TMZ Sports - Page 40

One of Kurt Cobain's most famed guitars is officially in the hands of a new owner, but it wasn't acquired without a king's ransom -- the instrument ended up going for 7 figures.

You'll definitely recognize this one ... it's the blue 1969 Fender Mustang featured in Nirvana's "Smells Like Teen Spirit" music video, which was also used during recording sessions for the band's "Nevermind" and "In Utero" albums -- so the high price tag of $4.5 million should be no surprise.

Kurt's old guitar was auctioned off Sunday to the Jim Irsay Collection -- yes, the Indianapolis Colts owner -- and ended up going for way higher than its estimated bid of $600k ... which is where Julien's Auctions had it pegged at the outset.

Considering this was one of Kurt's most prized possessions -- not to mention it's a left-handed guitar -- the exponential jump, perhaps, really isn't all that shocking.

What is sorta eye-opening is how many bidders there were -- word is, it was a war of sorts that Irsay walked away from victorious. The guy's worth an estimated $3.5 billion -- so he definitely had the means to snap it up.

Sasha Banks was living it up with Steve Aoki at a concert this past weekend ... after being suspended by WWE for refusing to wrestle and walking out of "Monday Night Raw."

The WWE superstar clearly looked unbothered on stage with the famous DJ, as the two partied hard with Snoop Dogg's son, Cordell Broadus, in front of a packed crowd.

In the clip, Sasha is right in the mix behind Steve, who had the building jumping when he started playing Lil Nas X's and Jack Harlow's "INDUSTRY BABY" track.

As we previously reported, Sasha Banks and her tag team partner, Naomi, were suspended by WWE on Friday for abandoning Monday's show and skipping out on their match.

Smackdown announcer Michael Cole informed the audience during the telecast that both women were out indefinitely and effectively stripped of their tag team titles.

Sasha's appearance on stage at Steve's concert is the first time she was seen at such a large venue since WWE announced the ban.

Bam Margera broke his wrist and dislocated his elbow in a skateboarding accident, but his recovery will not include the use of any pain medication.

The 'Jackass' star tells TMZ … he suffered the injury when he fell trying a skateboarding trick he hadn't done in over a year, but, unfortunately, it ended with his arm bending backward and bones nearly breaking his skin.

Right before the gruesome accident, Bam says he was in an AA meeting across the street from the skatepark. He hopped on his board to try some tricks during a 30-minute break ... and the rest, as they say, is disastrous history.

While Bam says this is the 10th time he's broken the same wrist, this recovery will be different from the others -- he says he's not going to take any pain meds because he's also in addiction recovery, which is going well.

As we first told you ... Bam recently completed a year of drug and alcohol treatment in Florida, and he's looking to stay on the wagon and is still continuing with classes.

Ex-NBA star Gilbert Arenas says there's no bad blood whatsoever between him and Javaris Crittenton more than a decade after they had their infamous locker room gun incident ... saying this week he still talks to his former teammate in jail.

The 40-year-old former Wizards guard sat down for an interview with LeSean McCoy, Adam "Pacman" Jones and Brandon Marshall for an episode of "I AM ATHLETE" -- where he opened up about his relationship with JC.

Pacman asked Arenas if he and Javaris were still quarreling after the two drew guns on each other in the Wizards' locker room following a gambling spat in 2009 ... and Gilbert said not at all.

In fact, Arenas said the two are actually great friends ... and despite Javaris being locked behind bars after he was accused of shooting and killing a woman in 2011, they still chat regularly.

"We talk once a week," Arenas said. "It's just like when we were teammates -- 'Man, what do you think about this series? What do you think about this series?'"

"He just talks basketball. We just talk about basketball."

Gilbert said even though the duo's careers spiraled following league punishment for their locker room gun incident ... he was even cool with the former Wizards player shortly after it all.

"His mother needed surgery for her neck," Arenas said. "He asked me [for money] -- because he knows I'm not going to hold it personal."

"Even then, I took care of him," Arenas said. "Because nobody wanted to f*** with him at that time. Like, even to this day, I send him cell phones if he needs a new cell phone."

Mike Tyson finally broke his silence about his confrontation on a JetBlue flight with an out-of-control passenger, and one thing's clear ... he's really pissed over what went down.

Mike was on his 'Hotboxin' podcast and was clearly relieved the San Mateo County D.A. decided not to charge Mike for battery. As you know, the video -- obtained by TMZ -- shows Mike punching away at the guy after getting harassed even before the plane took off.

Mike said, "He was f***ing with me, man. I took pictures with this n****."

Mike says he knows there's always the chance someone will become "overly excited," and that's why his wife has been on him not to fly commercial.

