TMZ Sports - Page 2

If Kevin Durant, James Harden and Russell Westbrook had stayed together in Oklahoma City, there would be a couple more championship banners hanging in the Paycom Center rafters ... at least, that's according to Serge Ibaka.

The former Thunder center -- who played alongside the trio of future Hall of Famers during their stint in OKC -- told TMZ Sports out at LAX this week he's sure they all would have some more championship bling in the jewelry cases if the team had just found a way to keep everyone together.

"Minimum two," he told us.

WWE Superstar Tiffany Stratton is set to take part in her first SummerSlam match Saturday night at MetLife Stadium ... but don't think any nerves are running through the champ -- 'cause she tells TMZ Sports she is "never afraid!!"

We caught up with the WWE Women's Champion out in NYC ahead of her title defense against Jade Cargill ... and it's clear she couldn't be more excited to go out and put on a show.

"I am super excited," she said. "It's my first SummerSlam ever, so I'm making history on top of the two-night SummerSlam."

Hulk Hogan's always going to be remembered as one of the most famous wrestlers of all time ... and that even holds true on his death certificate.

TMZ Sports obtained the certification of death for Hulk ... and as you can see, the document lists his occupation as a professional wrestler in the entertainment industry.

Hulk's death certificate lists a bunch of stuff we already knew ... his date and place of death, his birthday, his birthplace, his race, his education, his marital status, his widow's name, his parents' names ... but it's still surreal to see.

Stephen Nguyen is coming to the defense of Jason Herzog after the well-respected MMA ref opted NOT to stop his fight with Mohammad Yahya ... despite his opps face being destroyed during the UFC on ABC event!

TMZ Sports spoke to the 32-year-old, 10-2 fighter just days after the controversial fight -- which resulted in one of the more grusome injuries we've seen -- and while many may believe Herzog dropped the ball, Nguyen isn't one of them.

"To be honest, when I was in the actual fight, I saw his eye, but I almost didn't think anything of it. Like, obviously this guy's still throwing hard at me. Yeah, his eye was messed up, but his hands said different," Nguyen told us.

"The guy was throwing, he was still throwing everything he had at me."

Ultimately, the fight was stopped after the second round (meaning SG won by TKO) ... but it wasn't Herzog who pulled the plug. Instead, it was the Octagon-side physician.

And, Yahya, 31, wasn't happy with the decision.

"Literally right when I got my hand raised, I talked to [Mohammad], he's telling me that he still wanted to keep fighting. And, you know, I have a lot of respect for that," Nguyen explained.

"We don't even know each other, but now we know each other so well, and obviously it's a warrior's code, you know, and I have nothing but respect for anybody that walks in [the Octagon], but especially for him, he fought his heart out."

So, what's next for Nguyen ... fresh off the impressive win? What's he going to buy with the $50k bonus he received??

Kenneth Sims Jr. is out to prove he belongs among boxing's elite ... and to do that, he plans to dominate Oscar Duarte in the ring Saturday night!

That's what Sims Jr., 31, told TMZ Sports ahead of his August 2 bout against Duarte (29-2) ... a fight going down in his hometown of Chicago.

"I haven't fought in Chicago since I was a teenager," Sims Jr. said. "There's a lot of people that's coming that never seen me box in person. It's gonna be a good weekend. Put on a show for my whole city."

These sexy ladies are feeling feline fierce for Frisky Friday, but can you scratch off the catsuit and sniff out the celeb in question?

From singers to reality TV stars, actresses and athletes ... roll through stylish singers like Beyonce and Katy Perry -- or dare we say, "Kitty" Perry -- who are pawsitively purrrfect onstage, but can you guess their sassy looks on the streets?

And keep an eye out for Kim Kardashian, Serena Williams and more A-listers ... All they're missin' is their whiskers 😜!

Brooke Hogan knows best ... and, right now, what's best for her is getting back into music!

Sources close to Brooke tell TMZ ... after Hulk passed away last week, Brooke reconnected with her ex-boyfriend Yannique Barker -- a record producer and son of the SoBe Entertainment founder Cecile D. Barker. Yannique was the boyfriend Hulk was referring to in the infamous leaked N-word tape.

Brooke was once signed to SoBe ... and, we're told she has now re-signed to the label -- good news since she has nearly an entire album recorded.

Monday night was a real pain in the boob for Nikki Bella ... 'cause she says one of her breast implants got stuck in her ribs after a recent in-ring showdown!!

