TMZ Sports - Page 50

Tom Brady turned 45 today ... and the star QB's wife, Gisele, made sure to shout out her man on his special day, reminding him he's loved as he celebrates another year of life!!

Gisele -- who's been married to Tom since 2009 -- took to Instagram to pen the romantic post to her 7x Super Bowl-winning hubby QB ... posting a photo of Brady in his Bucs uni with two of his three children.

"Happy birthday to one of the most focused, disciplined, and fashionable person I know! @tombrady" Gisele wrote on social media.

"You are so loved and we are always here cheering for you and wishing you all the most wonderful things in life! ❤️"

Tom and Gisele have been one of the most powerful and well-known couples in sports and entertainment for quite some time now, and Bundchen has always made sure to support him.

Of course, Tom's super focused on the NFL season ahead ... but it's nice to see Gisele took the time to publicly show her appreciation for him.

Happy Birthday, Tom!!

"SlamBall is back, baby!"

That's Mason Gordon, founder of SlamBall -- basketball mixed with football and MMA on big trampolines -- announcing to TMZ Sports ... the sport is returning in 2023!

"There have been all kinds of people clamoring for SlamBall to come back. There has been #BringBackSlamBall media, viewed over 200 million times in the last 12 months. So, I'm ready to announce next summer, 2023, SlamBall is coming back, live!"

If you haven't seen a SlamBall game, it's pretty damn awesome. Huge air, big hits ... it's great. And, that's why so many people waited for this day, including Celtics star Jayson Tatum, a SlamBall fan.

Gordon says he's had endless opportunities over the years to bring the game back, but he didn't want to do it until all the conditions were perfect for making a return.

"We've gotten opportunities pretty much every couple of months, there will be an opportunity to bring SlamBall back in some form. My partners and I have always looked at it and said, 'we're not gonna come back until the market conditions are like really optimal,' and the alternate sports marketplace is on fire."

Gordon and his partners felt it was the perfect time to strike ... especially since kids are decreasingly watching entire 3-hour sporting events.

"SlamBall just kind of fits the bill. They're 20-minute games. Television half hours. People obviously have really gravitated to the action, and it's this incredible mash-up between basketball, football, hockey, little bit of gymnastics, little bit of video games, that's just SlamBall."

SlamBall was built for social media -- and when it comes to the TV side of things, Gordon has a secret weapon -- producer/director Mike Tollin is a partner on the project ... the man behind "The Last Dance" and "The Captain," amongst many others.

Great update from "Hacksaw" Jim Duggan ... the wrestling legend just completed radiation treatment for cancer -- and celebrated by ringing the bell at the facility.

The 68-year-old made the announcement with an IG video -- just weeks after his cancer returned from a previous battle in 2021.

Duggan revealed in May he had to do 8 weeks of radiation treatment ... and as of this week, he's finally done with the grueling process.

"For eight weeks I've been coming by looking at this bell, listening to the other folks come by and ringing the bell and looking forward to it," Duggan said in the video.

"So out of respect, I'm not going to do no big 'hoo' in here, but when we get outside you better believe there's some 'hooing' ... But right now, after eight weeks, here we go, tough guy!"

Duggan also thanked the medical staff, his family, and his fans for holding him down through it all.

"I want to thank my wife and my daughters who stuck with me through all of this, but most of all, I want to thank you folks out there that have been able to share this, and you guys shared your stuff with me."

As we previously reported, Duggan battled cancer in 2021 and needed multiple procedures, including removing his prostate. He was declared cancer-free in December 2021 before it returned in May.

Droves of baseball fans eschewed early bedtimes Tuesday night to head out to Dodger Stadium to pay homage to Vin Scully hours after the legend died -- building a makeshift memorial for the former broadcaster while mourning his passing.

Several people lit candles and dropped off trinkets at L.A.'s ballpark -- which, fittingly, sits on Vin Scully Ave. -- well into the early morning hours of Wednesday.

Fans wrote notes, hugged each other ... and even cried -- as they remembered Scully, who passed away at 94 years old at his Hidden Hills home earlier Tuesday.

