TMZ Sports - Page 2

Caitlin Clark's Indiana Fever team is off to a slow start -- and some fans are already hopping off the hype train -- but not LeBron James ... who says he knows exactly how the star hooper feels, 'cause he's been in her shoes!

James and (maybe future head coach) JJ Redick spoke about Clark and the expectations surrounding the WNBA rookie -- who despite averaging 17 points a game -- has received a crapload of criticism ... and Bron knows what it's like.

"I think for my advice to Caitlin, and my advice to anyone coming in with this level of notoriety, 'out of this world' expectation -- be a horse," James said on the "Mind the Game" podcast on Wednesday.

College basketball star DJ Burns Jr. has gone through a shocking body transformation after becoming a March Madness sensation this year ... reportedly losing 45 pounds in a matter of weeks -- and no, it's not a result of Ozempic.

The N.C. State big man -- who led the Wolfpack to a Final Four appearance just two months ago -- has been training like crazy leading up to the NBA Draft ... with Shams Charania stating the hooper shed some serious weight over the past six and a half weeks.

Shams broke it down on FanDuel TV ... saying Burns looked "totally different" when they met up at the prospect's pro day in L.A. this week.

Scottie Scheffler's arrest was apparently not off limits for his colleagues ... 'cause Xander Schauffele just admitted a bunch of PGA Tour stars roasted the world's best golfer for being thrown in the slammer last weekend.

Schauffele told Big Cat and PFT on Wednesday's episode of "Pardon My Take" that a group chat he had with Scottie and others like Gary Woodland, Jordan Spieth and Justin Thomas was full of jokes following the 27-year-old's run-in with cops outside of Valhalla Golf Club.

Schauffele insisted the trolling wasn't too bad -- it was "just enough," he said -- but he did reveal the dudes at one point changed the group chat's pic to Scheffler's mug shot.

Corey Seager's late-game home run Tuesday night proved costly for at least one Phillies fan ... who straight up lost an entire plate of nachos because of it!

Here's the deal ... the Texas Rangers superstar was trying to claw his team back from down 3-1 against the Phils in the eighth inning at Citizens Bank Park -- when he launched a ball deep into right field.

As it came crashing down toward the stands, initially, it looked like it ricocheted off some railing ... leaving him with merely a double.

NASCAR driver Ricky Stenhouse Jr. going all Mike Tyson on Kyle Busch at the All-Star Race just set him back financially -- he was just fined $75K for his involvement in this past weekend's wild brawl.

The racing organization handed down the punishment on Wednesday ... saying not only will RSJ have to write out a hefty check, but his dad was suspended indefinitely for his role in the scrap as well.

As we previously reported, the two drivers confronted each other after Sunday's event ... with Stenhouse pissed after Busch seemingly caused him to wreck on purpose at the beginning of the race.

A New Zealand man thought it would be a brilliant idea to body slam a killer whale -- but the stunt was not only dumb but also seriously irresponsible, and he's now paying the price.

Check out the clip -- the man goes full WWE ... launching himself off a boat near the coast of Auckland and landing inches from an adult orca and its calf.

As you can see ... the 50-year-old daredevil, who hasn't been identified, yells out in delight he touched the orca and eagerly asks his boatmates if they caught his wild encounter on camera.

Travis Hunter's a Colorado Buffalo, but he now drives a RAM ... and TMZ Sports has learned it features some crazy modifications!!!

The college football star landed the truck as a surprise present from his fiancée, Leanna, for his 21st birthday earlier this month ... and Dreamworks Motorsports honcho Adam Wolfe tells us it's a "1-of-1" ride.

Wolfe says he and his team spent about a week tricking it out for Deion Sanders' two-way player ... giving it all kinds of bells and whistles before sending it off to the receiver/cornerback for his big cake day.

LaMelo Ball and the Charlotte Hornets are at the center of a new lawsuit filed in North Carolina ... after a woman claims her 11-year-old son tried to get an autograph from the NBA star, but was left with a bad injury instead.

The alleged incident went down on October 7 after the Hornets were beaten by the Boston Celtics at Spectrum Center in Charlotte ... when Angell Joseph waited near the player exit, hoping to get a moment with the 22-year-old hooper.

