TMZ Sports - Page 50

James McCaffrey -- an actor best known for voicing the popular video game character Max Payne -- has died after a battle with cancer ... TMZ has learned.

A rep for the star tells us McCaffrey passed away Sunday surrounded by friends and family. We're told he'd been diagnosed with multiple myeloma, and that he ultimately succumbed to the disease.

His rep notes ... "One of Dick Wolf's proteges (""Swift Justice), McCaffrey went on to a successful 35 year career in television and film. Trained at the Actor's Studio, he never lost his love for creating characters; however, his good looks often pushed him toward leading man roles."

Word of McCaffrey's death first started to spread through a post from "Entourage" star Kevin Dillon -- who honored his friend with a photo of the both of them and a remembrance.

Like we mentioned, McCaffrey will perhaps best be remembered for serving as the voice actor for the 'Max Payne' video game series -- which included at least 3 installments -- but his resume went well beyond just that ... with TV and movie roles on big time shows.

The series he famously appeared in was "Rescue Me," where he portrayed Jimmy Keefe for 56 episodes between 2004 and 2011. Other shows he starred in included ... "Revenge," "Beautiful People," "Law & Order: SVU," "As the World Turns," "Swift Justice," "Civil Wars," "Canterbury's Law," "Suits," "Blue Bloods," "Bluff City Law," "She's Gotta Have It" and more.

Of course, he was also one of the leads for the famed "Viper" way back in the '90s. And McCaffrey acted in a number of major films as well -- "The Truth About Cats & Dogs," "The Big Take," "A Gifted Man," "American Splendor," "She Hate Me" ... just to name a few.

McCaffrey is survived by his wife Rochelle Bostrom ... and daughter Tiernan. He was 65.

Draymond Green will reportedly miss at least the next nine-or-so Warriors games ... this after beginning counseling following his second suspension of the 2023-24 NBA season.

The Golden State star has been barred from the hardwood since Dec. 13, after he hit Jusuf Nurkic in the head in a heated moment during the Dubs' Dec. 12 game against Phoenix -- and according to The Athletic's Shams Charania, the ban will now go through at least the early part of January.

Charania reported Monday morning Green has begun getting professional help while sidelined ... adding that the 33-year-old forward "has been understanding and prepared to undergo the process required to return to the team in a full capacity."

Green has yet to issue a public statement on the suspension ... though his head coach, Steve Kerr, said last week the ban "makes sense."

"The one who choked Rudy [Gobert], the one who took a wild flail at Jusuf [Nurkic], the one who punched Jordan [Poole] last year -- that's the guy who has to change," Kerr said.

"You look at the past year and what's happened," the coach continued, "it's clear he needs the opportunity to change."

Eric Montross -- the ninth overall pick in the 1994 NBA Draft -- has passed away after a battle with cancer, his family announced Monday.

He was just 52 years old.

Montross was a star for the University of North Carolina Tar Heels ... winning a national championship in 1993 before playing eight seasons in the pros for the Boston Celtics, Dallas Mavericks, New Jersey Nets, Philadelphia 76ers, Detroit Pistons and Toronto Raptors.

"The family of Eric Montross (Laura, Sarah, Andrew, and Megan) is announcing that he passed away on Sunday, December 17, surrounded by loved ones at his home in Chapel Hill," a statement released by UNC said.

"Eric was diagnosed with cancer in March 2023, and his family is grateful for the tremendous support and the truly overwhelming love expressed by so many people as he battled with his signature determination and grace."

"They also thank the many members of the medical community -- and particularly those at UNC Lineberger Cancer Center -- who matched his fight with equal passion. To know Eric was to be his friend, and the family knows that the ripples from the generous, thoughtful way that he lived his life will continue in the lives of the many people he touched with his deep and sincere kindness."

Montross was an All-American for UNC ... and received All-ACC honors in 1993 and 1994.

Chance Comanche, an NBA player who's spent the majority of his basketball career in the G League, has been arrested ... after officials say he helped murder a woman -- and then dumped her remains in a desert.

Comanche was thrown behind bars in the case on Friday -- following a lengthy investigation into the disappearance of Marayna Rodgers by the Las Vegas Metropolitan Police Department.

According to the LVMPD, two individuals told officers on Dec. 7 that Rodgers had gone missing -- and a short time later, cops say they discovered the woman had scheduled a meeting with Comanche and his 19-year-old girlfriend, Sakari Harnden, on Dec. 5 -- but had not been seen or heard from since.

