Ellie the Elephant, the New York Liberty's mascot, and Grimace are taking over Brooklyn -- a dynamic duo we've never seen together before, but now we've learned why they're hanging out.
The surprise friendship is all about teaming up to welcome the 2025 McDonald's All American Games to Brooklyn April 1st at Barclays Center, Ellie's WNBA home turf -- and they were super pumped about it when TMZ caught up with them.
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Trust us, you’ve gotta check out the video -- no one’s more hyped about the hoops news than these 2, except maybe Grimace's crew at McDonald's ... which just made the official announcement about The Games.
Folks have donated nine figures to victims of the devastating Los Angeles wildfires thanks to online crowdsourcing ... with some of Hollywood's biggest names among those opening their wallets.
TMZ has learned GoFundMe has raised more than $100 million to directly support families, communities and businesses who have lost everything in the fires.
We're told the money is also going to non-profits like World Central Kitchen, Salvation Army and Baby2Baby ... who are providing critical aid to impacted residents.
Tennis star Daniil Medvedev paused his Australian Open match to beat the crap out of a net camera this week ... an epic meltdown that apparently worked wonders, as he went on to win by the skin of his teeth.
The outburst happened as the Russian was on the verge of going down two sets to one ... when he lost a point on a solid rally with Kasidit Samrej, the 418th-ranked player in the world.
After the tough moment, Medvedev approached the net and unloaded his racket on a camera that was sitting on the net ... shattering it -- and damaging his racket -- in the process.
In the footage -- which the couple posted on social media -- Tim and Demi-Leigh can be seen walking through a field ... before they hug and unfurl a picture of an ultrasound.
Jessica Simpson is determined to unload her L.A.-area home amid troubles in her marriage and the ongoing wildfires plaguing the region ... so much so, she's significantly slashed the price.
Here's what we know ... the singer listed her Hidden Hills, Calif. residence for $17.9 million earlier this week -- days before she confirmed her separation from husband Eric Johnsonand as wildfires across the city began threatening her star-studded neighborhood.
Jessica, who purchased the 7-bedroom property fromOzzy and Sharon Osbourne for $11.5 million in 2013, first listed the mansion for $22 million back in September 2023 ... but there weren't any serious takers during the months it was on the market. So, she pulled the listing last August.
Former MLB pitcher Brian Matusz -- best known for his years on the mound with the Baltimore Orioles -- died from an apparent overdose ... TMZ Sports has confirmed.
Our sources tell us Matusz was found dead at his Phoenix, Ariz. residence on Jan. 6 ... with a white substance around his mouth and drug paraphernalia -- including a straw, lighter and aluminum foil -- near his right hand.
Our hearts are heavy tonight as we mourn the passing of former Oriole, Brian Matusz.
A staple in our clubhouse from 2009-2016, Brian was beloved throughout Birdland, and his passion for baseball and our community was unmatched. He dedicated his time to connecting with any fan he… pic.twitter.com/wNN3WkO8l4
We're told it was Matusz's mother, Elizabeth, who discovered him ... after she had grown concerned about him due to comments he made about feeling like he had nothing left to live for.
A girls youth basketball coach was arrested in Connecticut over the weekend after he allegedly mowed down a man with his car following a verbal dispute ... and it was all caught on video!
The crazy incident occurred in a parking lot after a basketball game just after 11 AM on January 11 at the Horace Porter School in Columbia, CT -- roughly 10 miles south of UConn -- prompting a response from Connecticut State Police.
When troopers arrived, they spoke with the alleged victim who claimed the coach "intentionally ran into them, causing them to go over the roof and hood of the vehicle before falling onto the ground."
The NBA community is rallying behind JJ Redick's family after losing their home in the L.A. wildfires ... with Chris Pauland Victor Wembanyama gifting his kids signed, game-worn jerseys to restart their sports memorabilia collection.
The Lakers -- who had their last two games postponed due to the blazes -- hosted the San Antonio Spurs in an emotional night at Crypto.com Arena ... with the Purple and Gold ultimately falling to the visitors, 126-102.
In lieu of a usual postgame jersey swap with opposing players, CP3 and Wemby handed over their game-worn jerseys to Redick's kiddos, Knox and Kai -- and posed for a picture with them.
