Le'Veon Bell Gunning For World Title In Boxing ... 'I Want To Be The Best!'

CHOMPIN' AT THE BIT
TMZSports.com

Le'Veon Bell hasn't fought in a year, but the former NFL superstar has been in the lab ... and with a big fight scheduled for next month, the 3x Pro Bowler says he's pumped to show he's an "elite" boxer!

32-year-old Bell joined Michael Babcock on the "TMZ Sports" TV show (airs nightly on FS1) ... and previewed next month's scrap against influencer/boxer Tristan Hamm (1-0, 1 KO) in Houston, Texas, and Le'Veon's ready to rock.

"He's just the opponent they put in front me," the former running back said, adding, "I gotta go out here showcase my skills on this opponent."

O.J. Simpson Cause Of Death Revealed

O.J. Simpson's official cause of death has been revealed ... one of the most infamous, high-profile Americans of all time died from prostate cancer, TMZ has learned.

Malcolm LaVergne, Simpson's longtime attorney and the executor of his estate, tells us he has received the death certificate for the disgraced former football superstar and actor, confirming our report that O.J. succumbed to cancer.

76-year-old Simpson died on April 10 after spending several months in hospice.

Olin Kreutz, Bears Great Could Be Most Talented Offense In Team History W/ Caleb Williams & Odunze

EXCITING TIMES
TMZSports.com

Walter Payton, Mike Ditka, and Gale Sayers all suited up for the Chicago Bears, but offensively, the 2024 roster may be the most loaded in the legendary franchise's history, according to former Bears star lineman, 6x Pro Bowler Olin Kreutz.

TMZ Sports talked to Kreutz -- who anchored the Bears' offensive line for 13 seasons (from 1998 to 2010) -- Friday morning after the squad made two big splashes during round one of the NFL Draft, selecting Caleb Williams with the first overall pick, and stud wide receiver Rome Odunze with the 9th pick. We asked the Bears great for his reaction to the picks.

"For the Chicago Bears now, I mean, talent-wise, maybe the most talent that they've ever had on the offensive side of the ball if Caleb Williams turns out to be who people think he can be."

O.J. Simpson Causa de muerte revelada

La causa oficial de muerte de O.J. Simpson, uno de los estadounidenses más infames de todos los tiempos, ha sido revelada: murió de cáncer de próstata, según ha averiguado TMZ.

Malcolm Lavergne, abogado de Simpson desde hace mucho tiempo y albacea de su patrimonio, nos dice que recibió el certificado de defunción de la deshonrada ex superestrella de fútbol y actor, lo que confirma nuestro informe de que O.J. sucumbió al cáncer.

Simpson, de 76 años, falleció el 10 de abril tras pasar varios meses en un centro de cuidados paliativos.

Taylor Swift I Approve Chiefs' Draft Pick!!! ... 'Likes' IG Post Welcoming Rookie Xavier Worthy

The Kansas City Chiefs can breathe a big sigh of relief after night one of the NFL Draft ... 'cause their decision to select Texas receiver Xavier Worthy in the first round got Taylor Swift's stamp of approval!!

The back-to-back Super Bowl champs picked the speedy wideout 28th overall on Thursday ... adding yet another weapon to their already-stacked offense.

The "Fortnight" singer was apparently keeping a close eye on her boyfriend Travis Kelce's team's moves on draft night ... 'cause when the Chiefs shared a video of Worthy celebrating hearing his name called, Swift hit the "like" button on the Instagram post.

Caleb Williams Breaks Caitlin Clark's Record ... Most Draft Night Merch Sold Across Sports

Caitlin Clark is known to break records, but Caleb Williams is showing her what it's like to be on the other side of history ... with the Chicago Bears quarterback becoming the top-selling draft pick across sports -- just one week after the Indiana Fever superstar earned the title herself.

The former USC Trojans signal-caller was the first prospect to have his name called at Thursday night's draft in Detroit ... and shortly after the selection was made official, Bears fans rushed to cop merch in support of their new face of the franchise.

Fanatics -- the official online retailer for the NFL -- confirmed to TMZ Sports there were an insane amount of orders for Williams apparel ... more than any rookie on draft night across any professional sport.

Korey Cunningham Former Giants Player Dead At 28 ... Found In NJ Home

Former Giants offensive tackle Korey Cunningham -- who also played for the Cardinals and Patriots -- was found dead in a New Jersey home on Thursday. He was only 28.

The NYG confirmed the passing on Friday, the morning after the first round of the NFL Draft, saying they're heartbroken over the death of their former player.

"We are saddened to hear of the passing of Korey Cunningham," the G-Men said in a statement.

KIM ZOLCIAK FIRES BACK AT 'RIP' KROY POST CRITICISM ... 'Tired of All the BS!!!'

Kim Zolciak's over all the lies and accusations following her clickbait "RIP" post ... saying it wasn't about her estranged hubby Kroy Biermann dying, but actually about the death of their relationship.

The 'RHOA' star kept the drama train chugging ... sharing another B&W IG post with Kroy, and venting in the caption, "EVERY DAY it's always something new. I'm tired of so much BS being thrown my way. So you want to know 'what died?' Here's the truth..."

Waiting for your permission to load the Instagram Media.

Kim urged everyone to hit up the link in her bio, which redirected to a site that's clearly paying her for clicks, where users read her defense ... "I used a picture of BOTH of us and said #RIP — and, frankly, the end of my relationship was like a death of sorts so #RIP to that."