The LVMPD says early on in the investigation, its detectives "suspected foul play" in the case and sought to arrest both Comanche and Harden for kidnapping.

On Dec. 13, Harnden was booked in Las Vegas ... while Comanche -- who was playing this season for the G League's Stockton Kings -- was taken in by FBI agents in Sacramento two days later.

However, the LVMPD says following the arrests, officers were able to gather more information in the case and discovered Rodgers' remains in a desert area in Henderson, Nevada.

LVMPD detectives say they believe both Comanche and Harnden were responsible for her death -- and now, they say the two will be facing murder charges.

Comanche, a 27-year-old, 6-foot-10 center, first joined the G League in 2017 after going undrafted out of the University of Arizona ... and after spending time with multiple teams -- including the Stockton Kings -- he eventually made his debut in the NBA for the Portland Trailblazers last season.

This year, he rejoined the Stockton squad ... though he was cut following his arrest on Friday.

Let the haters hate, but Metta World Peace is all about the Lakers honoring their In-Season Tournament win with a banner ... telling TMZ Sports the accomplishment now gives L.A. bragging rights over the Boston Celtics!!

The Purple and Gold are reportedly hanging a memento in the Crypto.com Arena rafters to commemorate their recent title ... which was met with mixed reviews, considering the tourney doesn't hold nearly as much weight as winning the Finals.

We spoke with Metta -- a 2010 NBA champ -- about the move ... and he tells us he's a big fan!!

MWP explains he thinks being the first-ever IST MVP means a lot for LeBron James' legacy ... and while he still considers himself a Michael Jordan stan, he praised the King for maintaining his dominance at 38 years old.

In fact, Metta says he sees LeBron playing at least 25 seasons ... which should earn him George Washington's spot on the quarter!!

Adele ditched Las Vegas to hang with her boyfriend Rich Paul -- and she had a good reason ... it's the dude's birthday, which means the whole Klutch Sports crew tagged along.

The singer was rolling deep with LeBron James, Anthony Davis and other Klutch clients for the super agent's 42nd born-day party Saturday night ... which went down at a WeHo venue -- where everybody filed out of one exit towards the end of the night, it seems.

As you can see, RP's biggest claim to fame King James was front and center, leading the huge pack of people outside ... suited and booted with his wife, Savannah, close behind.

AD was with his own wife too, and ditto for Kevin Hart ... who was in the mix as well.

As for Adele and Rich, they were shoulder-to-shoulder as they left the joint ... and both looked dressed to impress, albeit not looking nearly as cheerful as you'd think while walking out.

Anyway, they're clearly still going strong ... this after a lengthy residency for Adele, who was in Sin City for a majority of this year -- and who's actually scheduled to head back in 2024.

You'll recall, she constantly referred to herself as Rich's "wife" out in the desert ... but it's unclear if they're actually hitched, or if it was just a slip of the tongue/term of endearment.

Taylor Swift is in Tom Brady country this weekend — once again dropping in to catch Travis Kelce run and catch … hoping for better luck this time around.

The pop star was up and at ‘em early Sunday to catch the Chiefs’ game against the New England Patriots in Foxborough … where she swung by Gillette Stadium for all the action, proving to be a loyal NFL fan after attending games the last few weeks.

Of course, she’s obviously there for her boyfriend — but the fact TayTay keeps on coming out (even on the road) is impressive.

Anyway, there’ve been sightings of her all morning … she arrived in a pack of SUVs and was whisked away inside through a private entrance. Looks like she had on some Chiefs gear for this latest outing.

She’ll be in her private suite like she usually is, and cameras will pan to her like always. And yes, we’ll eventually get pics of her cheering on Travis and co. — so stay tuned.

This might actually be the first time T-Swift is seeing Travis since her birthday festivities late last week in NYC — which he missed cause of work. Ya gotta figure they wanna make up for lost time … and also, ya gotta wonder if her good luck charm vibes have run out.

The Chiefs suffered a brutal blow last week against the Bills — but lucky for them, they’re playing the sad sap Pats today … who are fledgling in these final weeks under Bill Belichick. Should be an easy W.

Then again ... you never really know how these things will go, especially if refs screw it up.

Anyhoo, it's almost game time -- and Taylor's all ready to wave the pom-poms.

Cam'ron slid into Nia Long's DMs over a year ago trying to holler, and it looks like he finally got his shot this weekend -- 'cause they linked up at a big shindig ... and took pics!

