TMZ Sports - Page 9

The Orange doesn't fall far from the tree ... Carmelo Anthony's basketball star son Kiyan just received a scholarship from Syracuse University -- the school his dad led to a national championship two decades ago!

The 15-year-old, 4-star shooting guard -- who plays at Christ the King High School in New York -- broke the news on Sunday ... announcing Cuse offered the high schooler a spot on their team after he graduates in 2025.

"Beyond blessed to receive an offer from Syracuse University," Kiyan said on Twitter.

Kiyan has also received offers from Memphis, Manhattan, George Mason, and Bryant, according to 247 Sports.

Needless to say, Syracuse basketball is in Kiyan's blood. Melo is a Syracuse legend after his one-and-done 2002-03 season under longtime coach Jim Boeheim ... when he led the team to a national championship.

Carmelo averaged 22.2 points and 10 rebounds that season ... and was easily the best player in college basketball.

Of course, Melo went 3rd overall in the infamous 2003 NBA Draft -- after LeBron James (a no-brainer) and Darko Milicic. Anthony played with the Nuggets, Knicks, Thunder, Rockets, Blazers, and most recently, the Los Angeles Lakers.

Melo is currently a free agent, and has used his free time to work with his son, teaching Kiyan his signature moves.

Larsa Pippen and Marcus Jordan appear to have scrapped their friendship for a full-blown romance -- the two were closer than ever during a day at the beach this weekend.

Scottie Pippen's ex-wife and Michael Jordan's 31-year-old son enjoyed the sun in South Beach on Sunday ... with Larsa sporting a tiny, black bikini and Marcus going with a black backwards Jordan Brand hat and patterned trunks.

48-year-old Larsa has previously insisted she's just friends with MJ ... but they sure looked like a couple as he wrapped his arm around her during the beach day.

The two also got really cuddly while getting some shade under an umbrella ... with witnesses saying they were making out at one point.

If they're really just buddies, they certainly don't mind showing affection for each other in public -- as TMZ Sports previously reported, Larsa was spotted kissing MJ's neck at Rolling Loud in NYC back in September.

The two were first spotted together in Miami earlier that month ... in what appeared to be a double date at a Japanese restaurant. We were told at the time they were just friends who were hanging out with people in their same social circle ... although things certainly appear to have gotten more serious since then.

Larsa was married to Scottie for 23 years ... and they have four kids together.

Gisele Bündchen is getting super close to a handsome MMA teacher ... and sources connected to the former couple -- Tom Brady and Gisele, that is -- are questioning the timing.

The guy is Joaquim Valente, a jiu-jitsu instructor who lives in Miami. Gisele has known him for at least a year and a half. She took lessons from him, and then signed her 2 kids up for lessons as well.

Gisele and Joaquim were out to dinner in Costa Rica Saturday, with her kids, Benjamin and Vivian. It's especially interesting, because Tom and Gisele made Costa Rica their vacation spot during the off-season.

Gisele and Joaquim did a super sexy photo shoot together more than a year ago for Dust Magazine ... presumably about the art of jiu-jitsu.

Gisele has posted her fondness for Joaquim's MMA teaching skills, saying it gave her confidence and empowerment.

A source connected to Gisele tells TMZ GB and JV are not dating, noting many friends were present in Costa Rica. The source says there were 6 adults and 8 kids at the get-together.

Another source close to the ex-couple is not buying it, asking why this Miami guy is in Costa Rica with her. This source added, "It always seemed weird she just one day abruptly ended the marriage."

Page Six was the first to report on Joaquim and Gisele.

All he wanted for his birthday was a big booty ... cake -- and that's exactly what Chanel Iman got her NFL boyfriend, Davon Godchaux, to celebrate his bday!

The New England Patriots' defensive tackle celebrated his 27th trip around the sun with his supermodel girlfriend over the weekend on a luxurious yacht.

You can see Iman and Godchaux -- who signed a contract extension with the Pats in July -- smiling, doing a bit of karaoke ... basically all lovey-dovey.

