TMZ Sports - Page 50

There are happy birthdays and HAPPY BIRTHDAYS ... and Angel Reese's mom had the latter, thanks to her WNBA star daughter who paid off her house!

The Chicago Sky forward had her mom, Angel, on her Unapologetically Angel podcast on Thursday, and during their mom-to-daughter chat, Reese presented her with a birthday cake.

Then the 22-year-old revealed the real gift.

"You said that if your mortgage was paid off, you would retire," Reese said.

Cavaliers legend Austin Carr made a bold statement while congratulating Cleveland players for making the All-Star team ... ending his post with the hashtag, "Impeach Trump NOW."

Mr. Cavalier shared the head-scratching post on Thursday ... which started off as an innocent shoutout to Darius Garland, Donovan Mitchell and Evan Mobley for getting the high honor.

"Cavs have three all star, congrats, well deserved GO CAVS," the longtime commentator said on X.

Dick Button, America's first Olympic gold medalist in figure skating, is dead, and the legend's passing comes on what was already a dark day for the sport.

Button died Thursday in the Upstate New York town of North Salem ... according to his children, who first confirmed his death in the Washington Post.

Perhaps no one in history's had more of an impact on U.S. figure skating than DB, who first dominated as a competitor in the 1940s and 1950s ... and then became a longtime broadcaster covering the sport around the world.

Jets fans are going to love this ... one of Aaron Glenn's former players tells TMZ Sports New York's new head coach is going to have them winning games in no time!!

Lions star cornerback Amik Robertson raved over Glenn in a sit-down with us this week ... just days after the former Detroit defensive coordinator accepted the gig in the Big Apple.

Robertson told us Glenn was actually the reason he came to the Motor City from the Raiders this past offseason ... and he gushed over the way the 52-year-old allowed him to blossom this year.

The Philadelphia Eagles apparently have a helluva football team AND hearts of gold ... 'cause they just revealed they're gifting Super Bowl tickets to a New Orleans terror attack survivor.

The team -- which will face Kansas City in the Big Game on Feb. 9 -- surprised the man, Ryan Quigley, with the sweet present this week at their NovaCare Complex.

Quigley -- a college football player and huge Eagles fan -- suffered a broken leg and back, among other injuries, when a terrorist sped a truck through crowds on Bourbon Street on New Year's Day. His best friend, Tiger Bech, was tragically killed during the incident.

Youth ice dance partners Angela Yang and Sean Kay had careers on the rise before they perished in the Washington, D.C. plane crash last night ... video footage of their breathtaking, last routine shows.

Check it out ... Angela and Sean hit the ice for the 2025 Midwestern Sectional U.S. Ice Dance Final 2 months before Wednesday's tragedy, where the youth skaters performed an up-tempo routine featuring a number of impressive spins, jumps, steps, and turns.

Judges were mesmerized by the young talent, as Angela and Sean walked away with first-place medals in the competition.

Gilbert Arenas' son, Alijah, a five-star high school basketball recruit, has officially decided on his future ... announcing his commitment to the USC Trojans!!

The 6'6" guard revealed his choice on Thursday during his dad's "Gil's Arena" podcast ... by calling his future coach, Eric Musselman, to let him know he's joining the program.

Alijah then removed his jacket to show off his new Trojans jersey ... solidifying his spot as Coach Musselman's highest-ranked recruit at USC.

Super Bowl Sunday’s shaping up to be a touchdown for Ben Affleck -- 'cause looks like he’s back in the game with The DunKings!

Peep these pics of Ben in L.A. Wednesday, pulling up with a Dunkin’ "DunKings" tracksuit in hand, and later slipping it on -- basically doing everything but officially confirming he's back for another sweet campaign.

To keep the Dunkin' love flowing, Ben had his go-to cup of the good stuff in hand -- and with a sweet $10-mil paycheck last year, it’s no surprise he seems all-in for another commercial.

Jake and Logan Paul are not fighting ... in fact, they're actually teaming up -- with the two internet superstars announcing the launch of their own reality TV show.

