TMZ Sports - Page 23

Marc Johnson -- a professional skateboarder -- has died ... according to his longtime colleague.

Skateboarder Louie Barletta confirmed Johnson's passing on Thrasher Magazine's Instagram. Johnson's cause of death is not known at this time.

Johnson achieved success during the 2000s ... with Thrasher Magazine naming him its Skateboarder of the Year in 2007.

Pedro Martínez doesn't know if Wander Franco will ever play Major League Baseball again, but he hopes society will give the All-Star shortstop a chance to redeem himself.

"I don't really know if he would. I'm hoping that he can actually reestablish himself, not only spiritually, but mentally. As humans, we all deserve an opportunity to redo ourselves," the Red Sox legend told TMZ Sports at the Sports Emmys when we asked him if he believed Franco would again play in the big leagues.

Franco, 25, was found criminally responsible for sexually abusing a 14-year-old girl, but was spared prison after a judge ruled he was also the victim of extortion and blackmail at the hands of the minor's mother.

There's been a lot of hubbub about Taylor Swift accompanying Travis Kelce to the Cleveland Cavaliers' playoff game against the New York Knicks ... but the NFL great is making it clear he's not forcing his fiancée to like his crappy teams.

The engaged couple turned heads when they took courtside seats for the Cavs' Game 3 loss to the Eastern Conference Champions over the weekend ... especially when, historically, it seemed like Swift's allegiances aligned with the Knicks.

Kelce addressed the chatter on Wednesday's "New Heights" podcast ... and he insisted he's not influencing Swift's sports decisions.

Adam Sandler's love of the game comes first ... ditching formal wear to show a little team spirit on the red carpet for his wife's new movie.

The actor and comedian posed for pics with his better half, Jackie Sandler, at The Egyptian Theater in Hollywood on Tuesday for the world premiere of Netflix's new rom-com, "Office Romance," starring Jennifer Lopez and Brett Goldstein.

While Jackie -- who plays Caroline in the flick -- dressed to the nines in a casual-chic black ensemble, Adam pulled up in a bright orange Knicks hoodie and blue sweats ... not the average celeb's go-to red carpet look -- but par for the course for the "Happy Gilmore" star.

9:53 AM PT -- Kendrick Perkins hopped on "The Pat McAfee Show" to share more of his story ... claiming one of the kids on his team was "body-slammed" by an alleged "7'0", 400-pound" player after the game -- and he confronted the opposing team's coach over it.

Perk said he was met with disrespect ... and that's when he got pissed.

He said he has to protect every player on his team ... and especially when their parents aren't around, they're his responsibility.

Ultimately, cooler heads prevailed ... and he said both sides dapped it up and apologized to each other.

7:41 AM PT -- Kendrick Perkins went to social media to address the video ... saying, "Damn right and it probably won’t be the last time!"

"I’m going to protect every single kid in my organization like they’re my own."

Ex-NBA player Kendrick Perkins found himself in the middle of the action at his son's AAU game over the weekend ... when he lunged at the opposition in a heated altercation -- but his side says he was simply defending his players.

President Donald Trump's a New Yorker first and foremost ... so of course he's considering playing hooky from the White House to watch his beloved Knicks.

According to the New York Times -- POTUS is seriously considering showing up to Madison Square Garden to cheer on the squad during the NBA finals sometime next week.

The outlet reports President Trump planned to hit up MSG Wednesday for Game 5 of the Eastern Conference Finals if the Cleveland Cavaliers had pulled off a win Monday against New York in Game 4 ... but they fell way short -- losing 130-93.

The most luxurious sport in the world just took it to another level -- Gucci will be the title sponsor for the Alpine F1 team starting in 2027.

The Italian fashion house and racing organization shared details on the partnership on Wednesday ... saying as of next year, it will be known as the "Gucci Racing Alpine Formula One Team."

Gucci Racing says it will be all about "performance, precision, discipline, and excellence at the intersection of luxury and sport."

8:16 AM PT -- Travis Kelce spoke about his new business move on the latest episode of his "New Heights" podcast ... calling it a dream come true to cement himself in Cleveland culture.

But the first order of business?? Making up for the terrible first pitch he threw back in 2023.

Yeah ... we'd do the same.

Travis Kelce has been making huge headlines with his upcoming wedding to Taylor Swift ... but the NFL star is now making an even bigger splash with his wallet, that is ... investing his own money in the Cleveland Guardians, according to a new report.