But, the best part is the bday cake Iman got him -- of a woman's booty in red and black lingerie.

"Celebrating you Big Daddy," the 31-year-old Atlanta model said in her IG post of the booty-full treat.

"Happy Birthday! I love you."

It seems Davon loved his birthday cake 'cause the 27-year-old licked the voluptuous buns right in front of the camera.

"The best birthday ever!" Godchaux said in the comments under Iman's post, "My love, my everything! Love you forever and always ❤️😝😝"

It's crystal clear Iman and Godchaux are going strong after going IG official this April ... just months after New York Giants' WR Sterling Shepard filed for divorce.

And, it seems Shepard -- who has two kids with Iman -- may have moved on as well ... the wide receiver shared a photo of him and Shaniece Hairston at Odell Beckham's 30th birthday bash!

Christian McCaffrey's mom got a little PG-13 rated while celebrating her son's touchdown on Sunday night -- droppin' a LOUD F-bomb from her seat in a stadium suite!!!

Lisa McCaffrey let the curse word fly in the 4th quarter of San Francisco's big win over the Los Angeles Chargers at Levi's Stadium ... after her son ran in a 2-yard, go-ahead TD.

NBC's cameras caught her cheering with family and friends following the score -- and, you can see clear as day, at one point, she hurled out a "F*** yeah!" while partying.

Many on social media noticed it on the game's broadcast ... and loved the authenticity, lauding her for being so candid.

Of course, Lisa and the McCaffreys have had a lot to celebrate when it comes to Christian's career the last few weeks ... because after being traded from the Panthers to the Bay Area, he's now scored three TDs and thrown for one more.

Like millions of Yankees fans ... Derek Jeter tells TMZ Sports he's super hopeful his old squad is able to keep Aaron Judge in Pinstripes -- and re-sign the superstar this offseason.

Jeets didn't mince words when we got him out in NYC this week ... explaining he "of course!" wants the outfielder back at Yankee Stadium for 2023 and beyond.

The problem? It's unclear if that'll actually happen.

Judge, of course, is a free agent ... and after turning down a monster contract offer from the Yankees before the 2022 season began, some believe he could be looking elsewhere in the coming weeks and months.

Jeter told us he isn't sure where things stand in the negotiations between Judge and the Yankees -- or where else in the MLB the star could end up.

But, watch the clip ... he sure seems to be wishing Judge stays put.

After Judge's historic '22 season -- it's not hard to see why the former shortstop believes the Yankees should stop at nothing to get him back ... the dude hit 62 home runs, and batted .311!!

Anthony "Rumble" Johnson has died ... this according to several prominent figures in the MMA community.

The former UFC fighter reportedly passed away this weekend after battling an undisclosed disease he's apparently been dealing with for quite a while. Unclear what it might be, though ... the rest of the details surrounding his death have yet to be released.

UFC's Michael Chiesa sent out a post for condolences, writing ... "RIP Anthony “Rumble” Johnson. One of the most prolific KO artists our sport has ever seen. My prayers go out to his family and everyone affected by this tragedy."

Other MMA fighters and journalists also posted tons of tributes for the guy ... the news seems to have shocked just about everyone, as Rumble's been out of the spotlight for a while.

One notable remembrance came from Daniel Cormier, who faced Rumble in the Octagon a couple different times. He writes, "Rest Easy my brother. For a guy who struck fear in so many peoples heart Anthony Johnson was a caring person. From random text to check ins during loss. What a person he was, Rumble will be missed. Sometimes life doesn’t seem fair. Horrible news."

What DC's referring to is the fact that Rumble was notorious for his sheer strength and force -- which translated to brutal knockouts that he'd often put on display in his prime. One good punch could put a guy to sleep, and he certainly had a rep for trying to prove that in bouts.