Instead of stopping and signing for the young fan, Angell's mom, Tamaria McRae, says LaMelo just drove off ... and in the process, ran over her son's foot, breaking it.

Aaron Rodgers is opening up on his decision to forgo a political career -- at least for now -- saying he simply wasn't ready to walk away from his day job as the quarterback of the New York Jets.

AR8 spoke with the media at his team's OTAs on Tuesday ... when he addressed his name being thrown around as Robert F. Kennedy Jr.'s potential running mate for the 2024 presidential election.

Specifically, he was asked how seriously he considered the move ... and Rodgers explained he was facing a fork in the road -- but it ultimately came down to one thing.

Angel Reese has played a big part in the growth of women's basketball ... and now the star hooper is expanding her reach to another sport -- soccer -- as the former LSU star just bought into the DC Power Football Club!

22-year-old Reese is the newest owner of the pro soccer org, based about an hour from where Angel grew up in Maryland, and will soon join the USL Super League.

The power forward -- who's averaging 11.5 points and 8.5 rebounds per game in her rookie season with the Chicago Sky -- will join an ownership group that includes owners of the D.C. United Men's Club and other business leaders in the DMV ... and they're stoked to have her!

NFL star Tank Dell is looking damn near 100% just three weeks after suffering injuries in a nightclub shooting ... rejoining his Houston Texans teammates and crushing it during Tuesday's practice.

No. 3 was front and center during organized team activities ... even taking passes from quarterback C.J. Stroud at one point.

There were no signs of injury or anything else holding him back ... which is a great sign, considering what he went through last month -- as well as during the 2023-24 season.

The photographer who initially accused Rashee Rice of assault now no longer wants to press charges against the Kansas City Chiefs star, according to the Dallas Police Department ... but an investigation remains ongoing.

The photog first alleged that Rice clocked him during an altercation outside of Lit Kitchen in Dallas on May 6 ... but the DPD said in a statement he recently signed an affidavit of non-prosecution.

It doesn't necessarily mean Rice is now in the clear -- the DPD said a probe into the allegations is still moving forward -- although a case against the NFLer now no doubt got substantially more difficult to prove.

Competitive eating legend Takeru Kobayashi -- a six-time Nathan's Hot Dog Eating Contest champion -- has announced his retirement from the sport.

Joey Chestnut's longtime opponent revealed the news in the Netflix documentary, "Hack Your Health: The Secrets of Your Gut" ... saying he's ready to focus on his well-being and repair the damage he's done to his body over the past two decades.

Kobayashi rose to fame after winning his first Fourth of July contest in 2001 ... and went on to earn the mustard belt five more times.

5/20 -- 8:02 AM PT -- Authorities have released Austin Maddox's mugshot ... and he appears a bit beaten up, with red marks on his face, and what looks like a partially swollen eye.

Former MLB third-round pick Austin Maddox was arrested during an anti-child predator sting in Florida last month ... and now, the ex-Red Sox pitcher is facing several felony charges.

The Jacksonville Sheriff's Office released the results of its five-day "Operation Valiant Knights" bust on Monday ... claiming 27 men believed they were communicating with underage girls online -- but in reality, they were speaking to detectives.

No, Joe Burrow doesn't have a new mane that would make Simba jealous ... but a ton of NFL fans thought that was the case this week -- when an edited pic of the Cincinnati Bengals superstar spread like wildfire on social media.

The Photoshopped snap shows No. 9 sporting some luscious locks as he poses for the camera ... with many comparing the look to Anakin Skywalker in "Star Wars" or Sunshine from "Remember The Titans."

A quick search on Joey B's Instagram confirms the guy has maintained a short cut throughout the offseason ... but apparently, people just blindly wanted the fake image to be true, so they just ran with it.

If you can't spot The Rock in the first image from his latest movie set ... you ain't alone -- 'cause Dwayne Johnson looks unrecognizable in his new role as ex-UFC fighter Mark Kerr!

The WWE superstar transformed into the MMA legend for A24's upcoming project, "The Smashing Machine," and check out the first look from the film he posted ... the Brahma Bull's no longer distinguishable.

Dwayne covered up his signature tats ... added a wig -- and even appeared to put on some heavy face makeup to really look the part.