Mike concedes, "I shouldn't even be taking public planes," adding, "A bodyguard and a f***ing yes man. What am I gonna do on a plane?"

He admitted situations like the one on JetBlue "trigger me" and he acknowledged ultimately it's a lose/lose situation.

And, speaking of triggering, Mike had reminisced about an incident during the infamous Holyfield fight.

Add Khabib Nurmagomedov to the ever-growing list of people outraged Cain Velsaquez remains in a northern Cali cell ... with the undefeated fighter telling TMZ Sports he feels so bad for the former heavyweight champ, he's visiting him in jail next week.

"Yesterday, I was talking with coach. I tell him any chance or is it possible to go and see him in jail? In Russia, we can go and see anybody like I asked him because I don't know the law here in the U.S. I really wanna go to see him. After a couple of days, I'm gonna be in San Jose. I wanna go to see him, shake his hand, give him good energy."

33-year-old Khabib has been friends and gym mates at AKA with 39-year-old Velasquez ... who's been locked up since February 28 ... on an attempted murder charge.

But, that doesn't even begin to tell the whole story ... 'cause the person Cain allegedly tried to take out is accused of doing something very bad to a family member.

In an effort to protect the alleged victim in Velasquez's family, we are not identifying the person.

There's been a ton of support from everyone from Dana White, Henry Cejudo and Kamaru Usman, amongst many others.

"Anybody in the world who respects himself, who loves his family -- he's gonna do same thing," Khabib passionately said.

"C'mon, nobody gonna think about law or something when you have something about your family. You have to protect your family."

Nurmagomedov, like many, can't understand why Cain's behind bars, but the man accused of the heinous act against CV's family member is free.

"This is not fair to sit in jail and other guy, he's outside. What about other guy? Put this guy in jail, too! He's more dangerous for people than Cain Velasquez."

"Never in his life, he's 40-years-old, never in his life did he have a problem in social, you know, outside with people. He's the most respectful guy I've ever seen in my life. I was training with him more than 10 years, I know his family, everybody."

Still, despite the outpouring of support, and his attorney's fighting for his freedom, the judge and prosecutor have refused to allow bail.

Velasquez, if convicted, is facing many years in prison.

Cain is back in court June 10 ... where it's possible he could be released while he awaits his trial.

Trying to grab a piece of Michael Jordan history? You're in luck (if you've got serious cash) -- 'cause TMZ Sports has learned a super rare, autographed His Airness court card has just hit the auction block!

The card -- a 1999-00 Upper Deck "Final Floor" piece -- is insane ... it features an actual part of the court that Jordan hit his famous last shot on as a Chicago Bull in Game 6 of the 1998 NBA Finals.

The piece also features Jordan's signature in crisp blue ink -- and it's the only version of the card that Upper Deck ever made (AKA a 1-of-1).

On the back of the card -- there's a congratulatory note that guarantees the piece's authenticity.

It's such a unique find ... bidding on the card at Goldin Auctions is already up to $140,000 -- and, given the way similar rare Jordan cards have sold recently, it could net over $1 MILLION.

"What makes this card unique is that it is the first 1/1 ever for autographs of Jordan, and it's the largest piece of memorabilia ever issued by any card manufacturer on a Michael Jordan pack-pulled trading card," Ken Goldin said. "The photo and the event are the pinnacles of Jordan's career."

Rolando "Rollie" Romero will have the Royal Badness on his side when he faces Gervonta Davis next weekend ... 'cause the boxer just copped some "Purple Rain" boxing shoes -- complete with a portrait of Prince!!

TMZ Sports has learned ... the 14-0 boxer hit up Houston artist Aztek Kustoms to get custom-made kicks for his WBA lightweight title match against Tank.

Now, Rollie is a HUGE Prince fan ... so it was only right to pay homage to one of the greatest musicians of all time during the huge event -- and, what better song than "Purple Rain"?!?

Aztek used extra rhinestones and bright colors to create the "Purple Rain" theme ... and Prince's iconic symbol and portrait are etched on the sides of the shoes.

We're told it took eight hours to complete ... and Aztek is super hyped to see the 26-year-old wear 'em in the ring at the Barclays Center in New York on May 28.

"It's pretty exciting," Aztek said. "it'll be my first pair of shoes being worn in a major fight!"

This ain't the first time Rollie got customs kicks featuring Prince ... last year, Aztek painted the cover of the 1984 song, "Erotic City", on his Air Force 1s.

Prince -- who sold over 150 million records worldwide -- would be proud. RIP!