Others around the globe took to social media to pay tribute to the longtime voice of the Dodgers -- LeBron James wrote a sweet note on his Twitter page, while Magic Johnson also tweeted out an emotional message about Scully as well.

"Vin was the nicest & sweetest man outside of the booth & was beloved by all of our Dodgers family," Johnson said.

"He was just as popular as any Dodger player. His legacy will live on throughout Major League Baseball & he will be remembered as the greatest announcer ever in MLB history. Cookie and I are praying for the entire Scully family and Dodgers fans all around the world."

Dodgers ace Clayton Kershaw also called Vin "the best there ever was" following L.A.'s win over the Giants in San Francisco.

Scully, who began broadcasting Dodgers games in 1950, called nearly every one of the franchise's greatest moments up until his retirement in 2016. He's widely considered to be one of the greatest broadcasters of all time.

Vin Scully -- the longtime voice of the Dodgers and legendary MLB broadcaster -- has sadly died at 94 years old.

The team just confirmed the awful news in a statement on Tuesday night, saying he passed away at his home in Hidden Hills. No cause of death was revealed.

"We have lost an icon," Dodgers president and CEO Stan Kasten said. "The Dodgers' Vin Scully was one of the greatest voices in all of sports. He was a giant of a man, not only as a broadcaster, but as a humanitarian."

Kasten continued, "He loved people. He loved life. He was loved baseball and the Dodgers. And he loved his family."

"His voice will always be heard and etched in all of our minds forever."

Scully initially began calling games for the Dodgers back in 1950, when the team was still located in Brooklyn. He continued to provide play-by-play for the Dodgers following their move to L.A. in 1957, calling nearly every one of the biggest moments in the franchise's history up until his retirement in 2016.

Some of Scully's most famous calls included Hank Aaron's 715th home run in 1974, and Kirk Gibson's epic World Series HR in 1988.

Scully also broadcasted national baseball, golf and football events -- including the 1982 Dallas vs. San Francisco NFC Championship Game. In that contest, Scully had one of his most memorable moments in the football both, calling Dwight Clark’s "The Catch" touchdown.

Scully -- who was inducted into the National Baseball Hall of Fame's broadcaster wing in 1982 -- ultimately broadcasted games for nearly seven decades, before he called his final contest in San Francisco on Oct. 2, 2016.

"Our thoughts and prayers go out to his family during this very difficult time," Kasten said. "Vin will be truly missed.”

LeBron James just commented on Vin's death, saying, "Rest in Power. A City of Angels icon. Another great one who made sports so damn special."

Vin -- whose wife, Sandi, sadly died in 2021 -- leaves behind five children, 21 grandchildren and six great-grandchildren.

If Jake Paul can't fight Hasim Rahman Jr. on August 6, there's someone else willing to step in the ring in his place -- Hasim Rahman Sr.!!

That's right ... the 49-year-old, 2x heavyweight champion tells TMZ Sports he's down to fill in for Jr. and box the Problem Child.

Oh, and for good measure, he says he'll fight Logan, too ... same night.

"How about this?" Hasim says, "If somebody would sanction this, I will fight Jake and Logan back to back. We can go eight rounds a piece. Neither one of them will make eight rounds but we can sanction for eight rounds and I promise you, if I don't knock Jake and Logan out, they win."

Of course, Jake and Jr. were set to box Saturday at MSG ... but the fight was scrapped after Paul accused Rahman of ignoring their contractually agreed-upon weight limit.

Now, let's be honest ... two fights in one night ain't happening, but you get Hasim's point. He isn't all that impressed with what he's seen in the ring from the Paul bros.

In 2001, Rahman Sr. shocked the sports world when he knocked out one of the greatest heavyweight boxers ever, champ Lennox Lewis ... becoming the unified heavyweight champion of the world.

Throughout his career, Hasim racked up a 50-9-2 record with 41 KO's. He retired in 2014.

We also asked Rahman about the possibility Jake and his son could still fight another time ... and Hasim had a suggestion for ensuring the terms of the contract are followed.

"If the public demands it, both sides can put up a million dollars in escrow. That way we can be sure that ain't nobody gonna not make weight. If somebody miss weight, whatever the contractual demands are, they will be met or somebody gonna lose their million dollars."

