TMZ Sports - Page 13

LeBron James is speaking out after leaving the Los Angeles Lakers ... thanking the organization for adding him to the family eight years ago.

The 41-year-old King went to X a few hours after the news broke ... and shared his heartfelt reaction to the team's statement on his departure.

"No, THANK YOU!" James said on Tuesday. "Truly a honor to wear the 💜💛 while trying to continuing the greatness & legacies that came before me! Hope I made a few proud during my stint. 🙏🏾🫡👑."

Madison Square Garden employees are being cut off from the outside world while setting things up for Taylor Swift and Travis Kelce's mega-bash this week ... because they're not allowed to have their phones while they work.

Employees who work in event production for MSG tell us ... they can't have their phones during the shift, and while they haven't been told why, it's presumably so they can't take pictures of the setup.

We're also told employees are wearing wrist bands -- which is out of the ordinary -- and they have to go through an extra layer of security when they show up to work.

Luka Doncic is bidding farewell to LeBron James ... saying he enjoyed their brief time together on the Lakers.

The Slovenian superstar went to Instagram on Tuesday ... fresh off the news 41-year-old King James was officially on the hunt for a new home after eight seasons in L.A.

In his tribute post, Doncic, 27, shared a pic of the two embracing after a game ... including the caption, "An honor to play with and learn from you @kingjames."

LeBron James WILL play next season ... just not for the Los Angeles Lakers.

The four-time NBA champion's agent, Rich Paul, informed the team of his decision on Tuesday ... stating the King isn't hanging up his crown just yet, but he's done with the Purple and Gold.

There are rumblings 41-year-old James will team up with Stephen Curry and Draymond Green on the Golden State Warriors ... with Anthony Davis' name being thrown in the mix as well.

Taylor Swift and Travis Kelce's highly anticipated wedding party at Madison Square Garden is nearly upon us ... and it looks like the National Guard is being called in to help with security.

Check out the video ... tons of National Guard members showed up to MSG on Tuesday night ... closing off streets around the arena in preparation for what may be the biggest wedding party of the century!

There also appears to be a massive meeting between NYPD and National Guard happening just outside the Garden.

Phil Mickelson's wife is standing firmly in his corner ... as the embattled pro golfer is in the middle of a d*** pic controversy.

A rep for Phil told reporters his wife, Amy Mickelson, supports her husband with "with extraordinary grace" and "unwavering love."

The statement comes after pro golfer Pat Perez's ex-wife, Ashley Perez, claimed Phil showed her a photo of his erect penis and propositioned her back in the day.

The Supreme Court just reshaped the playing field ... ruling states can bar transgender athletes from competing in women's sports.

The blockbuster decision -- handed down Tuesday -- upholds Idaho and West Virginia laws limiting school sports teams to athletes based on biological sex ... and it's poised to impact similar laws already on the books in more than two dozen states.

The ruling mirrors a growing trend, with the International Olympic Committee and a number of international athletic federations tightening eligibility rules for women's competition.

Taylor Swift and Travis Kelce's NDA for wedding guests may look intimidating ... but TMZ has learned it doesn't have much bite, because guests who violate it won't face any obvious financial punishment.

Sources with direct knowledge tell TMZ ... the electronic non-disclosure agreement sent to guests does not include a monetary penalty -- or any other punishment for that matter -- if one dared to violate the agreement.

We're also told there's no film release attached, meaning guests weren't asked to sign away their rights to appear on camera -- making a wedding streaming special or documentary seem pretty unlikely.

As TMZ first reported ... between 1,100 and 1,200 guests are expected at Madison Square Garden July 3 to celebrate the couple tying the knot.

The NDA is just one piece of an elaborate security plan.

The "Hand of OG" ball from Game 4 of the NBA Finals is staying with the New York Knicks -- the piece of hoops history was scrubbed from the auction block minutes before bidding was slated to begin.

The rock is the same one Knicks hero OG Anunoby tapped in with seconds left in the June 10 contest to give New York a 3-1 lead in the series. The highlight also solidified the biggest comeback in Finals history after being down 29 points against the San Antonio Spurs.