His record was incredible in its day ... 23 wins, 17 of which were by KO or TKO. He only had 6 losses. Rumble competed in several UFC events over the years -- dating back to 2006 -- but he never won a title. For a while, he was ranked #1 in his weight class, pre-retirement. He parted ways with the UFC intermittently, but officially cut ties in 2020 to join Bellator MMA.

Rumble fought at different levels ... middleweight, welterweight, light heavyweight and eventually heavy in his later years. He had the most success in the latter classes.

He was 38.

Dua Lipa won't be performing at the World Cup after all ... according to Dua Lipa.

The singer shot down rumors Sunday that she'd hit the stage in a couple weeks for the opening ceremony in Qatar, which is usually a pretty big gig that tends to draw international stars. Shakira's done it before, so has J Lo, Pitbull, Black Eyed Peas and others.

A lot of people thought DL was up next -- among other artists who've been speculated on -- but she's saying it ain't happening ... all because of human rights, apparently.

Dua says, "There is a lot of speculation that I will be performing at the opening ceremony of the World Cup in Qatar. I will not be performing and nor have I ever been involved in any negotiation to perform." She adds ... "I look forward to visiting Qatar when it has fulfilled all the human rights pledges it made when it won the right to host the World Cup."

If you're unfamiliar, Qatar is notorious for mistreating its women and LGBT people ... often via punishment under the law. The country has made promises in the past to investigate certain matters and to improve its record, but many feel its fallen short time and again.

As for how this notion of Dua performing even got started ... we tracked down the source. A Twitter account called World Music Awards announced it recently, adding a bunch of other names that they claimed would be performing at the opening ceremony as well. While they seemed pretty sure of themselves, no reputable mainstream outlet picked up the news.

They asserted Shakira and BEP would be returning, not to mention J Balvin, BTS and Bollywood star Nora Fatehi. Nora is a performer, but not kicking things off. BTS's Jung Kook confirmed Friday he'd do the opening ceremony ... and thus far, he's the only official act.

Drake is $2 million lighter this morning after betting on the loser in Saturday night's UFC title fight, but for a good part of the fight he looked like he was gonna win big.

The iconic rapper -- known for his love of high-stakes gambling -- plunked down the INSANE amount of cash on middleweight champion Israel Adesanya to beat Alex Pereira during UFC 281 at Madison Square Garden in NYC.

Adesanya seemed to have the upper hand until the 5th round. Then, Pereira unleashed a series of brutal body blows that staggered Adesanya, although he didn't drop to the canvas. But, the referee decided to step in anyway and stop the fight.

Pereira's victory marked the third time he defeated Adesanya ... their other two clashes were kickboxing matches.

As for Drake, he captioned his ticket on Instagram with "been focused on the album gotta get back to stacking up" before the fight ... so stacking will have to be an even bigger priority now that Izzy lost.

The Commanders will be in amazing hands if Daniel Snyder does end up selling the team to Jeff Bezos and Jay-Z ... so says Mark Cuban, who tells TMZ Sports the duo would be "great" NFL owners.

Snyder revealed earlier this month he has hired Bank of America to explore a potential sale of the Washington franchise ... and it didn't take long for Jay and Jeff to express interest in putting in a bid.

In fact, the duo had a secret dinner in Los Angeles on Tuesday night to discuss it all ... breaking bread at a closed restaurant near the Sunset Strip for over two hours.

When we got Cuban -- arguably the most famous celeb owner in sports -- out in D.C. on Thursday ... he assured us the two titans would make for great honchos of the Commanders.

The Dallas Mavericks boss didn't elaborate further -- he had to jet quickly -- but he made it clear he's got full faith in the guys to turn the NFL org. around.

Jake Paul might have to get ready for a rematch ... but we're not talking Tyron Woodley or Anderson Silva -- his first-ever opponent tells TMZ Sports he'd love to have another shot at the Problem Child!!

Internet superstar Deji goes up against the one and only Floyd Mayweather Sunday in an exhibition in Saudi Arabia ... and he spoke with us about his preparations for The Best Ever -- as well as potential future matchups.

