TMZ Sports - Page 6

The Miz says the WWE is big enough for TWO Paul bros ... telling TMZ Sports if Jake ever wanted to follow Logan's lead and have a career in the squared circle, he can be just as great as the Maverick!!

We spoke with Miz out at LAX this week ... and given Logan's meteoric success in the promotion -- after all, the dude just went toe-to-toe with Roman Reigns -- we had to ask if the Problem Child could become a problem in the WWE as well.

"If he has the heart, the dedication and the mind to step in and do what Logan did to get to where he is, then [the] sky's the limit," the former WWE Champ said.

"Logan was the fastest person I've ever trained that got it," he continued. "It was incredible. He's been able to do a lot of great things."

Miz applauded Logan for his ability to pick up the craft quickly ... especially after going up against the Undisputed WWE Universal Champ in just his third fight.

"For him to come into WWE in a short amount of time to learn what he's learned is incredible," Miz said. "If Jake can do the same, that's a pretty good tag team."

Miz says if Jake ever competed with his brother inside a WWE ring, it will take time to develop chemistry with one another ... which only comes over time.

"I think they're used to that kind of entertainment aspect, but it's getting the stuff inside the ring down," Miz says.

Ultimately, Miz knows Jake receives a lot of flack despite his undefeated boxing record, but he believes the 25-year-old can enjoy success in the WWE, too, if he applies himself.

"If he dedicates himself to WWE and what we do, who knows? I could see it. It would be great."

The Houston Astros will have more than just a championship ring to celebrate their World Series win ... the team is also getting custom diamond pendants too!!!

TMZ Sports has learned ... the bling is coming courtesy of Houston rapper Trae Tha Truth and celeb jeweler Iceman Nick -- who were so pumped that the home team got the dub over the Phillies this month, they wanted to get them some drip to show their appreciation.

A total of 60 chains were made by the duo after Houston locked up the Fall Classic ... and most members of the Astros' org. -- including players, coaches, owners and some staff members -- will get them.

The gifts are pretty awesome ... they feature an Astros logo that's encrusted in diamonds. And, we're told each pendant is valued at $5,000!

Some players received the ice at a ceremony on Wednesday -- and the guys were stoked over the new jewelry. Others members of the title squad, we're told, will get them delivered at a later date.

The University of Virginia football team will not play its game against Coastal Carolina on Saturday ... following the tragic deaths of three of its players on Sunday night.

The school just made the decision ... revealing the game will not have a makeup date. Officials said the Cavaliers' season finale against Virginia Tech on Nov. 26 could be canceled as well, though no ruling has been made on that contest yet.

Coastal Carolina officials said they had no issues whatsoever with the decision ... with head coach Jamey Chadwell saying in a statement, "We all stand in solidarity with UVA."

The cancelation is not a surprising one ... after linebacker D'Sean Perry and receivers, Lavel Davis and Devin Chandler were shot and killed on a bus on campus after returning to the school from a class field trip.

Two other UVA students, including Cavaliers running back Mike Hollins, were also injured during the shooting as well -- and at a news conference on Tuesday, head coach Tony Elliott said he and the team were understandably having a hard time processing it all.

A former UVA running back, Christopher Darnell Jones Jr., has been accused of being the gunman in the horrifying incident. He's since been arrested and hit with multiple charges -- including three counts of second-degree murder.

Jones Jr. appeared in court for a hearing on the matter on Wednesday morning. No bond was given -- and his next court date was set for December.

Ric Flair came up with a convenient way to get everyone high on his signature weed ... by using his own ganja blower to get smoke in fans' faces!!

The WWE legend threw on one of his famous robes and got the party started in a recent video ... saying, "Ric Flair Drip go Wooooooooooo!!"

The Nature Boy then used the weed blower (if that's what it's called) to blow potent smoke in the faces of those around him ... and you can tell the 73-year-old was having the time of his life.

"Let’s Wake Up To Ric Flair 💧! See You Soon Vegas! WOOOOO!," the 16-time World Heavyweight Champion captioned the video.

As you know, Ric joined his friend, Mike Tyson, in the cannabis business earlier this year, with the former heavyweight boxer collaborating with Naitch on his "Ric Flair Drip" line.

In September, the two icons linked up for an epic toking sesh ... smoking blunts after attending a cannabis conference in Chicago.

According to Benzinga, Ric's cannabis line includes many products that pay homage to Flair's fondness of flowers, vape cartridges, sweets, pre-rolls, and flower jars.

Flair is taking his brand to Sin City next ... and it appears the Hall of Famer isn't coming empty-handed.

Patrick Beverley says an OKC ball boy was so furious he injured Russell Westbrook during the 2013 NBA playoffs the guy actually threatened to kill him over the controversial play!