The rapper-turned-podcaster/TV host has been documenting this saga for a while -- way back in October 2022, he posted screenshots of some messages he sent Nia on IG ... this not too long after her messy split with Ime Udoka and that whole Celtics drama.

Anyway, it was a lengthy shot across the bow, where he's singing her praises ... and eventually just comes out with it and says he thinks they'd make a great couple together.

Apparently, NL never responded to that DM -- something Cam'ron made sure to tell his followers a couple weeks ago -- but now, some 14 months after the fact ... they finally got a chance to meet at Rich Paul's birthday party in L.A., where they hugged, talked and posed.

Here's the thing ... Nia actually posted this photo of the two of them cheesing first, but then took it down from her page -- but Cam'ron most certainly kept his version up, and added some extra ones to boot ... probably just to prove to everyone he had, in fact, seen her.

No word on whether this might lead to anything romantic, or if it's just a friendly hi-bye.

We actually got Nia out somewhat recently and asked her about this whole thing, and all she had to say to us (and to Cam, we suppose) was ... oh, hi there! Sounds like he got his in-person hello too.

Lord knows she's one of the most eligible bachelorettes in town these days -- aging like fine wine -- and has been one of Hollywood's most-coveted dames for a good long while.

Jeezy seemed to have his moment a month ago ... maybe now it's Cam's time to shine.

Sean Strickland and Dricus Du Plessis had the most memorable fight of the year at UFC 296 ... thing is, it wasn't in the octagon.

Sean was cage-side for the eventing when Du Plessis, who was sitting behind Sean a few rows, started smack-talking him.

Sean then got out of his seat and pointed his finger at Du Plessis, as if he were firing a shot. Du Plessis was clearly up for some action, telling Sean with his hands to bring it on.

Sean then goes ham, and asks the son of UFC fighter Gilbert Burns to move, which then cleared the path for Sean to jump over a couple rows and start attacking Du Plessis.

This is all the lead-up to what will probably be an epic fight between the 2 guys next month at UFC 297.

They were also at the UFC press conference Friday, where they had to be separated.

Donald Trump showed up to watch one of the most violent knockouts ever in the UFC, but his attention got diverted by a bikini-clad ring girl.

Trump was there to support one of his die-hard fans, UFC fighter Colby Covington, who ended up losing by decision in the main event to Leon Edwards.

Covington, in true Trump fashion, railed on the results, saying it was reminiscent of the "rigged" 2020 election. He then just got political, saying, "You can delay us but you can’t deny us. He’s going to make America great again. We need these borders secure, we need inflation down and we need America first again. Donald Trump is the only one that’s going to do that again — Trump 2024!”

A bunch of celebs were on hand, including Mark Wahlberg, Jared Leto, Mario Lopez, Theo Von, Jack Black, Kyle Gass, and Zac Brown.

They all watched as Josh Emmett destroyed Bryce Mitchell with a punch that sounded like someone got hit with a baseball bat.

If Chad Johnson had an NFL MVP vote, he says it'd go to Tyreek Hill ... telling TMZ Sports the injury the wideout suffered this past Monday night showed there's just no one more valuable than him in the league.

The Cheetah was hindered in the first half of Miami's "MNF" game against Tennessee after he was dragged down by an opponent -- and while his leg was being tended to by trainers ... the Dolphins' normally explosive offense suddenly looked stale.

Tua Tagovailoa took a bunch of sacks -- and the long gains that the team had grown used to seeing evaporated out of nowhere.

Johnson tells us none of that is a coincidence ... saying it all showed Tyreek is the one who makes this year's Dolphins team.

"This is why he belongs in the MVP conversation," Johnson said. "I know the MVP is a quarterback award, but what you saw [Monday] night, for two quarters with the absence of Tyreek, is how important he is to that team."

While Hill -- who now has 97 catches for 1,542 yards and 12 TDs this season -- ultimately returned in the second half, the Dolphins fell to the Titans, 28-27.

Johnson said he anticipates Hill's injury will be fine moving forward -- although Miami head coach Mike McDaniel said Friday the receiver will be questionable for this weekend's game against the Jets as he continues to recover.

Deontay Wilder is warning his fans not to blink during his fight with Joseph Parker later this month ... 'cause the star boxer says he's going to KO his opponent in a flash!!

The 43-2 pugilist made it clear to TMZ Sports this week that that's his plan ... explaining he's not foreseeing any ring rust whatsoever when he steps up to Parker (33-3, 23 KOs) on Dec. 23 in Saudi Arabia.