Matthew Stafford’s toughness clearly got passed down to his daughters ... 'cause his kids braved through illness to watch the Rams' huge Wild Card victory in person on Monday.
The Super Bowl champ's wife, Kelly, documented the whole journey leading up to the playoff contest ... revealing two of her little ones were hospitalized during the Arizona trip.
One of the kids even had an oxygen mask as they made their way to State Farm Stadium for Monday's kickoff ... holding a teddy bear and yelling "Go Rams" as they rode the bus to the venue.
Olivia Ponton -- Joe Burrow's most famous "employee" -- has apparently accrued some big PTO -- because she's currently soaking up the sun on vacay in a tiny bikini in Turks and Caicos.
The Sports Illustrated Swimsuit model -- who told cops last month just after a burglary at Burrow's Cincinnati-area mansion that she worked for the Bengals superstar -- ditched the Midwest for some sand and blue waters ... and check out a few images she posted from the trip, she's obviously appreciating the R&R.
In a small black two-piece, Ponton enjoyed several dips in the Atlantic ... plus some pages of a romance novel. She did it all with a huge smile on her face, too.
The Eagles have identified the fan who berated a female Packers supporter at Philadelphia's playoff game over the weekend ... and TMZ Sports has learned they've now kickstarted the punishment process for the guy.
Our sources say that just two days after the man in a green Eagles jacket was seen on video unloading on a Packer backer during Philly's 22-10 Wild Card round win ... the team has found out who he is and is currently determining how they want to handle the situation.
What it's like going to Philly just trying to root for your team...
Unprovoked, uncalled for. Packers twitter, help me out and find this guy.... this is not okay
Jessica tells us ... "Eric and I have been living separately navigating a painful situation in our marriage. Our children come first, and we are focusing on what is best for them. We are grateful for all of the love and support that has been coming our way, and appreciate privacy right now as we work through this as a family."
The couple first got together way back in 2010, and got engaged that same year as well. It took a little while, but JS and EJ finally got hitched in 2014 ... and since then, they've had three children together ... 12-year-old Maxwell, 11-year-old Ace and 5-year-old Birdie.
If Bad Bunny REALLY wants to scare his mom in the WWE squared circle again, there's already one Superstar lining up to make it happen -- none other than Logan Paul.
The music sensation -- who had a memorable appearance at WWE Backlash back in 2023 -- recently revealed to Rolling Stone he'd love another crack at wrestling ... but this time, he wanted a much bigger "risk."
"I want to put my life at risk in the ring," BB said. "I felt like I didn't risk it enough in the ring. I want to scare my mother."
Brett Favre is admitting he was initially terrified to learn of his Parkinson's diagnosis ... telling TMZ Sports he at first thought "it was the end of the world."
Favre got candid with us about his much-publicized health battle last week ... revealing that when docs told him he had the disease in January 2024 after having some troubles with his right hand, his initial thoughts were pessimistic ones.
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He said he believed "the world was caving in on me" ... and he wondered out loud how this all happened.
Jayden Daniels led the Washington Commanders to their first postseason win in 6,495 days on Sunday, but he might just be getting started ... so says former team captain and current radio broadcaster London Fletcher, who tells TMZ Sports he truly thinks the QB can go into Detroit and get it done this weekend!!
We spoke with Fletcher following the Commanders' 23-20 win over the Tampa Bay Buccaneers ... and naturally, he sang the No. 2 overall pick's praises for his ability to get the team in the right direction in just his rookie year.
"There's times where they mentioned him with Hall of Famers," Fletcher said. "The Peyton Mannings, the Tom Bradys, the Drew Brees with some of the things that he's accomplished ... and it wasn't them accomplishing these things as rookies, these guys accomplished these things later in their careers."
Frontier Airlines is adamant they were NOT in the wrong when they booted UFC legend Khabib Nurmagomedov off a flight this weekend ... claiming the 29-0 fighter ignored a flight attendant's instructions before takeoff.
But, TMZ Sports just spoke to someone close to Khabib, who says that's simply false.
First, Frontier's side of things. The airline says Khabib -- who was seated in an exit row -- failed to indicate he was willing and able to assist in the event of an emergency.
