Sports

Lionel Messi is heartbroken over his father's death ... admitting he has no idea how to move forward without him -- on and off the pitch.

Jorge Messi -- who also served as Lionel's agent -- passed away in Argentina last weekend after battling an illness ... and the soccer superstar shared a heartfelt goodbye on social media.

"Dad, I still can’t believe you’re gone," Lionel said. "It hasn’t sunk in, or rather, I don’t want it to. It’s very difficult for me to imagine that I won’t see you anymore, that we won’t talk anymore. I know you were suffering and that it’s for the best, but you left too soon. We still had so much to enjoy together."

Cheryl Miller isn't mincing words about Enes Kanter Freedom and Royce White ... and the women's basketball great isn't amused.

TMZ Sports caught up with the Hall of Famer at LAX on Tuesday, and she made it clear she's not wasting any energy on the pair's recent comments about the league.

"I'm not giving them, those two, in particular, a whole lot of thought, because there's outsiders looking to hijack our network," Miller said. "It's horrible energy. It's horrible energy."

There are now two empty seats on the wagon -- 'cause Conor McGregor got wind of Brad Pitt's decision to consume alcohol again ... and said he'll drink to that!!

Notorious -- who opened up on his sobriety leading up to last month's Max Holloway fight -- announced his audible on Tuesday ... saying the "fellow actor" inspired him to have a couple pints of Forged Stout, which he launched in 2020.

McGregor sent his best wishes to Pitt ... while adding the bevvy contains 4.2-percent alcohol.

ESPN’s Matt Miller is facing a criminal charge for the June car wreck that nearly killed him and cost him his left arm.

The 42-year-old draft analyst was hit with a misdemeanor count for failing to drive on the right half of the roadway -- which caused the serious car crash -- in Jasper County, Missouri.

The June 17 crash happened on a state highway near Joplin, MO. Miller was driving a 2023 Ford Bronco ... when it suddenly veered across the center line and smashed into an oncoming semi-truck.

Enes Kanter Freedom declared for the WNBA Draft, and now he says he's started to "transition" ... but it's not what you think.

The longtime hooper, shirtless and looking SHREDDED, posted video of a workout sesh, where the 6'10" center is ripping bicep curls ... alongside a caption and musical selection that'll drive his critics crazy.

"Let 'The Transition' to the @WNBA begin," the 34-year-old wrote. "Rules Are Rules!"

Kanter ended his tweet with "#LetFreedomPlay".

Rashee Rice is finally opening up about his 30-day stretch behind bars -- and the Kansas City Chiefs wideout isn't sugarcoating the impact it's had on him.

Speaking to reporters for the first time since getting out, the star receiver called his jail stint a straight-up "reality check" and a "learning experience" during media availability at training camp on Tuesday.

"A learning experience. A reality check, and don't focus on the past, focus on what's going on right now," the 26-year-old Super Bowl champ said.

Rice was locked up in mid-May after testing positive for THC, a violation of the terms of his probation stemming back to the wild multi-car crash on a Texas highway back in 2024.

An MMA fighter had a "life comes at you fast" moment this week ... when he made his way to the ring with an epic K-Pop dance -- just to get knocked out minutes later.

The equal parts highlight and lowlight came at the RIZIN 54 event at Toyota Center Tokyo in Japan ... with Ryoma "Jolly" Shishimoto grooving to ILLIT's "It's Me" during his walkout.

The clip quickly made rounds on social media -- some folks praised his choreography execution and declared Jolly their "bias" ... while others questioned the over-the-top efforts before a violent showdown.

Former Arizona Cardinals general manager Steve Keim's connection to Mohamed Coulibaly is being revisited after the alleged scam artist's death earlier this month ... but the ex-NFL exec is adamant he's a victim.

As we previously reported, cops found Coulibaly's body in a residential pool in New Jersey after his family called for a welfare check. The matter is currently under investigation.

Prior to his death, Coulibaly was accused of targeting former NFL players for investments in bogus e-commerce businesses ... although he partly denied the allegations made against him.

MLB All-Star Jose Iglesias can't wait to show off a different set of skills in his Broadway debut ... telling TMZ Sports he has no idea what to expect -- but it's an incredible honor!!