"I'm expecting to be very fresh," said Wilder, who hasn't fought in over a year. "I'm expecting to be intact. I got a great team on my side and we're looking for greatness. Nothing less."

Wilder wasn't sure of the exact round in which the knockout would happen ... though he guaranteed it'd be "early."

"It's a Deontay Wilder fight, guys," the Bronze Bomber said. "When he's fighting, he always keeps you on the edge of your seat because you don't know when it's gonna happen but when it happens, bam, baby! Goodnight!"

Following the tilt, reports are Wilder will be in line to next take on Anthony Joshua ... though Wilder said nothing is set in stone there just yet.

"It's a lot of different ways it can go," Wilder said, "but at this point, I'm just focusing on Joseph Parker. After that, we'll talk."

Grab a pen and paper, chicken wing lovers -- food guru Guy Fieri is dropping knowledge on how to make the perfect drums and flats ... AND keep you from burning your house to a crisp in the process!!

The celebrity chef recently joined the "TMZ Sports" TV show on FS1 to talk about his annual Super Bowl party ... but before he got off the interview, Babcock had to get Guy to weigh in on a recent traumatic food experience.

Here's what happened -- Babcock was enjoying the UFC 294 fights with some buddies back in October ... when a longtime TMZ Sports producer from Buffalo decided to whip together his hometown's signature grub on the stove.

Babcock explained there were a few mishaps with the oil during the frying process ... resulting in a smoke-filled apartment and a growing fear the apartment would burst into flames at any moment.

Sources close to the situation tell us the wings were damn good, but came with a side of watery eyes due to the clouds creeping in from the kitchen.

Guy gave a step-by-step tutorial on what Babcock's coworker can do moving forward ... and also revealed some key pointers on how he can make them even better next time.

Justin Bieber's been out of the spotlight for the majority of the year -- focusing on his own health -- and it looks like he's capping off 2023 going downhill ... literally, that is.

The singer was spotted in Aspen Saturday, where he was snowboarding ... a bit of a tradition for him this time of year. He appeared to be shredding here all by his lonesome, but he did have some company going up the mountain -- chatting up a fellow chairlift rider.

JB looked fairly stone-faced and serious cruising down the slopes ... staying up on his two feet and handling himself well. Dude's an avid snowboarder -- so he knows what he's doing.

BTW, his wife Hailey is there in tjown as well ... they jetted on over together on Friday.

As for Justin, this is just more of the same with him lately -- the guy's been super active when it comes to athletics and other activities ... and he's always hitting the town with Hailey as well. The one thing he isn't doing much of these days ... singing/performing.

Remember, it was way back in March when he officially suspended the rest of his 'Justice' tour dates internationally ... this not too long after pumping the brakes on it all in 2022.

He cited mental health concerns ... but he's battling physical ailments on and off for a while now too.

Kareem Abdul-Jabbar took a nasty spill at a concert in Los Angeles -- and the NBA legend ended up in the hospital with a broken hip, TMZ has learned.

His rep, Deborah Morales, tells us ... Kareem was attending the show Friday night -- but it was unclear who was performing and where. Anyway, the former Lakers star center accidentally fell to the floor, shattering his hip.

Paramedics quickly responded and transported Kareem to the hospital for treatment.  His condition was not disclosed.

Morales said Kareem was "deeply appreciative" of the support he received from the Los Angeles Fire Department on site and the "amazing medical team and doctors at UCLA Hospital who are taking great care of (him)."

Based on what his rep is saying, it sounds like Kareem is going to be OK.

Kim Zolciak and Kroy Biermann are back to their squabbling ways ... with things so toxic their marriage is now completely beyond repair ... so say sources close to them.

Our sources tell TMZ, the pair's latest falling out doesn't have anything to do with the newly released police body cam footage emerging of their explosive fight from Nov. 20 -- instead, it's over their continued money woes, their home, and the overall state of their marriage.

The pair appeared to have reconciled after the explosive incident at their home ... even enjoying a hibachi lunch date ... though, it didn't last long.

In fact, our sources say their close friends say no amount of therapy will fix things between them ... they just need to accept that and move on with their lives separately -- adding it's the healthiest thing that can happen for them and their kids.

One of their kids actually made the 911 call alerting cops to their infamous fight weeks at their home earlier ... and recently released footage showing police struggling to calm down a fuming Kroy.