TMZ Sports - Page 2

The New York Mets' latest addition is certainly making a name for himself -- with relief pitcher Dicky Lovelady signing on to help get the squad back on track after losing eight of their last nine games.

Yes, that's his real name ... and yes, he'd like to be referred to as such.

The government knows him as Richard -- but Mets reporter Anthony DiComo said Dicky specifically asked his teammates, fans and the rest of the team to call him by his nickname.

Making his way to the ring from Philly, standing at a whopping 5 feet 2.5 inches backed by a pack of washboard abs ... IT'S KEVIN HART! And, his worthy opponent? He may not be on the field any longer, but this ballin' zaddy can still get it at 6 feet 4 inches, it's Tom Brady!

Both gents looking fine, but which swole dude is receiving your heart hart eyes' emoji? Kevin in the black shorts, or Tom in the towel?

VOTE NOW!

The bad news has been confirmed -- Tyrese Haliburton did, in fact, tear his right Achilles tendon during Game 7 of the NBA Finals on Sunday.

The official diagnosis came on Monday ... just a day after the Indiana Pacers star suffered the leg injury during the first quarter of the season finale against the Oklahoma City Thunder.

Haliburton -- averaging 17.2 points in the playoffs -- was carried off the court ... and was seen using crutches and a wheelchair following the championship loss.

Ja'Marr Chase is great at dodging NFL defenders ... and, apparently, handsy fans too.

Check out this video TMZ Sports has obtained of a super awkward encounter the Cincinnati Bengals star had with a woman on Sunday morning on a New York City street.

As the NFL's best wideout was walking out of Zero Bond following a weekend of activities at Fanatics Fest ... he coldly swerved a woman's hug attempt.

Joe Burrow and Olivia Ponton are apparently done keeping their romance under wraps -- the Cincinnati Bengals superstar and the model were spotted out and about in NYC together over the weekend.

TMZ Sports is told the lowkey lovebirds were attached at the hip all Friday night ... hitting several different celeb spots before ending their tour outside an apartment complex around 3 AM.

Burrow was in town for the Fanatics Fest ... and was sporting a 'fit that would make Bill Belichick proud -- a short-sleeved oversized hoodie and baggy jeans to match.

Kevin Durant and "Basedgod" rapper Lil B have been beefing for more than a decade -- and not much has changed now that KD is a Houston Rocket -- their feud is spicier than ever!!!

Lil B decided to reignite the beef not long after the bombshell news that Durant had been shipped to HTX ... dissing KD's part-time rap career and accusing him of ducking him in a one-on-one pickup game challenge all these years.

KD last rapped on Stalley's "Scared Money" track but scoffed at the Basedgod's swipes, claiming the rapper was all up in his DMs begging for a feature.

It turns out the Oklahoma City Thunder's toughest matchup of the NBA Finals wasn't the Indiana Pacers -- it was the champagne bottles waiting for them during their championship celebration!!

Footage from the locker room caught a bunch of players learning on the fly how to pop the bubbly for the traditional champagne showers -- and with their roster having an average age of just over 24 years old, it might've been the first time for a few of them!!

Isaiah Hartenstein credited Alex Caruso for helping show the team how to do it properly ... telling reporters it was like watching a YouTube tutorial.

Shedeur Sanders' traffic issues are providing his family plenty of comedic content ... with the Cleveland Browns quarterback's fellow NFL pro brother, Shilo, cracking a quick joke at his expense.

The Tampa Bay Buccaneers defensive back shared the silly quip during his local food tour YouTube series over the weekend ... as he was roaming around his new digs.

"I know we out here in Tampa, we gotta be careful crossing the street -- especially if Shedeur's out here," the 25-year-old said.

Gunshots rang out just a few blocks from the Thunder arena in Oklahoma City, as players and fans were celebrating their first NBA title ... but police tell TMZ Sports the violent incident had nothing to do with the game!

The incident occurred at Scissortail Park in downtown Oklahoma City, about a seven-minute walk from the Paycom Center, where the Thunder defeated the Indiana Pacers in Game 7 of the NBA Finals.

While fans were celebrating the franchise's first-ever championship in the streets nearby, one person was shot in the lower leg.

Simone Biles' X account is gone ... the Olympic legend appears to have deactivated it in the wake of a public feud with Riley Gaines.

Just days after she and the former All-American swimmer quarreled over the topic of trans athletes' participation in youth girls' sports, Biles' presence on Elon Musk's popular platform has disappeared.