The WWE Superstar and boxer admitted they weren't prepping to face off in the boxing ring during an Instagram Live on Thursday ... saying what they really got in the works is something better.

The two revealed "Paul American" will hit Max streaming on March 27 ... and will give fans a new look at what their lives are really like.

Detroit Lions cornerback Amik Robertson says the good, the bad and the ugly of college recruiting is finally coming to light ... and it's all thanks to a new project focusing on what young athletes deal with during a crucial time in their careers.

Robertson makes an appearance in the "Blue Chippers: Next Man Up" sports documentary by Derek and Preston Dark ... which dives into the challenges several Louisiana high school football players face as they plan their college futures.

While the process can seem like a dream to students, Derek explained he wanted to show the truth of it all.

Nancy Kerrigan was unable to contain her emotions while speaking about the tragic American Airlines crash that claimed the lives of nearly 70 people, including a contingency of U.S. ice skaters who just wrapped up a big competition in the Midwest.

The U.S. ice skating legend spoke Thursday during a press event at the Skating Club of Boston -- where some of the late skaters trained -- and Kerrigan was clearly heartbroken.

"We’ve been through tragedies before as Americans, as people, and we are strong," Nancy said. "I guess it’s how we respond to it, and my response is to be with people I care about and love, and I needed support."

12:30 PM PT -- Mitchell's boss, UFC honcho Dana White, unloaded on his comments at a Power Slap press conference just now ... in which he labeled the fighter "probably one of the dumbest human beings."

"We've obviously reached out to Bryce and when we read what he said and let him know what we feel about it, we are beyond disgusted," White said.

He went on to say Mitchell apologized ... but when asked about a potential punishment, White said it's free speech.

"That's the beautiful thing about this business," he continued. "For all of you who hate Bryce Mitchell, you get to see him hopefully get his ass whooped on global television."

UFC fighter Bryce Mitchell complimented Hitler and denied the Holocaust in a wildly offensive podcast episode, saying the former Nazi leader simply attempted to "purify" Germany from the "greedy Jews."

NFL kicker Justin Tucker is calling BS on allegations he was sexually inappropriate with massage therapists ... insisting the claims made against him this month are not true.

The Baltimore Banner reported Thursday that six masseuses at four different spas in the Baltimore-area have accused Tucker of misbehaving during massage sessions that happened between 2012 and 2016.

Tucker's accusers alleged the Ravens star would come in for therapy and at points during their work, he'd intentionally and repeatedly expose his genitals. They also claimed the 35-year-old, whose first season with Baltimore came in 2012, left ejaculate on their equipment following some treatments.

LiAngelo Ball just dropped the visuals for his hit single, "Tweaker" ... and his NBA brothers, LaMelo and Lonzo, got in on the fun!!

The video was released on Thursday ... just weeks after the rap song premiered on the internet and quickly gained popularity.

The video starts with a nod to LiAngelo's basketball dreams ... before shifting to a shot of him joyriding in a Hummer with Melo and Zo.

Feeling burned out this week? Well celebs love chowin' down on croissants, and these flaky photos are bound to boost your dough-pamine levels ... Enjoy!

Rising to the occasion ... stars like Shaun White and Nicky Hilton couldn't have been happier to get their hands on some croissants and Katy Perry kneaded not one but two hands to eat her ginormous tasty treat!

Selena Gomez and her lil' sister Gracie Teefey were on a roll in France ... The siblings snapped this sweet savory shot before they nibbled on their precious pastry.

NBA star Terry Rozier is under the microscope as the feds dig deeper into the illegal betting scheme that resulted in Jontay Porter's lifetime ban from the league ... with investigators looking into eyebrow-raising wagers made on the Heat guard when he was a member of the Hornets in 2023.

Officials believe some of the gamblers involved in Porter's rigged performances last season also had inside information on Rozier's status for his March 23, 2023 matchup against the New Orleans Pelicans ... and put up huge amounts against his point and rebound totals, according to the Wall Street Journal.

The betting activity was actually flagged at the time ... and Rozier-related options were promptly pulled from sportsbooks.