Khloe Kardashian is far far away from home, celebrating her sister Kourtney's wedding, so while she's gone Tristan Thompson is performing daddy duty, and it's pretty cute.

Tristan posed pics of 4-year-old True ... with the caption, "Twinz❤️❤️."

That was followed up by some serious haircare, with True becoming a mini-stylist ... applying hair gel on Tristan's dome. True is a pro, telling her dad, "I have to wash this" as she carefully styles pops. Tristan's review -- "Stylin' by True."

Tristan and Khloe are not together, but it seems they've figured out a way to make co-parenting work ... something we've seen isn't always easy, even in her own family.

As for Khloe ... she doesn't seem to have much child anxiety ... she's clearly having a blast in Portofino, celebrating her sister's wedding ... wedding #3!

73-year-old Ric Flair is returning to the ring as a wrestler for the last time -- just years after cheating death following a medical emergency in 2019 -- something Nature Boy tells us wouldn't be happening if he wasn't cleared by his doctor.

"I don't have any aches or pains. I know I've had the health issues, but I asked 40 different doctors, and I decided I'm only gonna listen to one. Not necessarily the one that was gonna give me the right answer, but that I felt the most comfortable with," Naitch told Babcock and Mojo on the "TMZ Sports" TV show (weekdays on FS1).

Ric says the physician gave him a clean bill of health, paving the way for him to return to the ring on July 31 in Nashville, TN ... under Jim Crockett Promotions.

Naitch and his team are still looking for an opponent ... something they expect to be squared away over the next few days.

Question is, why is the 16x world champ -- an immortal figure in the sport -- wrestling again?

Ric tells us he just wasn't happy with his last few performances ... and knows he can be better.

"I couldn't stand the last couple of matches I had. Couldn't stand the last year I had," Flair, who last wrestled against Sting in 2011, told us.

Flair says he's been training with Rob MacIntyre from John Cena's gym (as well as with Jay Lethal) ... and the fitness guru has been pushing him hard.

"I needed someone to motivate me. And, what motivates me is doing something I like to do, and that's wrestle."

Nature Boy admits he'll never be the exact guy he was in his 30s, 40s, and 50s, but he'll be pretty damn close.

"I'll never run at 100% again. But, I'll be running at 80, 85%."

And, let's face it ... just wrestling into your 70s is pretty damn impressive. Factor in decades of wrecking your body in the ring, a plane crash in 1975, and a near-death medical emergency in 2019, and it's nothing short of incredible that Naitch is about to kick ass in the ring.

Woooooooooo!!

We also talked to Ric and Wendy Barlow about her humanitarian trip to Ukraine.

LeBron James and Kyrie Irving were one of the greatest 1-2 punches in NBA history -- so says NBA vet Tristan Thompson ... who tells TMZ Sports he has nothing but praise for his old teammates.

TT's comments come after Irving recently admitted on the "I AM ATHLETE" podcast that he and LeBron would have won more championships together if he had been more mature.

Of course, that admission has to sting a little bit for Thompson (hey, at least he got one off the Warriors!!) ... but he explained to us Bron and Kyrie will always hold a special place in his heart after what they accomplished in 2016.

"I win a 'ship with somebody, they're always my favorite," Thompson said.

Tristan knows firsthand what the two guys are capable of -- he was a part of the Cavaliers team led by James and Irving that erased a 3-1 deficit in the NBA Finals to beat the Golden State Warriors ... and was a key role player in the series.

Before the breakup, LBJ and Kyrie enjoyed success together in Cleveland ... dominating the Eastern Conference and making four consecutive Finals appearances.

Michael Jordan and Scottie Pippen, and Shaquille O' Neal and Kobe Bryant are generally touted as the standard for best duos ... and, rightfully so, considering the careers they had.

A Kobe Bryant game-worn jersey has just hit the auction block ... and TMZ Sports has learned the piece is so rare, the seller could net a FORTUNE for it.

The #8 Lakers uni was worn by Kobe during home games -- including two playoff games -- during his 1996-1997 rookie season.

Experts at SCP Auctions say it's the only jersey ever photo-matched from Mamba's rookie campaign -- making it one of the most valuable pieces of NBA memorabilia to exist.

In fact, David Kohler, CEO/President at SCP, tells us it could ultimately fetch $5 MILLION.

Experts say Bryant, who entered the league straight out of high school, wore the specific jersey five times on April 11, April 13, April 17, May 8, and May 10, 1997.

In the May games, Bryant played against Karl Malone and the Utah Jazz in the Western Conference Semifinals, marking the first time he played in the postseason.