It was a monumental moment for the Knicks as they went on to win their first title in 53 years ... and the item was sent to Sotheby's to allow fans to bid on it.

Dianna Russini is in hot water again ... but this time it's not for holding hands with an NFL coach ... but for seemingly not telling the truth about what happened during a traffic stop.

Here's the scoop ... in January, the former NFL reporter for The Athletic got pulled over by a police officer for using her phone while driving in New Jersey. Their subsequent interaction was caught on body cam video that was posted Monday on X by Adam Herbets of Center Square. 

In the clip, the officer walks up to Russini's vehicle and asks for her license and registration.  Russini introduces herself as an NFL journalist who just broke a story about Buffalo Bills coach Sean McDermott getting fired, saying she was sending a tweet about it before she was stopped.

Lance Stephenson's doing his best Charles Barkley impression ... telling TMZ Sports his message to young hoopers is simple -- do NOT consider him a role model.

We caught up with the NBA vet-turned-BIG3 baller at LAX on Monday ... and had to ask about his recent on-court altercation that resulted in a suspension from Ice Cube's organization.

For those who missed it, Stephenson threw hands in a chippy moment between the LA Riot and Miami 305 ... which forced a forfeit after he was ejected from the contest, as his squad ran out of players.

John Cena's going for Round 2 against a thinning hairline ... and this time he's hoping to take home the belt. The WWE star went bald and beautiful for his next treatment and proudly posted the pic online.

The retired wrestler shared a shot of himself rocking a smooth head as he shakes hands with hair restoration surgeon Dr. Ken Anderson.

As you know, John's already undergone a hair transplant with Anderson Center for Hair ... and now he's back in the ring hoping to finally defeat balding.

Olympic gold medalist Apolo Ohno is dragging his ex-girlfriend Anna Pham to court for refusing to return his personal property, TMZ has learned. 

Apolo filed a lawsuit, obtained by TMZ, claiming Anna has hundreds of items of personal and business property ... including studio and audio-production equipment, photographic and video equipment, electronics, apparel, a firearm, and computer hard drives containing irreplaceable content ... plus Olympic race and training footage, documentary footage held for future commercial sale, an unpublished book manuscript and personal Olympic photographs. 

The athlete claims the relationship ended in 2023, but they remained friends throughout most of 2024.

Taylor Swift and Travis Kelce are making sure nobody leaves their wedding celebration hungry ... and Tay's putting her own stamp on the menu with dishes from some of her favorite restaurants!

Sources with direct knowledge tell TMZ ... Taylor personally curated food stations for the celebration at Madison Square Garden, with specialty bites being brought in from a handful of her go-to spots.

We're told every menu item has the bride-to-be's seal of approval ... though exactly which restaurants made the cut is still under wraps.

Taylor Swift and Travis Kelce have taken extraordinary measures to make sure their wedding celebration invite doesn't leak ... TMZ has learned.

Sources with direct knowledge tell TMZ ... every invitation is individually watermarked with the guest's first and last name repeated throughout the invite, a security measure designed to identify anyone who leaks it online.

We're told invitations began going out in early spring, with many guests receiving them around April.

Our sources say if a guest were to photograph the invitation and post it publicly, Taylor and Travis would be able to trace it back to the specific attendee whose name appears throughout the invite.

Nebraska Cornhuskers running back Mekhi Nelson was arrested in Florida after an alleged altercation with his pregnant girlfriend ... TMZ Sports has learned.

The redshirt sophomore was taken into custody around noon at the Blue Flamingo Resort Key West and transported to a nearby jail and booked for misdemeanor battery.

According to the police report, officers responded to a call for a disturbance at 11:39 AM. Once they got to Nelson's room, cops say he answered the door and stated he was in an argument with the mother of his children.

In the docs, Nelson claimed the two were bickering over how another man -- who also fathered a child with his girlfriend -- was speaking to her ... and told cops he had anger problems that "seemed to flare up" when he addressed how the other guy was acting.