TMZ Sports - Page 2

A friendly featuring Lionel Messi and his Inter Miami team descended into chaos in the waning moments of the match Thursday night, as a group of fans rushed the pitch to snag a selfie with the soccer legend -- which ended with Messi being dragged to the ground.

It all unfolded in the 88th minute of the match against Independiente del Valle of Ecuador when a man ran onto the field and took his shirt off. He was then followed by two other fans who were wearing Messi jerseys. One guy got a selfie, another an autograph.

The shirtless fan then hugged Messi, prompting security to grab him and take him to the ground, but because the guy had his hands on Lionel, he went along for the ride.

BLACKPINK's new project, "DEADLINE" is here ... but the first voice heard on their lead single isn't Jennie, Jisoo, Lisa or Rosé -- it's actually legendary boxing announcer Michael Buffer!!!

The massive K-pop group's third mini album dropped on Friday ... featuring four new tracks -- as well as "JUMP," which was released last year.

But let's focus on their energetic single, "GO" -- the word "ready" is heard on repeat right at the beginning ... and any fan of the fight game can easily tell it's from Buffer's signature battle cry, "Let's get ready to rumble," which he shouts to hype up the audience at boxing matches.

Johnny Gaudreau’s parents almost didn’t make the trip to Milan … and now they’re calling their change of heart one of the best decisions of their lives.

Guy and Jane Gaudreau were in Italy for a special tribute to their late sons after Team USA won gold at the 2026 Winter Olympics -- but they tell TMZ Sports they initially turned down the invitation because the pain was still too fresh.

“We declined it at first because it was just too difficult for us to go,” Jane said. “We were all supposed to go as a family and watch the games and watch him play.”

Hometown heroes helping hometown heroes … that’s exactly what went down for Laila Edwards’ gold medal run.

Before she lit it up for Team USA in Milan, Laila’s dad, Robert Edwards, launched a GoFundMe with a $50,000 goal -- hoping they wouldn’t have to choose between airfare to Italy and paying the electric bill back home in Cleveland Heights.

And as we previously told you, the biggest donation came from Jason and Travis Kelce -- to the tune of $10k.

“It was a significant amount of money and it definitely boosted us,” Robert tells TMZ Sports. “But more than that, it just felt good that they cared enough to support us and to help Laila.”

Robert says having family in the building for the Games made the entire experience go “beyond expectations.” They had a travel party of roughly 12 people who made the trip to support Edwards.

“We're very pleased and overwhelmed and humbled by their support and by their interest,” Robert said. “We follow them as people and we love them and everything they stand for. And we're hoping that they can feel the same way about us and Laila."

The viral snowball fight in New York City had some star power -- 49ers QB Mac Jones was in the park -- before things went south.

Jones shared video of the wild scene on his TikTok account, showing off his view of the massive gathering in Manhattan's Washington Square Park ... as MJ and his buddy even got a few throws in (Mac was slingin' those snowballs!).

Of course, it was all fun and games until it wasn't ... as the gathering is now being remembered for all the wrong reasons, as a group of agitators turned their attention to some NYPD officers walking through the crowd, pelting them with snowballs.

A couple of officers were even injured during the incident.

Days after the White House shared an A.I. video of Brady Tkachuk calling Canadians "maple syrup-eating f***s" ... the Ottawa Senators' left winger is condemning the clip -- saying, "I don’t like that video because that’s just never come out of my mouth."

Tkachuk met with the media Thursday after returning from a whirlwind couple of days celebrating USA's first Olympic hockey gold in 46 years -- and while the vibes were certainly high overall, he says the AI vid was a bit of a stinker for him.

"It's clearly fake, because it's not my voice, not my lips moving," he said. "I'm not in control of any of those accounts, and I know that those words would never come out of my mouth. So, I can't do anything about it."

2:09 PM PT -- According to Pink, we've fallen victim to "fake news" ... with the star taking to Instagram to bash the split rumors. She says she and Carey Hart are not separated, and reports indicating they are have no basis in reality.

Pink and her longtime husband Carey Hart are officially through ... with the two deciding to end their relationship after 20 years of marriage -- according to People.

The outlet announced the news Thursday, citing unspecified sources.

Pink and Carey met at the 2001 Summer X Games in Philadelphia ... dating off and on until he proposed in 2005. They married in Costa Rica in January 2006.

The Padres are down a pitcher … and this one’s a real pain in the rear.

San Diego knuckleballer Matt Waldron is out indefinitely after undergoing surgery for a hemorrhoid-related infection -- yes, we’re talking about that area -- and he’s been stuck in the hospital the past few days because of it.