Beverley told the story during a recent episode of The Pat Bev Podcast ... sharing the wild story with his co-host, Rone, and guest Dave Portnoy.

PB says it all went down during the first round of the Western Conference Playoffs ... when the Rockets played the Thunder.

During the 2nd quarter of game 2, Westbrook, who was taking the ball up the court, was about to signal for a timeout when Bev, guarding Russ, lunged in an attempt to steal the ball, inadvertently contacting Russ' knee.

Westbrook suffered a torn meniscus, ending his season, and turning Beverley into public enemy #1 in the eyes of many OKC fans, including the ball boy, who presumably blamed Pat for the injury.

"I had a ball boy threaten to kill me over the Russell Westbrook injury," Pat said. "I get to OKC the next game, the police officers in front."

"They put a police car in front of my house in Houston. I get to the hotel, I'm on the floor by myself. They passing out papers of a young guy's face ... he threatened to kill me."

Pat says his head coach at the time, Kevin McHale, warned him Westbrook's injury had become a hot topic ... and the attempted steal was at the center of the controversy.

But, despite at least one threat to his life, Beverley says he was never phased and was actually upset he didn't come face-to-face with the ball boy.

Deshaun Watson has taken another huge step toward finally returning to NFL gameday fields ... he just made his way back to Browns practice Wednesday -- as his 11-game suspension is officially set to end next month.

The Cleveland quarterback wore full pads for the workout ... and was seen throwing balls at full strength. He appeared to be in good spirits -- at one point, seemingly pointing into a camera that was filming his drills.

Wednesday marked the first day Watson was allowed back at practice since he was initially hit with the ban following retired judge Sue L. Robinson's ruling that he was inappropriate with multiple female masseuses.

Watson was able to play in the preseason for Cleveland as part of the stipulations of the suspension -- though once the regular season began, he was forced to get lost until this week.

Deshaun still has to sit for the Browns' next two games ... but he'll finally be eligible to come back in Week 13.

Cleveland coaches have already said he'll be the starter when kickoff time rolls around for the Dec. 4 game.

Karl-Anthony Towns' birthday dinner wasn't short on booze ... 'cause the NBA star was sippin' on some good stuff throughout the night -- including a cognac that comes with an insane price tag!!

The Timberwolves star was surprised by his family and friends when he arrived at a venue with his longtime girlfriend Jordyn Woods on Tuesday -- his 27th birthday.

The place was decorated nicely for the occasion ... from a massive "27" sign to a ton of balloons and sparklers -- and a birthday cake featuring his T-Wolves jersey.

The bash also had hookah, several bottles of lavish Chateau and a high-priced Louis XIII cognac which, according to sites, sells between $4k to $10k!!!

It didn't stop there ... Woods -- who went official with the 3-time All-Star in 2020 -- gifted him a dope bracelet with his name engraved in diamonds.

"Your heart is what I fell in love with and your enthusiasm is what keeps me going," Woods said in a touching post on Instagram.

"I could go on forever but they already know I don’t play about YOU! Happy Birthday to my baby @karltowns ❤️ I love you!"

Looks like KAT had a blast ... and will be able to sober up before Wednesday night's game.

Tom Brady, Gisele Bündchen and Steph Curry -- plus a host of other huge-name athletes and celebs -- have all been sued following the collapse of FTX ... a popular crypto exchange app that they all endorsed.

The class action lawsuit was filed in a Florida federal court on Tuesday ... just days after users of the FTX platform lost their shirts when the co. suddenly collapsed and filed for bankruptcy.

According to the lawsuit, FTX honcho Sam Bankman-Fried created a fraudulent cryptocurrency scheme "designed to take advantage of unsophisticated investors from across the country."

Attorneys in the lawsuit allege Bankman-Fried enlisted Brady, Bundchen, Curry, Shaquille O'Neal, Udonis Haslem, David Ortiz, Trevor Lawrence, Shohei Ohtani, Naomi Osaka, Larry David and Kevin O'Leary to help him facilitate the plan.

The attorneys pointed to an ad that Brady and Gisele did together back in 2021 ... where the two asked everyone they knew if they'd join them on the FTX platform.

The suit also claims an ad featuring Larry David, which, ironically enough, showed the comedian being skeptical of crypto, also contributed to millions of Americans signing on to do business with the org.

Everything fell apart last week, though -- after the company essentially didn't have enough money to cash users out.

They say the NFL is a copycat league, but Vikings defensive back Kris Boyd isn't trying to hear that ... especially when it comes to teams mimicking postgame celebrations.

Boyd unleashed on the Commanders and Taylor Heinicke ... after video surfaced of the QB iced out in chains, celebrating his team's stunning upset over the Eagles on MNF.

Kris' issue ... Heinicke's celebration was reminiscent of Kirk Cousins', when the Vikings signal-caller rocked a bunch of big chains, topless, on the plane after beating the Commanders (Taylor's team) in Week 9.

