TMZ Sports - Page 2

Taylor Swift finally denied rumors she played the bear who attacked beau Travis Kelce in "Happy Gilmore 2" -- and turns out, the guy actually behind the costume has a surprise as well ... he had no idea he was acting opposite such a big name!

TMZ caught up with Brandon Alan Smith, the actor who hopped into a bear suit and ambushed a shirtless, honey-slathered TK for the recently released 'HG2' ... and he spoke to us about Taylor's recent praise while admitting he had absolutely no clue he was in the presence of an NFL star, let alone THE Taylor Swift's boyfriend.

Just check out our clip -- Brandon is shaking off his "blissful ignorance" regarding the situation ... and hopes Swifties will let him "Out of the Woods" on this one.

Hulk Hogan fans will be introduced to never-before-seen footage of the late WWE legend at the massive New York City Slam Sports Bar he began creating before his sudden death earlier this month -- and so much more.

TMZ caught up with his business partner -- President & CEO of American Sports Bar Entertainment Rich Rosen -- who spilled all the deets on the upcoming bar ... and Hulkamania will certainly be running wild in this unique restaurant experience!

But back to the sentimental part -- Rich tells TMZ there will be exclusive video of Hulk walking through the spacious 9,000 square-foot entertainment and dining space, giving his thoughts on it and fondly remembering the rise of his career inside Madison Square Garden -- which is directly across the street and is where Hulk built his icon status.

Sports fans with deep pockets are currently in a bidding war over a one-of-a-kind Michael Jordan and Kobe Bryant basketball card expected to sell for over $6 million.

Check out the card -- it's from the 2007-08 Upper Deck Exquisite Collection and features autographs from each basketball legend alongside different NBA logo patches. Kobe's signature parallels a blue, white and red patch, while Michael's patch is gold and white.

The unique card is up for grabs on Heritage Auctions' site and has a bid of just over $5 million as of Saturday morning ... with the final auction price expected to be at least $6.1 million.

Mixed martial arts was BANNED in many places around the world not long ago ... but the sport has grown at an electric pace, and Henry Cejudo predicts it'll soon be the biggest sport in the world!

Triple C joined Babcock on the TMZ Sports TV show (airs weekdays on FS1) ... where the former champ-champ was asked about the UFC's historic (and massive) $7.7 BILLION media rights deal with Paramount, and whether he could've ever imagined the sport reaching these heights.

"No, I didn't [imagine MMA could get this big]," the 38-year-old future Hall of Famer said.

If Jose Reyes were in charge of the Mets, he tells TMZ Sports he'd sign Pete Alonso to a career-long contract ... and not blink twice!!

The former New York shortstop chopped it up with us just after Alonso passed Daryl Strawberry this week to become the Mets' all-time home run leader ... and he made it clear, his old team should sign its star first baseman to a massive deal this offseason.

Pete's currently on a two-year, $54 million contract ... but he can become a free agent before the 2026 season thanks to a player option -- and Reyes is hoping that never becomes a reality.

Shedeur Sanders ... QB1 for the Cleveland Browns?? There's a good chance that happens sooner than later -- so says team radio guy Je'Rod Cherry, who tells TMZ Sports he wouldn't be surprised one bit if the rookie's name is called if things go south to start the season.

The Orange and Brown's fifth-round pick is probably the most popular first-year player going into the 2025 campaign ... and after a stellar preseason debut against the Carolina Panthers, some fans are already calling on Cleveland to hand him the keys to the franchise.

Sanders went 14-for-23 for 138 yards and two touchdowns ... with 19 rushing yards as well in the outing.

5:50 PM PT -- Stephen Jackson has spoken out regarding his initial post, saying he removed the post because him and Lil Yachty spoke and apologized to each other -- claiming Yachty understands the outrage -- and Jackson says "I salute him" for owning up to his mistakes.

Lil Yachty is catchin' serious heat over a lyric about George Floyd in a new song, with ex-NBA star Stephen Jackson leading the charge, calling it some "weak ass s***!"

The star hip hop artist was on PlaqueBoyMax's live stream on Thursday when he previewed the track ... and one of his bars went like this: "Put my knee up on her neck, I went George Floyd."

Jackson -- a 14-season NBA veteran -- felt some type of way about the lyric, a reference to the 2020 murder of his close friend Floyd, who lost his life after a Minneapolis cop knelt on his neck during an arrest.