So will it be Hasim Rahman Sr.? Rahman Jr.? Tommy Fury? Someone else? Stay tuned.

LeBron James' Tuesday workout was unforgettable -- The King got to hit the hardwood at the Lakers' facility for some drills with his two sons ... and all three looked AWESOME.

The L.A. superstar and his two boys -- Bronny and Bryce -- just got in the sweat sesh down in El Segundo ... working on their dunks, their jumpers and their ball-handling.

The trio of James showcased some serious skills -- all three of 'em can rattle the rim now, and all three certainly know how to find the bottom of the basket.

Perhaps the most impressive part of the clips that James shared on his social media page was Bryce's game -- the 15-year-old is nearly as tall as Dad now, and yet he can still move like a point guard!!

"Simply no better feeling than doing what I love to do with who I love!" James said of the workout. "Great work today Young🤴🏾’s #JamesGang👑 #EarnedNotGiven"

While James is gearing up for Year #20 in the league, his sons still have some H.S. ball left to play.

But, based on the clips Bron posted -- doesn't seem it'll be long before they're all revving up for their own NBA seasons.

Tyron Woodley was in Ireland last week -- but he wasn't hanging out with Conor McGregor at the Guinness factory -- the future UFC Hall of Famer asked for his girlfriend's hand in marriage, and she said YES!!

Woodley shared footage from the magical moment on his social media page Tuesday ... showing the former welterweight champion, down on one knee, in front of his GF, Kia, with the Dublin Castle -- which opened over 800 years ago in 1204 -- in the background.

"Kia, I love you," Woodley said while holding a beautiful (and very large) diamond ring, continuing, "I want to spend forever with you."

Kia became very emotional, replying, "Oh my god. Yes! Hell yes! Oh my God!"

The 40-year-old star also penned a sweet love note to his wife-to-be.

"I've met my match! Found my person❤️. Snatched this Gem off the market," Woodley said in the video caption.

"And put the 'Fight of the Night' on her finger💍!!!"

"I'm Crazy over you Kia. Thankful for you. Grateful God brought you to me," Woodley said.

"You are my best friend. You are my everything. Let's show em how it's done! #ForeverKT #TheRealestLove"

Yeezy Day is here again -- and Kanye West is pissed about it ... claiming Adidas never got his approval for this year's event, and going off about several other issues he has with the brand.

The artist spelled out his issues in an IG message to Complex on Tuesday ... which marks the third annual Yeezy Day, where Adidas re-releases a lot of the popular models from Ye's sneaker line for two days.

Ye didn't hold back about Three Stripes -- saying, "Adidas made up the Yeezy day idea without my approval. Then went and brought back older styles without my approval."

The 45-year-old says he didn't give the "okay" to the brand on damn near everything -- including colorways, names, or hiring people that worked for him.

"Went and hired a GM of Yeezy without my approval," West said. "Took talent on the production side and sprinkled them throughout Adidas originals without my approval."

Of course, Ye's anger toward Adidas may be stemming from their recent beef over the release of their own slides ... which he claims was a rip-off of the Yeezy slides.

Ye also speaks about this in the message ... saying, "When I originally ordered Adidas to make more Yeezy slides, the GM lied to my face and said they didn't have the capacity."

"Meanwhile, Adidas was copying my slides and making their own versions of the Yeezy slide."

"Yeezy is 68% of Adidas online sales," Ye said. "God step in."

The collab between Ye and Adidas started in 2015 -- when the first model 'Boost 750' was released. In 2020, Ye's sneakers reportedly made nearly $1.7 billion in annual revenue.

Alpine reserve driver Oscar Piastri is calling B.S. on his own team ... saying he will NOT be taking Fernando Alonso's seat next season -- just hours after the organization initially announced the move.

The 21-year-old Australian prodigy went to social media on Tuesday to address Alpine's statement ... saying it's not true and he did not sign off on it.

"I understand that, without my agreement, Alpine F1 have put out a press release late this afternoon that I am driving for them next year," Piastri said on Instagram.

"This is wrong and I have not signed a contract with Alpine for 2023. I will not be driving for Alpine next year."

The denial comes after Alonso's shocking exit from Alpine for Aston Martin next season ... and amid rumblings of McLaren's interest in bringing Piastri in.