Cousins, typically a mild-mannered guy, was an entirely different person on the plane, and social media couldn't get enough.

Well, Boyd wasn't fond of Heinicke and the Commanders seemingly imitating them ... and he didn't hold back, calling out the team and player for seemingly copying his squad.

"Stop trynna f***ing be us…Lames…He couldn’t hold Kirk jockstrap!! Find your own trend!…Y’all shit don’t even look like y’all having fun enjoying it," 26-year-old Boyd tweeted.

Sheesh!!! 😲😲😲

Kris isn't apologizing for what he said, either, explaining ... "I go hard behind my team man….There is no other way around it. These guys are like my brothers. A huge family from all corners. And it’s nothing but major love!! Minnesota Vikings is my family and I don’t play when it come to us!! Point blank period!💜💛💜💛"

Unfortunately, the Vikings and Commanders already played each other ... but with Minnesota at 8-1 and Washington at 5-5, there's an ever-so-slight chance the two could meet in the playoffs.

And, if they do play ... Boyd has a prediction for how the game will go.

"Idgaf! We gone whoop both they ass they cross our path again!😤💜💛💜"

A Danish journalist was threatened to have his camera destroyed on live TV ahead of the World Cup in Qatar ... and now, officials are apologizing for what they're calling a mistake.

TV2 reporter Rasmus Tantholdt was doing a live hit in Doha ... when three men pulled up on a golf cart and tried to put an end to the segment while on air.

During the tense interaction, Tantholdt -- who displayed his media credentials -- accused the men of threatening to break his camera ... saying, "You invited the whole world to come here, why can’t we film? It’s a public place."

"You can break the camera, you want to break it? You are threatening us by smashing the camera?"

The clip quickly went viral on social media ... leading the event's Supreme Committee for Delivery & Legacy to release a statement on the matter -- saying the Danish outlet was "mistakenly interrupted."

"Upon inspection of the crew’s valid tournament accreditation and filming permit, an apology was made to the broadcaster by on-site security before the crew resumed their activity," the committee said.

The organizers also say they discussed the matter with Tantholdt ... adding they "issued an advisory to all entities to respect the filming permits in place for the tournament."

The decision to host the massive sporting event has been met with harsh criticism ... including allegations of strict rules for media coverage in Qatar.

Folks have also been critical of Qatar's handling of human rights leading up to the World Cup ... with reports of several worker fatalities in preparation for the event.

On top of that, many take issue with the emirate's views on the LGBTQ+ community ... as well as strict limitations on sexual interactions and alcohol consumption and lackluster living conditions for fans.

College basketball is back  -- and so is Dick Vitale, babyyyyyy!!

The voice of college hoops made his triumphant return to the mic on Tuesday to call the Kentucky vs. Michigan State game ... after missing most of the 2021 season to undergo treatment for cancer and vocal cord surgery.

"It's the best medicine I can have, sitting courtside," the 83-year-old said during the broadcast.

"I tell you one thing, it beats laying in the hospital doing chemotherapy -- I can guarantee you that!"

It's been a battle for Vitale. He was diagnosed with multiple forms of cancer last year, but he never stopped fighting. Then, in August, he announced he's once again cancer free!

During the broadcast, Dickie expressed praise for everyone who supported him ... saying it's one of the reasons he beat the disease.

"I just can't say thank you, thank you, thank you, to so many who encouraged me and inspired me to really battle, and to win that battle."

Gisele Bündchen and jiu-jitsu instructor Joaquim Valente have raised a lot of suspicion as to possible romantic ties, but we at least now know one of the reasons he's traveled with her to Costa Rica ... he's training her and Tom Brady's kids.

Sources close to Gisele tell us the kids, Benjamin and Vivian, are homeschooled and have a team travel with them to make sure they're receiving all the necessities for their education. We're told there's a full-time teacher who travels to teach the kids their basics -- and Valente as well -- it's also not the first time the group has made the trip to Costa Rica together.

Our sources say Valente handles the physical education aspect of the homeschooling -- which makes sense considering he's trained them in jiu-jitsu -- after connecting in Miami.

Nonetheless, it does feel odd Valente was able to up and leave his jiu-jitsu biz back home for several weeks while he's with Gisele and crew ... though you gotta imagine the money is good.

While it's not 100% clear where Gisele and Joaquim stand, we still haven't seen any PDA, and our Gisele sources are adamant -- there's nothing romantic. However, one source close to the former couple still believes the timing of the trip is interesting considering her and Tom just finalized their divorce.

Super Bowl-winning NFL coach Bruce Arians was forced to take time away from his position with the Tampa Bay Buccaneers last month ... after severe chest pain left him in the hospital for four days.

