TMZ Sports - Page 11

Forget gold, silver and bronze … the real breakout star of the Milan Cortina 2026 Winter Olympics might’ve just been a runaway pup with elite sprinting instincts.

A mystery dog bolted onto the cross-country skiing course during the women’s team sprint qualifiers on Wednesday -- and the four-legged crasher didn’t just steal the spotlight ... it got the full Olympic treatment.

Local reports say the husky‑like canine's name is Nazgul ... and he's a "stubborn, but very sweet" Czechoslovakian wolfdog.

"Anybody lost their dog?" the broadcast announcers joked.

Lindsey Vonn's dealing with a personal tragedy on top of a professional one ... because the day after she crashed in Milan, ending her 2026 Olympic dream, her dog died.

The three-time Olympic medalist announced via social media Wednesday that her dog, Leo, passed away on February 9 ... telling fans he'd been battling lung cancer and his heart was failing him.

Vonn tells fans she said goodbye to Leo from her hospital bed ... just another part of what she calls "probably the hardest" few days of her life.

Olympic Champion Kristi Yamaguchi was only 20 years old when she rose to superstardom after securing the gold at the 1992 Winter Olympics in Albertville.

If Matthew Stafford ever gets honored with a statue, it shouldn't live outside SoFi Stadium ... so says former Rams star Todd Gurley ... but the former NFL running back has a good explanation.

Gurley -- who played for the Rams from 2015 to 2019 -- broke it down to TMZ Sports at the Fanatics party during Super Bowl week ... and based on chatter he's heard, it'll take a LOT for anyone to get the honor at the state-of-the-art venue in Inglewood.

"Since they share the stadium with the Chargers, if they build a statue of anyone, or they like put them in the stadium, the Chargers have that same right to do that for their player as well. So I don't think they kinda wanna do that," Gurley said. "From my understanding."

Los Angeles Lakers star Deandre Ayton was temporarily detained at a Bahamas airport as authorities searched his posessions for marijuana, but was eventually released after the search came up empty, TMZ Sports has learned.

The Central Division of the Royal Bahamas Police Force told us Ayton -- a native of the Bahamas -- was searched at the Lyden Pindling International Airport after he was allegedly spotted smoking weed on the premises.

But when reached by phone Tuesday evening, his attorney, Devard Francis, painted a different picture.

Francis tells us his client was briefly held by authorities who searched his bag for weed. After, DA was released, and no charges were filed. Francis said Ayton is on his way back to L.A. to rejoin the Lakers as they get ready to kick off the second half of the NBA season.

Doug Moe -- fast-break-loving mastermind who turned the Denver Nuggets into the NBA’s most entertaining track meet of the 1980s -- has died at 87.

One of his former players, Bill Hanzlik, posted to X that Moe passed peacefully with his wife Jane at his side.

From 1980 to 1990, Moe stacked up 432 wins in Denver, led the team to nine straight playoff appearances and snagged NBA Coach of the Year in 1988. His franchise record for wins hangs in the rafters of Ball Arena -- and it stood until 2024 when Michael Malone passed it.

Moe’s teams were must-see ... with games often in the 120s and 130s before that was trendy. Denver led the NBA in scoring six times under Moe.

Their deepest run came in 1985 when they stormed to the Western Conference Finals before running into the buzzsaw Los Angeles "Showtime" Lakers.

Moe finished his head coaching career with a 628-529 overall record -- he also had stints in San Antonio and Philadelphia -- and later returned to Denver as an assistant from 2003 to 2008 alongside George Karl.

“Doug Moe was my big brother. I am sad today. I will miss him,” Karl posted on X Tuesday morning. “Love you forever Doug.”

The Mile High City has lost a basketball legend.

Tyler Reddick had no interest in revisiting the viral Victory Lane moment involving his son and Michael Jordan -- with a member of his team shutting down the question before it ever got off the ground.

With the controversy still swirling on social media, TMZ Sports asked the NASCAR star directly on Tuesday about the interaction involving his 6-year-old son, Beau, and MJ following the Daytona 500 victory … but his camp immediately deflected.

“We’re not going to talk about that,” Reddick’s rep interjected when pressed on the controversy.

Full stop.

It's been about a week since Megan Thee Stallion threw Klay Thompson an epic birthday bash ... and now the 4x NBA champ is repaying the favor to his boo, with the rapper thanking her man for a beautiful bday trip, and a new Bentley!

The three-time Grammy Award-winning artist shared some pictures from her 31st birthday trip, which saw the two hit a tropical destination while Klay was in the middle of the NBA's All-Star break.