Alpine's original statement read ... "BWT Alpine F1 Team confirms 21-year-old reserve driver Oscar Piastri as Esteban Ocon’s teammate starting from 2023."

"In line with the commitments made by the team to the young Australian, Oscar will be promoted to race driver and step in Fernando Alonso’s seat from next year onwards."

The NFL is in a damned-if-it-does, damned-if-it-doesn't situation regarding the appeal of Deshaun Watson's suspension ... so says Andrew Brandt, who said on "TMZ Live" on Tuesday the league is now in a "really tricky" spot.

With Sue L. Robinson suspending the Cleveland Browns star six games on Monday following allegations the 26-year-old QB was sexually inappropriate with multiple female massage therapists, the NFL now has roughly one and a half more days to decide if it wants to appeal that ban.

Most think the league should -- six games, after all, feels awfully light when considering the nature, and number, of the accusations -- but Brandt told Harvey and Charles appealing to make sure Watson serves a longer punishment is no slam dunk.

As for why -- the famed business and legal analyst says the NFL might not want to undermine Robinson's decision ... seeing as the league will be working with the former judge on similar cases in the future.

"That may be why -- along with changing the focus to back on the field -- to say, 'OK, we're going to take the six games and run,'" Brandt said. "Even though the public opinion on the other side is that this is way too light."

If the NFL does ultimately decide to appeal, Brandt said he expects Watson's suspension to significantly lengthen.

"It's going to be fascinating to see if they do [appeal] or not," he said.

Horrifying scene at a soccer game in Argentina this weekend -- when a male player absolutely lost it and attacked a female referee after being handed a yellow card.

It all went down during a third division match between Garmense and Independencia of the Tres Arroyos Regional League ... when player Cristian Tirone unleashed on official Dalma Cortadi while her back was turned.

In video of the incident, you can see several players try to stop the attack ... but to no avail.

Cortadi fell to the ground after the hit ... but was eventually able to get back to her feet. She was later taken to a hospital, but luckily, she didn't suffer any serious injuries.

Tirone was immediately taken off the field and arrested .... and Cortadi says she has filed charges against the player.

Garmense released a statement on the awful incident ... saying, "Given the events that occurred this Sunday during the Third Division football match that was played in the city of Adolfo Gonzales Chaves between Garmense and Independencia, during which a player from Garmense physically attacked the woman who officiated as referee, the Club expresses its energetic repudiation of this action that is at odds with the spirit that is intended to instill with the practice of this sport."

Tirone has been permanently banned from the soccer league ... and Cortadi agrees with the decision.

"You have to kick him out forever," she told La Nacion. "He should never be in any club. He is a violent person. He must also be in his daily life. I saw it on the video: a normal person does not do what this man did. No person deserves this. We don’t go to the [matches] to be beaten."

The NFL is coming down hard on the Miami Dolphins, docking the org. two draft picks, including a 1st-round selection, for tampering with quarterback Tom Brady, the league announced on Tuesday.

Team owner Stephen Ross was also suspended until mid-October, and fined $1.5 million!

After a six-month investigation, the NFL says they concluded the organization violated the Anti-Tampering Policy on three separate occasions ... twice with TB12, and once with then-New Orleans Saints head coach Sean Payton.

"The investigators found tampering violations of unprecedented scope and severity," Commissioner Roger Goodell said.

"I know of no prior instance of a team violating the prohibition on tampering with both a head coach and a star player to the potential detriment of multiple clubs over a period of several years."

The investigation focused on whether team officials improperly attempted to communicate with Brady and Payton over a period of years. It also centered around a claim made by former head coach Brian Flores ... who says Ross incentivized him to lose, in an effort to get a higher draft pick.

The NFL found the Dolphins had "impermissible communications" in 2019-20 with TB12 when he was still a member of the Pats org. and in 2021 when he was Bucs QB.

According to the NFL, Ross and/or his business partner spoke with Brady and his agent, Don Yee, about the prospects of Tom becoming a minority owner of the Dolphins, and possibly playing for the team.

In 2022, the Dolphins again had forbidden communications with Yee, who also repped Payton, about bringing Sean on board as the team's head coach.