The jersey is gold in color with purple trim and has the #8 on the front ... along with the name Bryant stitched on the back. It has two patches at the bottom ... one indicating Kob wore a size 44.

The Lower Merion product ended up spending 19 more seasons in the league -- all with the Lakers -- eventually retiring with 5 NBA championships, 2 Finals MVP awards ... and is regarded as one of the greatest players in league history.

WWE Superstars Sasha Banks and Naomi have been "suspended indefinitely" and stripped of their tag team title after walking out of 'Monday Night Raw' earlier this week ... the company just announced during Friday Night Smackdown.

Ringside announcer Michael Cole dropped the bombshell during the telecast ... saying the now-former women's tag team champions won't be wrestling until further notice while they serve the suspension.

In addition to the suspension, Cole stated there will be a future tournament to crown new WWE women's tag team champions.

As we previously reported, Sasha and Naomi were slated to take part in a six-pack challenge to determine the number one contender for Bianca Belair, the women's champ.

However, Banks, a former women's champ herself, reportedly got frustrated with Vince McMahon and management's vision for the show ... resulting in her and Naomi blowing off the show and leaving the arena.

Calvin Magee, former Tampa Bay Buccaneers tight end and coach at Jacksonville State University, has died ... the school announced on Friday.

He was 59.

"Our hearts are broken with the loss of our beloved friend Calvin Magee," Rich Rodriguez, head coach for the JSU Gamecocks said in a statement. "Calvin was a great husband, great father, and grandfather, great coach, great friend and great man."

"He impacted my life and the lives of so many others in such a positive way. Our thoughts and prayers are with his beautiful family - wife Rose, daughters Jade and Jasmine, son Bryson, his grandchildren, and all his friends and relatives. Our world is less, but heaven got better."

"I miss him dearly already. I love you, my brother," Rich added.

Magee, whose coaching career began in the early '90s at Tampa Catholic High School in Florida, joined Rodriguez's staff after leaving Duke University this past December.

During his more than two decades of coaching experience, Magee made stops at South Florida, West Virginia, Michigan, Pittsburgh, Arizona, New Mexico, and Ole Miss.

In 2007, Magee was named the AFCA's Assistant Coach of the Year after he helped lead WVU to an 11-2 record, a Big East Championship, and a Fiesta Bowl victory over Oklahoma.

Magee spent 4 seasons in the NFL after being drafted out of Southern college, where he played in 56 games for the Bucs org.

In those games, Magee started in 34 and recorded 114 receptions, 1379 yards, and 11 touchdowns.

Magee is survived by his wife Rose, and their children, Jade, Jasmine, and Bryson.

Pro golfer Aaron Wise was hit in the head by Cameron Smith's tee shot during the PGA Championship on Friday ... but somehow, he was able to brush it off and finish his round!!

Smith was teeing off on the 2nd hole at the Southern Hills Country Club in Tulsa, Oklahoma ... when his shot went far to the right -- forcing him and his caddie to yell "fore."

Unfortunately, Wise -- who was at the 7th hole -- didn't hear the warnings and was smacked right on his head.

Wise ended up kneeling on the ground with a water bottle placed on his head after the hit ... but he managed to get up after a few seconds.

"There was a little bit of ringing in my head and I was down on the fairway," the 25-year-old golfer said. according to golf reporter Garrett Johnston.

"That lasted for about 20 seconds. Then I felt pretty normal after that."

Talk about TOUGH!!

Wise completed his round 2-over 72 and is one over par in the tournament. Shortly after, he was checked by medical staff and is doing okay.

Wise wasn't the only one taking shots to the head -- ESPN's Sage Steele was also struck by Jon Rahm's tee shot on Thursday.

Travis Scott still has the golden touch, or at least a VERY loyal group of fans, because his first merchandise drop since Astroworld just went crazy online.

Travis released a new collab Friday with pants, jackets, shirts and vests -- but it's the two pairs of Travis Scott Air Trainer 1's that really had fans in a frenzy, trying to score some of their own.

In fact, the hype was so wild for the shoe, Travis and his team needed to create a raffle to make everything fair.

A source close to Trav tells us more than a million people signed up for the raffle for the shoes in just 30 mins ... proving he's obviously still got it when it comes to hawking merch.

Security and the ability to prevent bots from scoring a pair was also a must for TS and team -- we're told they worked with web developers to set up anti-bot protection -- as his drops are some of the most heavily poached online.

This isn't it for Travis and Nike ... we've also heard there's rumblings of additional Nike releases next week, including an Airmax next Friday.

Of course, Travis has also had insanely successful releases with McDonald's, Fortnite and his Cacti hard seltzer flew off the shelves when it was released.