Her Instagram recap also featured a blue Bentley with a blue ribbon -- which she has said is her favorite color. Fans online speculated that Thompson bought her the new whip, and TMZ Sports confirmed with a source that he did indeed purchase the luxury vehicle.

It's been a fun few weeks for the couple, who just recently got back from celebrating the current Dallas Mavericks guard's 36th birthday -- and based on the pics, Thompson seemed to be loving every second.

Former NBA star Lamar Odom is staying sober and feeling better after spending weeks in a rehab ... this, according to sources close to the situation.

We're told Lamar is "doing really good" and "feeling amazing."

An insider tells TMZ ... "This time was different because Lamar checked himself in," and says the athlete's family and friends have been extremely supportive.

We’re told Lamar has about a week left before he completes his treatment program at iRely Recovery in Los Angeles.

The Rhode Island Interscholastic League (RIIL) is suspending all games after Monday's tragic shooting during a boys' co-op hockey game in Pawtucket.

Michael Lunney, the organization's executive director, released a statement on Tuesday, stating they will temporarily postpone all games out of respect for those affected by the "senseless act of violence."

"Our thoughts are with the victims, their families, and all those affected by this horrific event," Lunney said.

Here's a moment Amber Glenn will never forget ... the Team USA figure skater was surprised at the Winter Olympics by a personal video message from her inspiration, Madonna, and it was awesome!

Glenn, 26, got eyes on the clip on Tuesday, ahead of the women's singles event short program at the Milan Cortina Winter Olympics, where she's scheduled to take the ice alongside Alysa Liu and Isabeau Levito, the trio famously known as the "Blade Angels".

The message comes after Glenn skated to Madonna's global hit, "Like a Prayer." Her on-ice wardrobe is also influenced by the "Queen of Pop."

The battery charge against two-time Olympic medalist Fred Kerley was dropped on Tuesday, according to his lawyer, who tells TMZ Sports that prosecutors did the right thing.

Kerley, 30, shared the news on his Instagram after appearing in the 17th Judicial Circuit of Florida court with his lawyer, Richard L. Cooper.

"Pressure built me, it didn’t break me. Case dismissed. Victory secured," Kerley said in an IG caption.

After nearly a decade away from the Octagon, Ronda Rousey will step into the cage once again ... as the former UFC superstar is set to make her MMA return against another legend, Gina Carano!

The shocking fight announcement dropped Tuesday morning, with Rousey saying, "Been waiting so long to announce this."

"Me and Gina Carano are gonna throw down in the biggest superfight in women’s combat sport history, and we’re partnering with the fighter-first promoter, MVP, as well as the baddest streamer on the planet, Netflix. This is for all MMA fans past, present, and future."

Lindsey Vonn is back stateside -- even if she still can’t get back on her feet.

The Olympic ski legend revealed Monday night on X she’s back on “home soil” after her terrifying crash at the 2026 Winter Olympics … and while she admitted she still can’t stand, she says being back in the United States “feels amazing.”

Vonn was hospitalized for a week after suffering a brutal leg injury during the downhill event in Cortina d’Ampezzo. She’d been stuck overseas following multiple surgeries -- a grueling stretch she described as physically and emotionally draining before doctors finally cleared her to travel.

“Haven’t stood on my feet in over a week…been immobile in a hospital bed since my race,” she wrote in a post on X. “And although I’m not yet able to stand, being back on home soil feels amazing. Huge thank you to everyone in Italy for taking care of me.”

But instead of focusing on the pain, the 4-time Olympic medalist used her post to show gratitude … thanking the Italian medical staff who cared for her and the fans who flooded her with messages, flowers and love.

Stephen A. Smith says he wants to run for president of the United States, but there's one enormous roadblock ... MONEY!

TMZ Sports caught up with the ESPN star, who previously told us he had no interest in running, during Kenny Smith's The FlyHouse All-Star Bash presented by Resorts World in Los Angeles, who told us straight up, "The country sucks."

"I think the country is devoid of leadership, the kind of leadership we have, we don't need. The kind of leadership we should be getting, nobody is stepping up and doing. I don't desire to be a politician, but in the same breath, the opportunity to go on a debate stage and call out these politicians for the things that they've done to damage this country is something that very much appeals to me," SAS told us matter-of-factly.

Before this golden girl with her snow goggles was owning the slopes, she was just snowboarding at 4 years old with Olympic gold on her mind ...

At the 2018 Olympics, she made history as the youngest woman to win an Olympic snowboarding medal in the women's snowboard halfpipe.

Catch her in Milan!