Deji says he's treating the fight 100% seriously as he gears up for the bout ... but at the same time, he doesn't want to psyche himself out before stepping in the ring.

As far as his boxing game goes, Deji tells us he isn't just in it for a huge paycheck -- he wants the viewers to see how much he's improved his game since going up against Jake in 2018.

Remember, Jake ended up beating Deji via stoppage in his first boxing match ... and Paul went on to beat NBAer Nate Robinson and a number of UFC stars.

Deji says he'd love to avenge his loss to Jake in due time ... telling us it's something he'll always want to do, but he may need to add a bit more to his record before going up against Jake again.

For Sunday's fight, Deji knows there'll be a ton of big names -- including Jake -- who would be checking out how much he's improved over the years.

Wanna ride like a 30-year-old Dwyane Wade? Now ya can ... if you've got some DEEEEEP pockets!!!

TMZ Sports has learned ... the custom black McLaren MP4 that the Hall of Famer was gifted for his big 3-0 is up for sale -- and the price tag has been set at a staggering $132,900.

The dark-purple car is sweet ... it was specially built for Wade for his cake day and features a 3.8-liter engine with an automatic 7-speed transmission. It also has a label on the doors that reads, "WADE" and "Hand-Assembled In The U.K."

And, according to The Barn, which is selling the ride, it only has 8,131 miles on it!

Wade, now 40, had the whip for a while, but sold it a few years back. We're told the buyer at the time, a car collector, had fun with it ... but is now ready to move on from it.

"It's the same as it was wrestling for me. I just wrestle against able-bodied people, and I beat able-bodied people. Now I'm fighting able-bodied people, and I'm gonna knock out able-bodied people. It's as simple as that. I'm a fighter."

Zion Clark is once again proving there's absolutely NOTHING he can't do -- despite being born without legs -- the former All-American wrestler tells us his next crazy accomplishment ... is taking an MMA fight!

"I'm trying to run this s**t up! It's not just a rinky-dink fight. This s**t's going on pay-per-view. This shit is a legit sanctioned fight," Zion told Babcock and Mojo on the "TMZ Sports" TV show (airs weekdays on FS1), adding, "It's gonna be big!"

There's a good chance you've seen or heard about the 25-year-old's incredible story.

Clark was born in Ohio in 1997 with a rare birth defect called Cadual Regression Syndrome which caused him to be born without legs. Zion was put up for adoption after he was born. He bounced around the foster care system.

In elementary school Clark was introduced to wrestling ... but he wasn't very good at first. In fact, he didn't win a single match for years. But, after meeting his H.S. wrestling coach, Zion and the man developed a bond, and ZC's wrestling ability improved dramatically.

As a senior, he finished 33-15 ... wrestling against kids who had four limbs. Clark then went to Kent State, where he continued his successful wrestling career.

Zion's now training for the 2024 Olympics ... where he'd like to wrestle. He's also gunning to compete in the Paralympics in wheelchair racing ... where he's one of the most elite racers in the world.

He's also known as the "fastest man on two hands" ... Zion was a track champ in high school, too.

Clark also recently set two Guinness World Records ... for highest box jump (record was 24 inches. Zion jumped 33) with the hands and most diamond push-ups (248 in under 3 minutes).

As for Clark's MMA fight ... it's scheduled to go down December 17. Zion says he doesn't even know his opponent's name ... that's how unbothered he is about the fight.

It's not that he isn't taking the fight seriously ... in fact, it's just the opposite. Zion says he's beating his ass in the training room, sparring with MMA stars like Rampage Jackson and AJ McKee.

Check out the clip ... Zion talks about training with those legends, and what we can expect when he steps in the cage for the first time in just a few weeks.

Leonardo DiCaprio turned 48 this week -- and anyone who's anyone swung by to party.

The A-lister threw a massive bash Friday to celebrate his birthday at a private mansion in Beverly Hills, where a lot of famous faces were seen coming and going throughout the night. Truly, it was a classic who's-who of Hollywood ... something only a select few can pull off.

