TMZ Sports - Page 6

Victor Wembanyama played in Tuesday's NBA Cup Final against the New York Knicks with a heavy heart ... the San Antonio Spurs superstar learned of his grandma's death just hours before tip-off, with the big man fighting back tears after the game.

Wembanyama was meeting with the media after the 124-113 loss to the Knicks, when the 7'4" center got visibly emotional at the podium, pausing to gather himself before apologizing to those in the room.

"Sorry," Wembanyama said. "I lost somebody today."

Browns legend Joe Thomas has high hopes for Shedeur Sanders in Cleveland ... telling TMZ Sports if the rookie puts together three good performances to end the season, the Orange and Brown just might have their next franchise quarterback on their hands.

We caught up with the Hall of Famer this week ... and with Cleveland currently sitting at 3-11, there weren't too many positives to discuss about his former team's 2025 campaign.

Of course, the Browns' crowded QB room has been a hot topic throughout the season ... and with Joe Flacco out of the picture, Thomas said Dillon Gabriel proved he's not franchise QB material in his six games as a starter.

Cleveland Browns linebacker Devin Bush was found not guilty of simple assault and harassment charges on Tuesday ... according to court records.

Bush’s attorney -- Robert Del Greco Jr. -- tells TMZ Sports that the administrative judge overseeing the non-jury trial, Bruce Beemer, found the 27-year-old not guilty following his arrest in May 2025 after he was accused of smashing his girlfriend’s phone.

“The testimony elicited at trial indicated that the putative victim of the domestic violence was electronically and surreptitiously intercepting the oral communications of Devin Bush,” Del Greco said. “When Mr. Bush learned of this interception, he voiced his objection, but the interception continued.”

Another year, another successful “Shaq-A-Claus” event for Shaquille O’Neal ... but the NBA legend says it’s his mission to make the annual shindig even bigger, telling TMZ Sports he wants to have a 50-state “Shaq-A-Thon” in the future!

The Hall of Famer chopped it up with Courtney and Babcock on "TMZ Live" from Georgia, where they were treating hundreds of kids to a boat-load of free toys and experiences for the holidays.

The No. 1 pound-for-pound boxer in the world is hanging up his gloves -- Terence Crawford just announced his retirement from the sport.

38-year-old Bud shared the news on his Instagram on Tuesday ... saying, "Walking away as a great with nothing else left to prove. #CrawfordERA."

Crawford ends his career with a perfect 42-0 record ... capping it off with a massive win over Canelo Alvarez in September after moving up in weight to secure his third undisputed championship. 41 million people watched the epic showdown and unanimous decision victory on Netflix.

Another day, another pro athlete falling victim to a burglary ... and this time it’s WNBA star Sabrina Ionescu, whose L.A. home was hit Monday night, TMZ Sports has confirmed.

The LAPD tells us they responded to Ionescu’s home in the Los Angeles area around 8 PM for a burglary investigation, after two suspects used an unknown tool to smash the glass of the rear door of the property, according to investigators.

The thieves then made entry, “ransacked the location and took the victim’s property.” They ultimately fled in a vehicle in an unknown direction.

Wiiiild scene in Thailand ... a pro soccer player attacked a retired U.S. cop and a bar employee after he allegedly tried to skip out on his tab, and boy was he handed some instant karma!

The chaos was caught on video ... showing Osvaldo Dos Santos Neto leaving the Tinder Bar in Udon Thani early Monday morning.

All appeared normal until the bar crew followed Neto out, accusing him of walking out on his 5,100-baht bill (about $162 USD), and that's where things got wild.

Mick Foley says he's had enough of WWE's cozy relationship with Donald Trump -- POTUS' comments on Rob Reiner's death were the last straw -- and now the wrestling legend says he's done with the world's most famous wrestling promotion.

The Hall of Fame wrestler hit up his Instagram page on Tuesday, where he made the announcement, saying ... "Reading the President’s incredibly cruel comments in the wake of Rob Reiner’s death is the final straw for me."

"I no longer wish to represent a company that coddles a man so seemingly void of compassion as he marches our country towards autocracy. Last night, I informed @WWE talent relations that I would not be making any appearances for the company as long as this man remains in office."