The Kansas City Chiefs tight end told ESPN that he just became a minority investor in the Guardians ownership group, buying a stake in the Major League Baseball team that he used to watch growing up as a child.

Kelce told the network that he has so much love for his hometown of Cleveland, Ohio, where he says he learned his values and work ethic. He said spending his formative years in the "diverse and dynamic" city made him the man he is today and fueled his deep appreciation for the place.

Fat Joe was in the building to watch the Knicks sweep the Cavaliers, but he wasn't courtside after the home team put the kabosh on the rapper's plans ... but fresh off the victory, Joe Crack is telling TMZ Sports exactly what went down behind the scenes!

"I bought courtside tickets to Cleveland. We flew in, and they found out it was Fat Joe early afternoon and they were like, 'Yo, you're dead on the tickets,'" Joe told us Tuesday afternoon in New York City.

He then turned to buddy off camera and asked ... "I wonder, did we even get the money back from the tickets? We might've gotten robbed for the money."

Ray J is laid up in a hospital bed after getting knocked out in his celebrity MMA fight ... and TMZ has photos of him with all sorts of monitors hooked up to his body.

In the images, obtained through a rep for Ray J, you see him shirtless and under some covers in a hospital bed ... in a couple snaps, he's looking up towards the ceiling and in another he's got his eyes closed as he sleeps and tucks his arms under a pillow.

Sources close to Ray J tell TMZ ... Tuesday marks Ray's third day in a Las Vegas hospital, and he's going to remain hospitalized for a few more days.

NFL star Josh Jacobs is facing a slew of domestic violence charges after being arrested in Wisconsin.

The Green Bay Packers running back was arrested Tuesday and booked into the Brown County Jail on five charges ... including battery, criminal damage to property, disorderly conduct, strangulation and suffocation, and intimidation of a victim ... according to the Hobart-Lawrence Police Department.

Cops say they were dispatched Saturday morning to an alleged disturbance involving Jacobs ... but he was not taken into custody until today.

Ray J checked himself into a Vegas hospital hours after being knocked out by Supa Hot Fire, TMZ has learned. 

Sources close to Ray J tell TMZ he decided to go to the hospital two hours after the event on Saturday. 

The source tells TMZ Ray has been in the hospital for two days as the doctors continue to run tests to figure out what is wrong. 

We're told the medical team is investigating whether Ray had a concussion, and he is also experiencing issues with his heart beating slower. 

Ray J's knockout loss to Supa Hot Fire is turning into an even bigger mess ... 'cause the promoters behind the fight are investigating possible foul play.

Brand Risk Promotions released a statement Monday, announcing it has launched an internal investigation after one of the fighters allegedly insinuated there may have been a "prearranged plan" tied to Saturday night's bout.

While the statement never specifically named anyone ... the timing comes after Ray J's bizarre post-fight comments set social media ablaze.

Bob Horner, a legendary baseball player with the Atlanta Braves and the first overall pick in the 1978 MLB draft, is dead.

The Braves announced Bob's death Tuesday in a social media post. The cause and manner of death are unclear.

Bob was the first Braves player to go straight from the amateur ranks to the Major Leagues without ever playing a Minor League game ... and he played for the Braves from 1978 to 1986 ... earning one All-Star Selection.

Yaya Mayweather's birthday celebration turned into fight night ... with footage showing her swinging during a chaotic Houston melee ... allegedly involving the family of NBA Youngboy's wife.

Check it out ... video from the altercation shows Yaya -- shortened form of Iyanna -- throwing punches and kicks while caught in a wild brawl involving women allegedly connected to her ex's wife, Jazlyn Mychelle.

Social media initially claimed Floyd Mayweather's daughter got completely handled without fighting back ... but the clearer footage paints a different picture.

While Yaya appears outnumbered during parts of the chaos, she can still be seen trying to throw hands before security steps in and separates everyone.

Brazilian bodybuilding influencer Gabriel Ganley's sudden death may have been tied to a serious heart condition ... according to his death certificate.

The document lists hypertrophic cardiomyopathy as the possible cause behind Ganley’s death at just 22 years old, Brazilian outlet G1 Globo reports.

The condition causes the heart muscle to thicken ... making it harder for the heart to pump blood properly and, in some cases, leading to sudden cardiac death.