Nikki opened up on the boob mishap in a convo with her sister on their "The Nikki & Brie Show" ... saying it happened on "Monday Night RAW" this past week during her 8-woman tag team match.

"Piper's elbow drop? Yeah, put the implants right into the ribs," she said. "It's been hard to laugh and cough, but it's okay, we're gonna get it fixed one day."

Micah Parsons' time with the Cowboys could be done ... the star NFL pass rusher announced he requested a trade out of Dallas, citing Jerry Jones and the organization's unwillingness to negotiate a new contract.

The four-time Pro Bowler dropped a three-page statement on social media, explaining that he initially wanted to remain in Big D, but changed his mind after his agent attempted to discuss a long-term deal with the team on multiple occasions.

Parsons said the team was "radio silent."

Ex-NBA player Danilo Gallinari's pregnant wife experienced the "worst day" of her life while vacationing in Puerto Rico ... revealing she was attacked by a shark.

Eleonora Boi -- a TV reporter who got hitched to 36-year-old Gallinari in 2022 -- opened up on the terrifying incident on Instagram ... saying, "I never thought I could get attacked by a shark and I was near the shore and on a super crowded beach."

Boi stated she and the baby on the way are "fine" following the incident at the Carolina Resort beach ... although she had to undergo surgery to mend her leg.

Stephen Curry is one of the most clutch players in NBA history ... and he's got those skills off the court, too -- 'cause he's taking a hands-on approach to celebrating his wedding anniversary.

The superstar's wife, Ayesha -- a businesswoman and chef -- shared a series of PDA-filled pics on her Instagram on Friday ... fresh off their 14th anniversary on July 30th.

"Screaming I LOVE YOU to my baby @stephencurry30," Ayesha said in the caption. "14 year wedding anniversary and 17 years attached at the hips and the lips."

Machine Gun Kelly says he nearly had a part in the hit flick "Sinners" ... but, he wouldn't cross the line when it came to using a racial slur and he lost the part.

The rapper joined "The Pat McAfee Show" from outside the NFL Hall of Fame Thursday ... and, he talked about his acting aspirations -- explaining he's not on a strict schedule when it comes to his film career, but there are a number of films he's seen where he's missed out on roles.

Take "Sinners" for example, MGK says ... he was supposed to audition for a villainous role in the flick -- but, he would've had to say the N-word during the tryout in order to get the part.

Welp, that's awkward ... the cop who arrested Diego Sanchez last month told the UFC legend he was a longtime fan of the fighter ... admitting he watched him scrap since he was "a little kid!"

TMZ Sports obtained body camera footage of the arrest ... after cops alleged the 43-year-old shot a gun out of a moving car while officers were working an incident on I-40 in Albuquerque, NM.

Cops initially spoke to the driver of the car Sanchez was in ... and after they identified him, the cop responded, "As in the Diego Sanchez?"

Cruz Beckham might be at odds with his bro Brooklyn, but he hit pause on the drama to roast dad David while living it up on a yacht in Saint-Tropez -- all in good fun, of course!

The 20-year-old stripped down to his white Prada briefs and struck a hilarious pose on the sundeck Tuesday -- arms and legs wide open -- and it was quite the sight to see among the usual sunbathing and hangout session with GF Jackie Apostel.

Cruz gave a solid shot at recreating David's iconic look from last year in Positano, Italy ... but LBR -- nothing beats the athlete's smolder and that buff bod of his.

Gilbert Arenas is making it clear he has no plans to return to jail after his arrest this week ... saying he plans to sing like a canary, and save his own ass!

The former NBA star, who is accused of running an illegal gambling operation, spoke about the crazy situation on a live stream Thursday night, and it's obvious Gil ain't sweatin' the charges.

"Good luck in court. I'm pretty sure I ain't gonna be there when it's starting to go, cause, yeah, I'm snitching."

Mel Owens is trying to make up for his insensitive comments about age as filming for "The Golden Bachelor" Season 2 gets underway ... revealing he apologized to all the ladies on the first night of shooting.

The reality TV star spoke to Glamour for an interview published Friday about a comment he made on a podcast in June, when he said he preferred to date a woman between the ages of 45 and 60 ... and, he said he told producers to "try to stay away from the artificial hips and the wigs, you know, that kind of stuff.”

The interview sent fans into a frenzy, and they called for his firing from the show ... which tipped Owens off to the fact that he'd said something wrong -- 'cause he admits until a respected colleague called him on the comments, he didn't see the big deal.