Sherrone Moore's affair with a Michigan Wolverines staff member, combined with his arrest, has left his former football players feeling "betrayed" ... so says Moore's replacement.

Biff Poggi, the Wolverines' interim coach, shared his thoughts on the matter on Monday as the team prepares for the Cheez-It Citrus Bowl against the No. 13 Texas Longhorns on December 31.

"It has been a tumultuous time," Poogi said.

Travis Kelce's NFL career could very well be over after this season ... and his brother, Jason, is opening up on what advice he's giving the Kansas City Chiefs superstar as he weighs his options.

The speculation has intensified after Patrick Mahomes went down with a season-ending ACL injury that'll keep him out of at least part of the 2026 campaign.

Many are wondering if the 36-year-old will want to put up with the headaches that come with a potential reload/rebuild in K.C. ... and when Jason -- who made his own decision to retire in 2024 -- was asked about the topic ahead of "Monday Night Football," he explained his stance.

Hulk Hogan's death came as a shock to the world ... and to our newsroom, where we were shooting one of our TV shows when the Sports Department learned the news. We later learned the WWE star died from a heart attack.

We dove more deeply into Hulk's life and death in our documentary "TMZ Presents: The Real Hulk Hogan" ... available to stream on Hulu.

Diddy dodged a bullet when he was found not guilty of sex trafficking and racketeering ... charges that could've landed him a life sentence in federal prison.

The music mogul's still doing time for his two Mann Act convictions ... but, check out this clip of our newsroom as the decision was announced -- complete and utter shock!

We were also live-streaming when Diddy received 50 months in federal prison ... even though it seemed like Judge Arun Subramanian might give him a whole lot more time behind bars.

Chrisean Rock might be reconsidering becoming a pro boxer, 'cause she just learned what it was like to get hit in the face by one of the world's best fighters -- when Ryan Garcia accidentally rocked her during a sparring session!!

Yes, the welterweight boxer sparred with Chrisean during his Kick stream on Monday ... and his natural instincts kicked in at one point in the friendly session.

At first, Garcia (24-2) was letting Chrisean throw all her punches, but when he tossed a quick one back, it landed -- leaving Chrisean in shock.

Henry Ruggs isn't just lounging around waiting for his release from prison ... the former Raiders star, who pleaded guilty to felony DUI, graduated from the University of Alabama, earning his Bachelor's degree behind bars.

Eagle-eyed viewers spotted Ruggs' name under the Bachelor of Science in Commerce and Business Administration in the Tides fall commencement ceremony. NFL Insider Jordan Schultz reported that the 26-year-old finished the semester with a 4.0 GPA.

It's a nice achievement for the 12th overall pick in the 2020 NFL Draft ... who was sentenced to three-to-ten years in prison for causing the fatal crash in Sin City in August 2023.

Cardi B and Stefon Diggs drew a massive crowd for the Patriots receiver's holiday event at Gillette Stadium ... with the rapper going all-out in support of her man -- even doing some yoga poses in the process!!

The NFL star held a "Wellness Wonderland" women's function on Monday ... explaining, "I want to take some time to appreciate some hardworking women in the world and their little ones."

That included Cardi -- his girlfriend and the mother of his son -- who got directly involved by joining Diggs on the mats for the event's yoga session.

Shohei Ohtani put up arguably the greatest single-game performance in baseball history to send the Dodgers to the World Series ... and now a one-of-a-kind baseball from the historic game is hitting the auction block!

Ken Goldin -- from Goldin -- swung by the TMZ offices on Monday with one of the coolest (and perhaps most valuable) pieces of sports memorabilia, the baseball Ohtani mashed in the seventh inning, his third home run of the game!

Tanya Brown -- whose sister, Nicole Brown, was slain in 1994 -- opened up to TMZ about the eerie similarities between Rob and Michele Reiner's killings and the brutal murder of her sister, which sparked the infamous O.J. Simpson murder trial.

Tanya tells TMZ ... she saw the words "murder in Brentwood" posted on social media Sunday night, which understandably conjured up old, terrible memories.

As we reported ... Rob and his wife were found Sunday with their throats slit inside their Brentwood, California home.

Tanya said, "The story is very triggering -- beyond triggering. I’ve shed a lot of tears ... it’s very personal to me."