Among the high-profile guests ... LeBron James, Bradley Cooper, Sir Mick Jagger, Tobey Maguire, Adrien Brody, Jamie Foxx, Rami Malek, Casey Affleck, Wesley Snipes, Stella Maxwell, Nicky Hilton, Sommer Ray, Jennifer Meyer, Caylee Cowan and many, many more.

This shindig was pretty private -- Leo reportedly had folks throw their phones into secure bags before entering, so you might not be seeing many photos posted on anyone's Story.

Definitely on par with the type of pomp and circumstance we'd expect from LDC -- after all, the guy played the Great Gatsby ... so he knows how to throw a good rager, it seems.

Alex Pereira says he's open to squashing the beef with Israel Adesanya after their UFC title fight in NYC this weekend ... but tells us he's not so sure Izzy feels the same way.

The 35-year-old, #4 contender and Izzy have some serious bad blood ... they previously kickboxed twice several years back. Since Pereira joined the UFC in 2021, many fans pinpointed this matchup as a future megafight -- and now it's here, and the beef is real.

"On my end, no problem but I don't think on his side everything that happened it's possible," AP said through a translator.

And, it sounds like Alex is right. The champ joined Babcock on the "TMZ Sports" TV show (airs weekdays on FS1) last week and said he wanted to turn the scrap into a "horror movie."

As for the previous fights, Pereira twice defeated Adesanya (decision, KO) ... however, the fights were very close. In fact, many people believe Izzy won the first fight. In the rematch, Israel had Alex in trouble in the early rounds ... but was knocked out in the third round.

It should be noted ... the previous fights were in kickboxing, NOT MMA.

Despite this fight being in a different sport, Pereira says he's ready for everything.

"I'm ready for five rounds. Wherever the fight goes, it's hard to predict but I'm ready for everything."

Adesanya vs. Pereira is at the top of the 281 card ... but there is a bunch of other super compelling fights slated for tonight, including Michael Chandler vs. Dustin Poirier.

Mike and Dustin, much like Izzy and Alex, don't exactly love each other.

We recently asked Michael about the bad blood.

"I think there were some words exchanged, but ultimately bad blood, I think there's bad blood in every single fight whether we like to admit it or not because you got two guys or gals trying to climb the same mountain, heading to the same destination. This one's no different."

But, there's more.

We also chatted with strawweight champion Carla Esparza ... who despite holding the belt, is a big-time underdog to Zhang Weili.

Esparza says she's drawing inspiration from a very famous, albeit fictional movie character from Philly who was once counted out against a physically superior opponent from Russia!

"I feel a little bit like Rocky going into this fight versus Drago. Big strong, verse the little one with a lot of heart. Whatever. I'm going in there to do my thing and I'm excited!"

Former NBA big man Marcin Gortat is inviting Kyrie Irving to come with him to his home country of Poland ... explaining to TMZ Sports he believes the trip would help educate the Nets star on Jewish history.

Gortat, who is not Jewish, was born and raised in Poland ... a country that experienced the terrors of World War II, Nazi Germany and the horrors of the Holocaust.

He told us out in LA this week that he found Kyrie's promotion of the antisemitic film "Hebrew to Negroes: Wake Up Black America!" to be "completely wrong" ... and he then extended the 30-year-old an invite to Poland to help him learn why he feels so strongly about it all.

"If he wants to learn something about the stuff he was talking about," Gortat said of Irving, "I can invite him to Poland and he will learn more about the whole situation."

Irving has issued an apology for his controversial tweet ... and after meeting with NBA commissioner Adam Silver and Nets owner Joe Tsai this week -- both men said they truly believe the basketball player is not antisemitic.

Irving's indefinite suspension, however, has still remained in place -- and it's unclear when the Nets will lift the ban.

Gortat, who played against Irving multiple times during his 12-year NBA career, wouldn't say whether or not he believed the punishment was fitting ... noting it was a team decision.