The Super Bowl LX halftime show performer is Taylor Swift ... that is, if you're drinking the Swifties' Kool-Aid.

Days after the pop superstar's appearance on Travis and Jason Kelce's "New Heights" podcast (and several rewatches, we're sure), her diehard fanbase is convinced the queen of Easter eggs did just that and hinted at taking the world's biggest stage throughout the two-hour episode.

We're about to break it all down ... so, are you ready for it??

A jet from the Chicago Air & Water Show took a little detour from its route to fly over Wrigley Field on Friday ... scaring the crap outta Cubs players -- and interrupting Hayden Christensen's "Take Me Out to the Ballgame" rendition too!

The wild moment went down during the seventh inning of Chicago's tilt with the Pirates, just as Christensen and his daughter were gearing up to serenade the stadium.

They began singing into mics ... but when the plane caused its ruckus, it stopped them in their tracks!

Former WWE Superstar and two-time RAW Tag Team Champion Matt Riddle is raking in serious cash outside the ring -- thanks to a side hustle that's turning plenty of heads.

Riddle joined the latest episode of TMZ’s "Inside The Ring" podcast and revealed his OnlyFans account is doing "a lot" for his bank account, crediting much of the success to gay men who watch wrestling and find him "extremely attractive."

He says he keeps it pretty tame -- nothing "too crazy" -- usually just rocking a Speedo and doing workouts on camera ... but the results have been a huge financial win.

Logan Paul and Nina Agdal are officially husband and wife -- the WWE Superstar and Sports Illustrated swimsuit model tied the knot at a luxurious ceremony in Italy.

The Maverick's younger bro, Jake, shared a brief glimpse of the nuptials in Lake Como on Friday ... showing the couple in traditional wedding attire -- Logan is sporting a white tuxedo jacket with black pants ... and Nina's dress is absolutely stunning.

Paul's "Impaulsive" podcast co-host, Mike Majlak, appeared to be the officiant ... as he stood right up on stage with his good friends.

Kroy Biermann's asking a court to make his home the primary residence for his children he shares with Kim Zolciak ... claiming her living environment is no good for the kids.

The former NFL player filed documents in Georgia ... noting that, under the current parenting plan, he and Kim each have two kids at a time -- their two older sons go back and forth together as do their younger twins -- a girl and a boy -- every week.

However, KB says the four kids living essentially separate lives in different homes isn't good for their mental health ... and, he's now asking the court for primary custody to fix it.

George Floyd's brother Terrence is going in on Lil Yachty for referencing George's death in a new song ... and Terrence says Yachty needs a history lesson.

Terrence joined us on "TMZ Live" Friday, and we asked how he felt about Lil Yachty's new song with the lyrics, "Put my knee up on her neck, I went George Floyd."

George's brother says Lil Yachty and others should be careful what they say about GF ... because his death remains a sensitive topic, and it still hurts and upsets the family.

WWE royalty Triple H and Stephanie McMahon are no jesters when it comes to their fitness ... 'cause they put their bodies on display during their vacation in Greece -- and they look incredible!!

The promotion's current COO and former CEO were spotted getting in some family time on a boat around Mykonos this week ... with the married couple bringing their kids along for the fun!!

Not only did they soak in all the sights, they also absorbed as many rays as their bods could handle before jumping in the water as a group to cool off.

Jared Goff said Taylor Swift made his Wednesday night one he'll remember all too well going forward ... explaining to reporters that after she name-dropped him on "New Heights" -- his phone blew up.

The pop superstar briefly mentioned the Detroit Lions signal-caller as she was trying to explain to Travis and Jason Kelce how little she knew about football prior to dating the Chiefs tight end ... and Goff said on Thursday that after she brought him up, he went through "a crazy couple hours."

He intimated he got a bunch of texts and calls ... though check out his meeting with media members, he didn't seem to mind it one bit.

Brooks Nader is giving fans a show once again ... this time rocking a thong bikini -- with no top to go with it -- during her ongoing vacation in Italy.

Check out the pics from her Wednesday Instagram Story post -- the Sports Illustrated Swimsuit Issue cover girl showed off her toned derrière as she balanced on a floating obstacle course off the coast of Sardinia ... wearing brown bottoms with nothing to cover her top half.

Brooks looks like she's having one wet 'n wild time on the European getaway ... which includes her sisters Mary Holland Nader, Grace Ann Nader and Sarah Jane Nader, plus some friends.