“[Matt] had to have surgery to drain it and make it better,” Padres manager Craig Stammen told reporters Wednesday.

Well … to help with his recovery, a rep from Dude Wipes tells TMZ Sports they would be happy to send Waldron some of their fragrance-free, flushable hemorrhoid wipes, medicated with witch hazel for soothing relief.

Flavor Flav is already throwing a Vegas party for the Team USA women after a successful 2026 Winter Olympics ... but right now he's using his reach for another cause -- helping women's hockey player Kelly Pannek get a new whip!

The hip-hop icon took to social media Thursday to call on auto companies to "step up" for Kelly, who had "totaled her car."

A rep for Pannek backed up that account, telling us it actually happened not long before she flew to Milan for the women's hockey team's gold medal run.

NFL player Tez Johnson's ex-fiancée just put him on blast times a billion -- claiming the Tampa Bay Buccaneers receiver cheated on her with sexual texts to a former partner before AND after he proposed last year.

The woman shared her side of the story on TikTok ... where she detailed how Feb. 21, 2025 was supposed to be one of the most memorable days of her life.

It certainly still is -- just not how she had hoped.

A Black high school basketball player is being met with an "outpouring of encouragement and support" after a fan hurled the N-word at him during a recent game ... and TMZ Sports has learned he's even back on the court, despite the ugly incident.

The disgusting moment happened in the second quarter of last week's Flint Metro League boys basketball semifinal game, when a Goodrich High School fan yelled a racist slur at a Flint Kearsley High player.

The incident, which was captured on a live stream of the game, predictably sparked outrage ... but also a whole bunch of love and support for the player, especially from his teammates, classmates, and the community.

Devonta Lee -- who played college football for the LSU Tigers and Louisiana Tech Bulldogs -- has died at age 27, his former schools announced Thursday.

The wide receiver was a star at Amite High School ... and helped his team win a state championship in 2018.

He was a top recruit in the state ... and committed to LSU, where he played for three seasons.

The U.S. women's teams may not have been able to make the trip to visit the White House just yet, but they are in store for one helluva celebration this summer ... 'cause Flavor Flav is telling TMZ Sports all about his plans for their epic Vegas takeover -- which even includes a parade!

Michael J. Babcock spoke with the hip hop legend about what he's cooking up later this year, not only for the women's hockey team -- but for any female athlete who represented the Red, White and Blue, too.

Flav says it's slated to go down July 16-19 ... and that he's teamed up with MGM Resorts to make it possible.

"The men have been getting all the glory," he said. "These women have been busting their ass out here and not really being recognized, so that's why I stepped up to the plate."

The Atlanta Hawks are bringing the iconic Magic City strip club vibes to State Farm Arena -- stay with us, we're not kidding -- the team just announced it is honoring the local "cultural institution" at a game next month!!

The NBA franchise revealed the one-night collab on Thursday ... saying the party will go down on March 16 when the Hawks face the Orlando Magic -- and T.I. is slated to make an appearance.

"As part of this celebration, the Hawks have worked with Magic City to bring the ‘best of’ the phenomena for fans in attendance at the award-winning State Farm Arena," the team said.

To start the party, the Hawks will have DJ Esco blasting music at the game and a halftime performance from ATL's own Tip Harris, who is hyped to do this for Magic City.

Alysa Liu’s gold medal didn’t just make history on the ice -- it just launched her hairstylist into orbit!

Kelsey Miller, the mastermind behind Liu’s now-viral “halo ring” color, tells TMZ Sports that ever since the Olympic spotlight hit, her phone hasn’t stopped buzzing … and her appointment book is stacked all the way into summer and fall.

“It's been like so surreal right now, all the attention that I've gotten from doing this,” Miller tells us.

What started as a five-hour coloring in January has placed both of them in the spotlight. Miller’s Instagram post from the session has garnered nearly 1 million likes as her account grew by the thousands during the Games.

Golfer Andrea Pavan was "badly injured" in a crazy freak accident in South Africa this week ... after he fell down an elevator shaft before a golf tourney, according to reports.

The scary scene occurred on Wednesday while the 36-year-old was in Cape Town to compete in the DP World Tour's Investec South African Open. He is now in the hospital with serious injuries.

Pavan was staying in a nearby hotel when he called for an elevator, according to Monday Q, who first reported the news. The elevator shaft door opened, but there was no car there. Not realizing, the golfer stepped into the shaft and plummeted three floors.

Thankfully, his injuries are "not life-threatening" ... though he did require hours of surgery after the accident.