running back Brandon Jacobs!!

The ex-tailback -- who won two Super Bowls with the G-men in the early 2000s -- told TMZ Sports on Tuesday he's pleased with his old team's decision to keep Brian Daboll and Joe Schoen for 2025 ... explaining, "You can't keep getting new coaches every three years."

"I believe that's the right move," Jacobs said.

LiAngelo Ball has a slam dunk with his new song, "Tweaker" ... and he's getting a big seal of approval from DJ Paul.

We got the Three 6 Mafia rapper at LAX and our photog asked him about Gelo's debut single.

DJ Paul says the beat reminds him of '90s rap ... telling us its further evidence the '90s are making a huge comeback, in music and in fashion.

David Dobrik's body has gone from dough to brick ... he just revealed after spending the last 12 months in the gym -- he's now absolutely shredded!!

The internet superstar showed off his insane transformation in a couple YouTube videos that dropped Tuesday afternoon ... explaining that just before last year's New Year's Day, he wanted to turn his life around.

Dobrik said that after years of eating junk food and guzzling sugary drinks -- his body fat percentage had soared to 27.8 percent ... and he was determined to do something about it through 2024's 365 days.

J.D. Vance and Ted Cruz have a lot more than bragging rights on the line when Ohio State and Texas face off in the College Football Playoff ... 'cause both politicians just placed a friendly wager on the Cotton Bowl -- with both hoping their team trumps the other.

The Texas senator laid out the challenge to the Vice President-Elect and Ohio native on Tuesday ... days before the Buckeyes and Longhorns duke it out at AT&T Stadium.

The terms were pretty simple -- the loser would have to deliver food and beer to the winner's front door, all while they rock the opposing team's jersey.

Tyreek Hill's days in Miami aren't over just yet -- the team's head coach and general manager say they never got a formal trade request from the Dolphins' star receiver after he seemingly told reporters he wanted the hell outta town.

Chris Grier and Mike McDaniel met with the media on Tuesday -- two days after learning they'd be back for the 2025-26 season -- and fielded questions about Hill's future with the org. after he said, "I'm out, bro," following Sunday's loss to the Jets.

The third-year head coach said he met with Hill for an hour ... and he felt the frustration from a lackluster season and game got the best of the 30-year-old receiver at the time of his comments.

The Las Vegas Raiders will have a new head coach in 2025 ... they just fired Antonio Pierce.

Mark Davis made the move official on Tuesday afternoon, following a disappointing 4-13 season.

"Antonio grew up a Raiders fan and his Silver and Black roots run deep," the team said in a statement. "We are grateful for his ability to reignite what it means to be a Raider throughout the entire organization. We wish nothing but the best for Antonio and his family in the future."

It may be winter, but Patrick Schwarzenegger and his fiancée, Abby Champion, are bringing the heat ... cuddling up on a couple's getaway to Mexico.

Check it out ... the twosome look as in love as ever, putting their respective fit physiques on display in sexy swimsuits for their recent adventure in Cabo San Lucas, Mexico.

In fact, Patrick looks so buff in one vacay pic, he's reminiscent of his action star father, Arnold Schwarzenegger. The bodybuilding genes are strong in this family, it seems!!!

Tennis star Cameron Norrie lost it during a match on Tuesday, (accidentally) throwing his racket into the stands and nailing a female fan sitting in the first row!

The dangerous moment went down after the 29-year-old British native dropped a point during his ASB Classic match against Facundo Diaz Acosta in New Zealand -- where he was on the verge of losing the second set -- prompting him to fling his racket.

The hardware cleared a short wall and went into the spectators' area.

Luckily, the woman was able to get her hands up to block the racket, preventing it from hitting her in the kisser.

The man accused of killing NHL superstar Johnny Gaudreau and his little brother last year just pleaded not guilty to the criminal charges against him.

Sean Higgins issued the pleas in a New Jersey court room at a post-indictment arraignment on Tuesday morning ... turning down an offer from prosecutors that would have resulted in a 35-year prison sentence.

The case will now move toward a trial -- although Higgins is due back in court for additional proceedings in February.

LiAngelo Ball's rap career is taking off like no other -- the former UCLA star just landed a spot on the Rolling Loud California lineup ... days after his first rap single blew up on social media.

The popular festival just dropped its slate of artists for 2025 ... and Gelo's name sits among some heavy hitters in the industry -- like A$AP Rocky, Playboi Carti, Peso Pluma, YG, Quavo and Ab-Soul.

It's a massive come-up for Gelo ... after all, his debut, "Tweaker," was officially published on Jan. 3 -- but has since taken a world of its own.

Barstool Sports founder Dave Portnoy just revealed one of his employees has passed away at just 32 years old after a battle with cancer ... sharing a heartfelt tribute to Jonathan Stanko.

Portnoy issued his condolences on Tuesday ... saying Stanko was beloved during his time at the outlet's New York offices for nearly four years, which he admitted was "very rare at Barstool."

"It's the 1st time we've had to deal with something this heavy in the 20 years of Barstool," Portnoy said on social media. "A cruel reminder not to take a day for granted because tomorrow isn’t promised to anybody. #stankostrong."

Lucky enough to grab an NFL playoff ticket this month? Better come to the stadium hungry ... 'cause TMZ Sports has learned a few teams are offering up some new items for the games -- and they're HUGE!!

The Kansas City Chiefs, Philadelphia Eagles and Houston Texans are putting out three new dishes -- in partnership with Aramark Sports + Entertainment -- for their January games ... and each is probably going to take fans more than one fork to finish.

At Arrowhead Stadium, Travis Kelce supporters can get their hands on "Touchdown Toast" -- a massive French toast feast that includes berry sauce and vanilla ice cream.

Famed Hells Angels biker Chuck Zito says he will NOT be prosecuted for allegedly driving around New York with a bogus license plate ... telling us cops got it all wrong.

We got the "Sons of Anarchy" star at Mulberry Street Pizzeria in Beverly Hills and he told our photog the charges against him were dropped.

As we reported ... the actor and stuntman was arrested in November after a traffic stop in The Bronx. Cops said the Florida dealer plate on his vintage 1968 Chevelle SS was fake, and Chuck was arrested for misdemeanor possession of a forged license plate.

Shaquille O'Neal is moving on from his longstanding feud with Dwight Howard ... saying he has officially "deleted" his nemesis from his life.

The beef has been well documented over the years ... and initially, it mostly stemmed from Howard taking on the "Superman" nickname, which Shaq was known to use over the course of his Hall of Fame career.

Howard revisited their history during a recent podcast episode ... saying he was so pissed off over it all, he considered showing up at the TNT studios to confront Shaq -- as an old-fashioned beatdown might be the only way to resolve their issues.