70-year-old Arians -- who has faced a number of health-related issues over the years -- revealed he experienced the most recent scare before a game against the Atlanta Falcons, when he had some friends over for dinner.

"We ate and I got these pains way up here, like two knives going in," Arians told Ira Kaufman. "The more I tried to take a breath, the worse it got."

The Bucs' special advisor says he took some antacids to try and ease the pain ... but when it continued to get worse, his wife, Christine, called 911.

Arians was then stretchered out of his home and taken to Tampa General Hospital.

The longtime coach says docs initially believed he suffered a mild heart attack or pericardial effusion ... before determining he had myocarditis -- an inflammation of the heart that makes it difficult to pump blood.

"Thankfully, the scans showed no fluid, no heart damage and absolutely no blockages," Arians added. "They had a cardiac radiologist look at everything and they ended up giving me anti-inflammatories."

The health scare kept him sidelined from the Bucs for a few weeks ... and he hasn't traveled to away games since.

Despite all he was going through, Arians says he stayed in contact with TB offensive coordinator Byron Leftwich to give his takes on the team's performance.

Former Univ. of Kentucky hoops star Isaac Humphries -- who now plays in Australia's NBL -- revealed he's gay in a super emotional talk with his teammates on Tuesday.

Humphries sat down with his Melbourne United squad inside a team meeting room to make the announcement ... and he fought back tears as he explained the truth about his sexuality.

The 6-foot-11, 255-pound center said hiding his real identity had taken a massive toll on him, and it nearly led to death by suicide a couple years ago.

"I fell into a very dark place, a very lonely place," the 24-year-old said. "I couldn't be who I am and I attempted to take my life."

Humphries said "coming to terms with the fact that I'm gay" was extremely difficult. He revealed to his teammates that he "hated" himself and was "disgusted" by it all.

"I thought that I could not be that person in our environment, within a basketball environment," Humphries said.

Isaac, though, explained that after joining up with Melbourne United earlier this year, he became more and more comfortable with things. He said their open and welcoming culture allowed him to feel like himself, and led him to come out this week.

Now, Humphries said he wants to be a role model to the many others who are in his shoes.

"We as professional athletes have a responsibility to set examples for people," Humphries said. "The truth is there are so many other people in other worlds that are struggling every single day and don't know how to get up. Don't know how to exist. And I know how that feels. And I want to represent those people. That's my goal behind this."

The NBA immediately shared its support for Humphries in wake of the news, saying in a statement, "We are proud and grateful to Isaac for sharing his story. We know the real impact his honesty and courage will have on many others."

Humphries, who played alongside De'Aaron Fox, Bam Adebayo and Jamal Murray during his time at Kentucky, has had brief stints with NBA teams following his Wildcats career ... but has starred in the NBL since 2020.

Fivio Foreign is having a hard time wrapping his head around 21 Savage calling Nas "irrelevant" ... and not only because he was featured on Nas' Grammy Award-winning album a couple years ago.

TMZ Hip Hop linked with Fivio Tuesday at LAX, and he was quick to crown Nas "King of New York" in wake of 21's slander.

The way Fivio sees it ... after 28 years of prolific music making, Nas has earned carte blanche status in the rap game, and can legitimately have zero fear of ever being obsolete.

Fivio was a guest on Nas's "King Disease" -- for the track, "Spicy" -- which took home the Best Rap Album Award at the Grammys in 2021.

Fivio also saluted Kodak Black who also gave 21 a piece of his mind regarding the Nas slander, but says the best course of action for artists nowadays is to focus on their own lane.

He also deployed a 4-3 defense for another New Yorker -- the "Big Drip" rapper wouldn't stand for us giving NFL great Eli Manning's recent time in the booth a negative review!!!

Fivio maintains Eli did his thing on the new song "Giants on 3," which was recorded with another #10 ... Super Bowl XLII champion Shaun O'Hara.

Keep your fingers crossed, Dallas fans ... according to Jimmy Johnson, the Cowboys could very well end up getting Odell Beckham Jr.!

TMZ Sports got the former Dallas head coach out in NYC on Tuesday ... just two days after the Cowboys blew a big lead to the Green Bay Packers and fell to 6-3 on the season.

Johnson made it clear to us, he thinks Big D could use another wideout in its offense to prevent a similar loss from happening again ... and he seems to believe Odell could easily be the solution.

The Cowboys have openly pursued the former Rams star for several days now -- with guys like Micah Parsons and Ezekiel Elliott recruiting him hard through the media -- but no contract has been signed yet.

Johnson thinks it'd be a big deal for Dallas to ultimately get him ... explaining to us if Dak Prescott has the right pieces around him, the QB "can win a championship."

As for Odell's side of things, he's getting closer and closer to 100 percent after hurting his knee last February ... and is reportedly looking to latch on with a new team in the next couple weeks.