TMZ Sports - Page 28

LaMelo Ball's middle finger cost him a Honda Civic -- the NBA just fined him $35,000 for flipping off a referee during the Hornets vs. Heat game this week.

The league announced the punishment on Thursday ... days after the Charlotte star made an "obscene gesture" during the showdown at Kaseya Center in Miami.

It occurred in the last minutes of the matchup, when Ball expressed his frustrations after he was called for an offensive foul. He received a technical foul for his actions.

Paul Pierce has apparently gotten a driver in the wake of his recent DUI arrest ... as the NBA legend was seen getting a lift home from a party on Wednesday night.

Just eight days after he was charged with misdemeanor driving under the influence of alcohol ... Pierce was seen out in Beverly Hills taking the safe way home from a Halloween-themed event.

Paps caught the former Celtics star -- who was rockin' a curly wig, big chains and a zebra-print, purple jacket -- hopping into the backseat of an SUV ... after he seemed to have a good night with friends.

Kid Rock seems to have no issue hurling the R-word on national television ... but the Special Olympics says he should think twice -- writing an open letter to him explaining the harm caused by using that word.

ICYMI ... Kid Rock appeared on "Jesse Watters Primetime" on Fox News last Friday -- and used the slur while telling Watters what he plans to be for Halloween.

Now ... in an open letter, Special Olympics Chief Inspiration Officer Loretta Claiborne is calling him out, urging him to take accountability. She says, "I’m writing to you personally with an urgent request: please acknowledge the hurt caused and use this moment to stand with us in rejecting that word and the prejudice it represents."

Jaylen Brown's hair -- or perhaps lack thereof -- is the talk of the NBA right now ... and even the Boston Celtics broadcast team got in on the jokes with a mid-game jab on Wednesday.

Brown bald balled out against the Cavs with a 30-point performance ... and after one highlight in the second quarter, play-by-play guy Drew Carter made reference to the speculation he got caught painting his hairline.

"Brown, the spin and the deuce ... went flying to the basket like he'll be flying to Turkey at some point this season," Carter said.

Jim Irsay's family has announced its plans to auction off the "majority" of the late owner's memorabilia collection in 2026 ... featuring countless items that would make most museums jealous.

The Irsay family told a local outlet Thursday the "decision was not made lightly, but with deep reflection and love for the legacy he built."

"Our dad was a passionate collector, driven not by possession, but by a profound appreciation for the beauty, history and cultural resonance of the items he curated. From iconic instruments to handwritten lyrics by legends to rare historical artifacts and documents, each piece in the collection tells a story – and he was always so excited to share those stories with the world."

Megan Thee Stallion and Klay Thompson might've taken a major step in their relationship -- the popular couple appears to now be living together after the rapper's latest social media post.

Meg shared a photo dump on her IG on Wednesday ... giving her 32+ million followers a glimpse of her life lately.

The first pic has everyone talking ... as it features two hands coming together to form a heart with a set of keys -- and many believe one of the mitts belongs to Thompson.

A Pittsburgh radio host now has some new hardware on his nipples ... and it's all because the Steelers let him down in a game earlier this month.

Andrew Fillipponi -- a 93.7 "The Fan" personality -- was so confident Pittsburgh would get a dub against Cincinnati back on Oct. 16 ... he actually made a big bet with his followers.

The deal was if the Steelers dropped the "Thursday Night Football" tilt to the Joe Flacco-led Bengals, he'd get a pair of rods driven through his areolas.

Sydney Sweeney showed off her best assets at the celebrity-studded Variety's Power of Women event in Los Angeles Wednesday night -- giving new meaning to the word 'Boobiliscious'!

The actress blew into the Beverly Hills Hotel wearing a sparkling sheer silver gown that gave everyone an unobstructed view of her chest, as well as her shapely body.

Sydney dazzled as she posed for paparazzi pics along with a bevy of other stars who took a more conservative approach in the way they dressed, yet they all looked spectacular. The list  included Kate Hudson, Wanda Sykes, Sharon Stone, Nicole Scherzinger, Jamie Lee Curtis, Eva Longoria, Jenna Dewan, and Karrueche Tran.