While it's unclear if the decision to leave the app had anything to do with the Gaines feud ... the former Univ. of Kentucky star turned Outkick podcast host certainly seemed to believe it was all related.

Reggie Miller was full of emotion after the Pacers lost in Game 7 of the NBA Finals ... and while his heart breaks for Tyrese Haliburton and Co., he congratulated the entire organization for breathing new life into Indiana basketball.

Reggie went to social media to address Sunday's 103-91 loss to the Oklahoma City Thunder ... saying Hali going down with a devastating Achilles injury in the first quarter was hard to swallow.

"I felt the gut punch to Pacer Nation, not only from the loss, but the loss of our fearless leader @tyresehaliburton."

Jon Jones' attorney is livid with authorities in New Mexico for levying a charge against his client this month ... saying in a statement to TMZ Sports the case is "strange and unwarranted."

Court records show the UFC legend was hit last week with one misdemeanor count of leaving the scene of an accident, and on Sunday night, attorney Christopher Dodd eviscerated the Albuquerque Police Department over the filing.

"As Jon's lawyer," Dodd told us, "I am stunned by the Albuquerque Police Department's decision to charge him in this new case. In the thousands of cases I have handled in my career, I have never seen a case as strange and unwarranted as this one."

Dana White's new BJJ organization, UFC Brazilian Jiu-Jitsu, could have a few famous faces at their events -- but we're not talking about celebs in the crowd -- but instead big stars actually competing alongside some of the best players in the world!

White and Claudia Gadelha -- MMA star turned UFC exec -- chopped it up with Babcock this week ... as the pair touted the new promotion and the TUF-like companion show on YouTube, "UFC BJJ: Road to the Title."

"[Mark] Zuckerberg has competed in tournaments. Mario Lopez competes in tournaments. Tom Hardy competes in tournaments. So, this is a spot anybody could come and compete here in jujitsu," Dana said, name-dropping three of the high-profile celebs who practice jiu-jitsu.

In fact, Dana, a Meta board member, told us he often talks about fighting with Zuck ... and he's not kidding when he says he could compete in the future.

"If Mark keeps training and competing and whatever, he could literally come here and fight in UFC BJJ, 100%. Tom Hardy, Mario Lopez, and many, many other actors that are really good jiu-jitsu guys that nobody knows about. That would be absolutely awesome!"

Of course, Zuckerberg began training during the COVID-19 pandemic, and has linked up with some of the biggest UFC stars in the world, hitting the mats with the likes of Alex Volkanovski, Israel Adesanya, and others.

Zuck even competed in a local competition in mid-2023, fairing quite well in his matches.

Obviously, Dana's new BJJ org. is a whole different ballgame ... they've got some of the very best in the world competing, so no one's suggesting Mark, Tom and/or Mario's going to stroll into the arena when UFC BJJ 1 goes down on June 25!

In the future? Who knows. DW makes it clear, if you've got the prerequisite skill, anyone can get down.

Celebs aside, there's a bunch more with Dana and Claudia ... who talk about building the new UFC BJJ organization, and where they see it going.

The Oklahoma City Thunder are NBA champions ... for the first time in team history!!!

Thunder star and league MVP Shai Gilgeous-Alexander led the way in a 103-91 victory for OKC, scoring 29 points in the decisive Game 7 ... played in front of a raucous sell-out crowd at the Paycom Center in Oklahoma City.

SGA was named Most Valuable Player of the Finals.

LeBron James had to deal with some salty fans outside a New York City event Saturday night ... with angry pedestrians hurling insults at the basketball legend.

TMZ has obtained video of the NBA's all-time leading scorer walking into Fanatics Fest this weekend surrounded by his entourage ... and, while no one made a move to get into a physical altercation with the 6'9" star, they let him know he's got no love from the Big Apple.

Check out the clip ... Lebron's getting more boos than when he bailed on Cleveland to take his talents to South Beach back in the day -- with fans calling him "Le-Bum" and otherwise trying to get in his head.

Kevin Durant was just traded to the Houston Rockets in a blockbuster deal ... and fans got his live reaction to the move during his appearance at Fanatics Fest!!

The massive transaction happened early on Sunday ... coincidentally just hours before Durant's former team, the Oklahoma City Thunder, faces the Indiana Pacers in Game 7 of the NBA Finals to mark the end of the 2024-25 season.

The Phoenix Suns will give up Durant for a bunch of Rockets talent -- Jalen Green, Dillon Brooks, the No. 10 pick in the draft and five second-rounders.