Candelita is slated to become the first Latino MLB player to take the Broadway stage in "Buena Vista Social Club" as the Narrator on Aug. 27 ... which should come as no surprise, considering he's been known to be quite the singer off the baseball diamond -- who could forget his Mets anthem, "OMG?!"

We caught up with him ahead of his time in the spotlight ... and he said while he's not giving up on his baseball career just yet, this is a great use of his free time.

DiJonai Carrington is revisiting her recent "white privilege" comment directed at the Indiana Fever ... claiming it wasn't about the flagrant foul she received against Sophie Cunningham that resulted in her ejection.

The Chicago Sky hooper went to X to respond to talking head Emmanuel Acho on Monday ... after he called her out on his "Speakeasy" show for seemingly chalking the foul up to racism.

"It was just very ignorant, and to some degree asinine, by DiJonai Carrington to suggest that that call was based on white privilege," Acho said ... adding she deserved to be ejected for the act.

Sauce Gardner is calling an audible after he says he dropped nearly a million-and-a-half bucks on a real estate deal gone bad in Detroit ... claiming the contractors misled and then ghosted him.

The All-Pro CB, repped by Ben Levine of Gordon Rees Scully Mansukhani, filed a bombshell lawsuit against a Michigan construction company and its CEO, accusing them of luring him into a $935K property deal based on false promises, then refusing to return a massive $500K deposit meant for renovations.

According to the complaint filed on Monday in Wayne County, Gardner and Nicholas Sanborn of Sanborn Construction met on social media in March ... and the conversation soon turned to a historic apartment building that was for sale in the Motor City.

USA Swimming CFO Cory Hilliard found himself in hot water on Monday ... when he was arrested for allegedly misappropriating funds at his old gig.

Hilliard -- who previously worked as an assistant Athletic Director at the University of Colorado Boulder -- was under investigation by the school and local police for alleged fiscal misconduct between 2021 and 2025.

Colorado athletic director Rick George notified the school of the potential wrongdoing in July 2025 ... while Hilliard served as the designated administrator of its Nike Elite program, which is in place to help athletes, coaches and staffers with merchandise.

Enes Kanter Freedom has officially submitted paperwork in hopes of entering the 2027 WNBA Draft ... claiming it's totally in bounds with the league's current rules.

The 34-year-old former NBA big man revealed the signed letter on Monday ... which states, "Please accept this formal document as my official written notification to the Women's National Basketball Association of my voluntary decision to enter the player pool for the 2027 WNBA Draft."

"Consistent with the current league collective bargaining agreement, I am submitting this notice to exercise my draft rights and to affirm that I am at least twenty-two years old and that I have no remaining intercollegiate eligibility, as required by Article XIII, Section 1(b)."

Kansas City Chiefs offensive coordinator Eric Bieniemy is back on the practice field ... just two weeks after his wife was allegedly shot by the couple's son at their family home.

The longtime coach returned to training camp in St. Joseph, Missouri, on Monday, following the tragedy.

Of course, Mia Bieniemy was shot multiple times on July 26 at the couple's home in Virginia. Authorities say their 27-year-old son, Elijah, was the one who pulled the trigger.

Aaron Donald is still Aaron Donald no matter how much Aaron Donald ya get ... so says Shawne Merriman, who tells TMZ Sports even if the All-Pro defensive tackle comes back at 80% -- he's one of the best players in the NFL.

The Los Angeles Rams legend has been flirting with the idea of a return ever since the Myles Garrett trade earlier in the offseason ... and the chatter intensified when he had an official tryout this week.

We asked the Chargers great what he thought of the potential reunion ... and he believes Donald can dominate two years removed from his last snap.

Jake Whisenant -- a climber who holds the record for the fastest time up Yosemite's El Capitan -- has died ... according to a report.

According to the California Post -- which cites the Tulare County Sheriff’s Office Coroner -- Jake passed away on August 3. The circumstances surrounding his death are unknown at the time.

Bailee Moore -- a self-described longtime friend of Jake's -- paid tribute to him on social media ... writing that his loved ones take solace in knowing he was doing what he loved when he passed.