As for the allegations made by Flores, the league determined the Dolphins did not intentionally lose games during the 2019 season, and no one instructed BF to lose.

Flores issued a strong statement following the NFL's ruling, slamming Goodell and the league.

"I am thankful that the NFL’s investigator found my factual allegations against Stephen Ross are true," Flores wrote.

"At the same time, I am disappointed to learn that the investigator minimized Mr. Ross’s offers and pressure to tank games, especially when I wrote and submitted a letter at the time to Dolphins executives documenting my serious concerns regarding this subject at the time, which the investigator has in her possession."

Meanwhile, Ross released a statement, saying ... "As I have said all along, these allegations were false, malicious, and defamatory, and this issue is now put to rest."

"With regards to tampering, I strongly disagree with the conclusions and the punishment. However, I will accept the outcome because the most important thing is that there be no distractions for our team as we begin an exciting and winning season."

SR concluded by doubling down on his desire to win.

"I will not allow anything to get in the way of that."

Paraglider Kevin Philipp is lucky to be alive after his glider lines became badly entangled while plummeting to the ground -- before literally getting his rescue parachute open about one second before impact!

And, the entire death-defying ordeal was caught on video.

Philipp shared the terrifying clip Monday ... showing him paragliding thousands of feet in the air when suddenly his lines become tangled. Badly tangled.

KP -- who's an aerobatic paraglider (think crazy stunts under a large glider) -- desperately tried to straighten out the lines, but the attempt was futile.

It appears Philipp attempted to deploy his reserve chute, but that wouldn't open, either.

Then, about a second before the would-be impact, Kevin ripped the bag containing the rescue chute, which then opened ... in all likelihood, saving his life, and at the very least, averting serious injury.

"Oh my God!" Philipp yells after landing (hard) into a small tree.

Philipp posted the video on YouTube, explaining "strong turbulence" caused the lines to tangle.

As for how close he was to disaster, Kevin wrote ... "The falling speed increased a lot due to the twisting wing. Very last chance was to manually open the rescue package. Estimated time left about 1 second This was not the day to die!"

Despite the close call, Philipp says incidents like this are uncommon.

The San Diego Padres just got a whole lot better -- they're trading for Nationals superstar Juan Soto.

MLB Network's Jon Morosi reported the deal just went down minutes ago on Tuesday morning -- with Washington agreeing to send the perennial All-Star along with slugger Josh Bell to San Diego for a bevy of players.

According to Morosi, in return for Soto and Bell, the Nats are getting three of the Padres' top minor league prospects (pitcher Jarlin Susana and outfielders Robert Hassell III and James Wood), along with shortstop C.J. Abrams.

MLB Network insider Joel Sherman added that Padres pitcher MacKenzie Gore and first baseman Eric Hosmer will also go to Washington in the deal.

The trade is being touted as one of the biggest in MLB history -- given just how good Soto is.

At only 23 years old, Soto is already a two-time All-Star, two-time Silver Slugger winner and a World Series champ. In his five MLB seasons, he has 119 home runs and a career batting average of .291.

The Padres -- who also acquired All-Star closer Josh Hader from the Brewers this week -- will now look to couple Soto with superstars Fernando Tatis Jr. and Manny Machado for the foreseeable future.

Yeah, good luck with pitching to that!

No, Jeanie Buss did NOT pick up a side hustle selling PlayStation 5 consoles this summer -- the Lakers owner says her Twitter was hacked!!

Buss' social media was the latest to fall victim to the viral video game scam ... in which hijacked accounts send out posts about selling PS5s.

Buss' fake offer was angled around her team -- with the message claiming the profits from the deal would go to charity ... and whoever buys the console would have a chance to get Laker tickets.

Of course, anyone who spends time on Twitter knows it's clearly a scam ... but Buss released a statement on Tuesday making sure there wasn't any confusion.

"Lakers Fans, my Twitter account has been hacked," Buss said on the official team Twitter account. "Please do not engage with it or send any money. These are NOT legitimate offers. The Lakers will alert you when I am back in control of my account."

Of course, this is the Internet we're talking about ... so a lot of people had their fun at the Lakers owner's expense.