Drake didn't show much mercy after his Blue Jays took control of the World Series with a big victory on Wednesday night ... as he trolled Shohei Ohtani and the Dodgers with a pair of gloating social media posts.

The "Nice For What" spitter took to his Instagram page just minutes after Toronto beat L.A., 6-1, at Dodger Stadium ... and he bragged about his favorite MLB team going up 3-2 in the championship series.

In one IG Story post, he shared an image of Ohtani in a sweater vest with the caption, "ONE MORE!!!!!!!" In a second, he threw up a snap of Trey Yesavage striking out L.A.'s best player.

Hollywood stars showed out in droves to support their hometown team in the World Series ... packing Dodger Stadium to cheer on the Blue Crew as they faced off against the Toronto Blue Jays in a thrilling Game 5.

Leonardo DiCaprio was spotted on the broadcast ... keeping it low-key in an all-black outfit and a fresh pair of shades.

"Call Her Daddy" host Alex Cooper made her first World Series appearance -- joining fellow celebs Charlize Theron and Ellen Pompeo in the stands.

Two of Nick Mangold's old Jets teammates are urging voters to put the ex-center into the Hall of Fame following his tragic death.

Santonio Holmes and Leon Washington -- who both shared the gridiron with Mangold for several years in New York -- told TMZ Sports on Wednesday the former offensive lineman is as deserving as anyone when it comes to busts in Canton.

In fact, Holmes said Mangold should be in "without a doubt" -- while Washington added there's "no question."

Cam Newton is speaking out on his shocking altercation with Alabama A&M's mascot last week ... insisting the whole thing was not as serious as it looked.

The moment happened at Legion Field in Birmingham on Oct. 24 ... as Newton and the ESPN "First Take" crew were enjoying football festivities before the Alabama State and Alabama A&M game. After the mascots from each school took part in a 40-yard dash, A&M's Butch got into a shoving match with Cam, who responded with a hard shot to the face.

The moment aired live and sent everyone into a frenzy ... with even Birmingham Mayor Randall Woodfin thinking it was a real fight. Well, Newton says it was far from it.

Flau'Jae Johnson's made a name for herself by showing off her chops on the basketball court -- and in the recording studio!

The athlete's been able to carve out spaces in both the sports world and music industry, and she's built up a pretty sizable public profile as a result.

We're going to take a look into the basketball player's background ... and see how her comments about a certain political activist landed her in hot water.

TMZ Sports is going live from the newsroom to discuss the day's biggest stories ... but we don't just want folks to watch and enjoy the conversation, we want y'all to get involved!!

Hit the comment section as Babcock, Lucas, Mojo, Edward and the whole crew break down the most important topics of the day ... and we'll be interacting with viewers throughout the program between 1 and 2 PM PT.

So tune in, make fun of us, share your two cents, sound off about your favorite team ... nothing is out of bounds.

IShowSpeed can do a lot of things ... but beating Joey Chestnut in a hot dog eating contest is not one of them -- 'cause the current Mustard Belt holder absolutely smoked the YouTuber in a one-on-one match!

The streaming superstar took on the 2025 Nathan's Hot Dog champion as part of his "Speed Goes Pro" YouTube series -- a project produced by OBB Pictures in partnership with DICK'S Sporting Goods.

Before any wieners were devoured, Speed attempted to get an advantage by winning a series of mini challenges inspired by some of Chestnut's personal records, including pizza, chicken wings, and hard-boiled eggs.

Megan Thee Stallion and GloRilla enjoyed a "Hot Girl Summer" last year through a joint tour, but it looks like "Winter is coming" ... because Glo just co-signed a very nasty social media post about Megan!!!

X user @gymratgyal successfully instigated GloRilla's internal emotions when she fired off the message, "We all know she started being bitter after she was outsold by glorilla lmfaoooo" -- and GloRilla liked the post!!!

Gymratgyal saved the receipts and Glo's reaction highlighted a deeper rift between her and Megan's camps ... their stylists are also getting snippy!!!