Travis Kelce 'Boys' Slid Out During Podcast ... Says Andrew Santino

MODERN PROBLEMS, MODERN SOLUTIONS
New Heights / Wave Sports + Entertainment

Travis Kelce quite literally went balls-out in an interview with comedian Andrew Santino a few years back ... 'cause as it turns out, the NFL superstar continuously suffered a wardrobe malfunction throughout the podcast!!

The "Dave" actor revisited the hilarious 2019 mishap in the latest episode of the Kelce Bros' "New Heights" show this week ... explaining how the Kansas City Chiefs tight end's "boys" made a few guest appearances as they chopped it up about life, sports and other topics.

Taylor Swift's boyfriend rocked some yellow basketball shorts for the occasion ... but admittedly, he "didn't have my Tommy Johns on" that day.

USC's Caleb Williams Drafted To Da Bears With No. 1 Pick!!!

The wait is finally over for Caleb Williams -- the former USC superstar is officially a Chicago Bear ... as the quarterback was just selected with the No. 1 overall pick in the 2024 NFL Draft!!

The 22-year-old was the first to hear his name called in Detroit Thursday night ... which shouldn't really surprise anyone, as he was expected to be a top pick as soon as he declared for the pros.

Despite it not being a big secret, it's an exciting time for the franchise ... and it will now be able to build around its QB1 for years to come.

NFL 2024 Draft Day Drip In Detroit

It's the most fashionable day of the NFL season -- the 2024 Draft is about to go down in Detroit ... and all the top prospects are dressed to the nines.

USC superstar Caleb Williams -- the expected first overall pick -- went with a navy, double-breasted zip-up Chrome Hearts suit ... customized to match his girlfriend's stunning dress.

ARRIVING IN STYLE
Courtesy of NFL

LSU's Malik Nabers went with a classic, dark double-breasted suit with images of his college highlights in the inner lining ... but it was his "LEEK" chain that had everybody talking, as it's decked out in over 30 carats of rare diamonds and over 200 grams of gold.

Ex-Giants Star Aaron Ross I Like Daniel Jones ... But I'm Not Opposed To J.J. McCarthy

Giants Draft Options
TMZSports.com

If the Giants select J.J. McCarthy in Thursday night's NFL draft, Aaron Ross won't be mad -- the former NY star tells TMZ Sports even though he likes Daniel Jones, he could see J.J. thriving in the Big Apple.

The G-men have pick No. 6 ... and with Jones locked into a lucrative contract, most believed they'd use the selection on a wide receiver. But, recently, there's been a lot of chatter that the team might actually choose McCarthy -- if he's available.

SPENDING TIME WITH THE GIANTS
The Rich Eisen Show

When we spoke to Ross hours before the league kicked off its annual selection show -- he said after mulling the question over for a few seconds he's "not opposed to it."

Reggie Bush Gronk Gets Credit For Heisman Return ... Met My Lawyer At Gronk Beach Pool Party!

POOL PARTIES MATTER
X / @AttorneyCrump

Reggie Bush might not have his Heisman Trophy back today if not for a chance meeting at Rob Gronkowski's Super Bowl pool party ... where the USC star ran into his attorney Levi McCathern, who fought like hell and got the prestigious award back to its rightful owner!!

Bush, along with McCathern and Ben Crump, (and THE HEISMAN!!), met with the media on Thursday at The Coliseum in Los Angeles ... where they broke their silence on the return of the trophy.

The 2005 Heisman Trophy winner said he's especially thankful to be reunited with his trophy because he never cheated the game ... actually quite the opposite -- he put more than 100% into becoming the best player possible so he could help the Trojans compete for a national championship.

Michael Penix Jr. I 'Should Be' Top-10 Draft Pick ... But Not Sweating It!!!

READY FOR THE DRAFT
TMZSports.com

Michael Penix Jr. feels like he "should be" taken in the top 10 of Thursday night's NFL draft ... but he won't be crushed if he's not -- telling TMZ Sports he's going to make the most of whatever situation he's put in.

The former Washington Huskies star was cool as a cucumber some 24 hours before the NFL kicked off its annual selection process -- not sweating the draft one bit.

However, when the topic of being one of the first 10 players taken in the annual event came up ... he did say he believes he belongs in that group.

Jake Plummer Herbert Will Shine Under Harbaugh ... Expecting Huge Growth

Haven't Seen The Best Of Him
TMZSports.com

Fantasy Football nerds, listen up ... Jake Plummer says he's expecting a monster year from Justin Herbert -- telling TMZ Sports he thinks Jim Harbaugh will get the very best out of the Chargers star.

Plummer played in the NFL at the same time as Harbaugh in the late 1990s -- and it's clear as day he grew a ton of respect for the Bolts' head man. So much so, he believes Herbert's game will soar to new heights under his tutelage.

The former Arizona State star quarterback says because Harbaugh wasn't the most athletic signal-caller, he grew a massive football IQ ... and he anticipates that being passed on easily to Herbert.

Tim Brown NCAA Should Revisit Sanctions ... After Reggie Bush Heisman Decision

GOTTA MAKE THIS RIGHT
TMZSports.com

Now that Reggie Bush's Heisman is back where it belongs, Tim Brown thinks it's time for the NCAA to correct some of its wrongs ... saying he wants the org. to look into its past punishments and consider reversing them too.

Brown joined Harvey and Charles on "TMZ Live" on Wednesday to gloat about the Heisman Trust's decision to give its trophy back to Bush ... and then he said the NCAA should attempt to perform similar actions.

Specifically, the former Notre Dame star wide receiver said the organization should contemplate lifting bans for anyone who was thrown under the bus in the past for things that are now legal.

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