TMZ Sports - Page 39

Terry Price -- Texas A&M's defensive ends coach and former player from the Aggies "Wrecking Crew" -- has sadly passed away, the university confirmed to TMZ Sports on Friday.

He was 55.

Price has been coaching his alma mater since 2012, after successful stints with Ole Miss and Auburn.

Besides coaching, Terry was also known as a great recruiter who brought several stars to TAMU like Myles Garrett and Daylon Mack. Price was ranked as one of the top 25 recruiters in the nation by Rivals.

Prior to his coaching career, Price played on the Aggies' defense from 1986 to 1989, under coach Jackie Sherrill and R.C. Slocum.

Price was part of the infamous "Wrecking Crew" and captured two Southwest Conference championships between 1985 to 1987. He also led the defense in tackles during his junior and senior years.

Price was drafted by the Chicago in the 10th round of the 1990 NFL Draft and played two seasons with the Bears and Dolphins before returning back to school to finish his undergrad in sociology.

Price is survived by his wife and two sons, Alexander and TAMU receiver Devin, who recently graduated from college last month.

In fact, Price's last tweets were dedicated to his sons ... and how proud he was of their accomplishments.

Retirement looks REALLY good on Tom Brady ... 'cause the 7-time Super Bowl champ ditched his top during his yacht getaway in Greece -- and the dude looks pretty shredded!!

TB12 and his kids have been living it up on the luxurious "Madsummer" boat this week ... enjoying all kinds of watersports as they soak in some vitamin D.

But it hasn't just been Ben, Jack and Vivian testing out their skills in the water -- the 45-year-old daddy even showed them he's still down to partake in the fun and games ... getting out there and killing it while waterskiing!!

Brady rocked a wet suit for the occasion ... but once he was back on the yacht, he popped the top off to reveal he hasn't missed a step after hanging up the helmet earlier this year.

The former quarterback has been making the most of his extra time ... even questioning his parenting skills as he let the young ones ride around on handheld jet skis.

Marcus Smart is proving goodbyes aren't easy ... the newly traded NBA star just penned an emotional letter to Boston fans after the organization traded him to the Memphis Grizzlies.

"Where do I even begin...as I start to think about the last 9 years I have a lot of emotions running thru me," the 29-year-old wrote Friday on Instagram. "Boston, you are a very special place to me."

The 2021-2022 Defensive Player of the Year was part of a three-team blockbuster trade on Wednesday, involving the Celtics, Grizzlies, and Wizards ... and Smart, who spent his entire 9-year career in Beantown, was sent to Memphis.

Kristaps Porzingis was shipped to the Celtics and Tyus Jones is headed to Washington.

"I grew up here and met some of my best friends here," Smart said. "I'll never forget my time here."

"Ultimately we didn't get that 18th banner but I'm VERY VERY proud of the success we had."

It wasn't just an emotional send-off for Smart ... as many Celtics fans were dismayed over the trade, and expressed their frustrations on social media.

"Marcus Smart has been my favorite player since he was drafted in 2014, and Boston made the playoffs every year since," a fan said on Twitter after the trade. "Regardless of return, I’m very disappointed."

Another fan tweeted, "I am literally dead inside. Not Marcus Smart. There’s no way we traded Marcus Smart. I refuse to believe it."

Unfortunately for Celtics fans, the trade's real ... and now Smart gets a fresh start in Bluff City.

Victor Wembanyama's sister had a hilarious moment caught on a hot mic during the French superstar's big night at the NBA Draft ... when she asked out loud if she was suffering a wardrobe malfunction!!

The whole thing unfolded on Thursday's ESPN broadcast ... as the Wembanyama family was being interviewed shortly after the 7'5" phenom was selected by the San Antonio Spurs.

Eve -- who was wearing a low-cut blazer for the event -- looked down at her chest as she sat on the couch in between Victor and their brother, Oscar ... and openly asked in French, "Es qu’on voit mes seins?"

FYI -- in English, that translates to "Can they see my breasts?"

Oscar laughed at the inquiry ... and decided to help out by pulling Eve's blazer closer together.

Luckily for Eve, it appeared she was able to escape the situation without a nip slip.

Carson Wentz may be panned for his accuracy on the field, but not so much off it ... the NFL free agent QB took down a black bear with a bow and arrow, before posing with the animal.

As you might expect, reaction was ... umm, mixed.

The former Super Bowl champ showed off his kill on Friday with a photo of a black bear and his Hoyt Archery bow on a grassy field in the Last Frontier.

"Got the opportunity to spot and stalk black bear in one of our new favorite places on earth— Alaska!" Wentz wrote in the caption.

"Incredible trip and an incredible animal!"

Despite the hunt being totally legal in Alaska, the photo didn't sit well with a lot of people, who expressed their frustrations in the IG comments.

"Bro come on man. How can you take a living animal’s life like that? Ridiculous," one fan wrote while others said they were going to unfollow the former Eagles and Colts quarterback on Instagram.

Fans of Wentz will know this isn't his first kill. Carson grew up hunting in North Dakota. In fact, the 30-year-old hunted a deer in Indiana a few months ago and shared the footage on his YouTube page.

Wentz isn't the only NFL pro who enjoys hunting ... Jay Cutler, DeAngelo Williams and Derek Wolfe, who took down a mountain lion that was a threat to a local community earlier this year, are also avid hunters.

If Mark Zuckerberg really gets in the Octagon with Elon Musk, he'll have arguably the greatest fighter ever in his corner ... 'cause Jon Jones says he's down to train the Facebook billionaire!!

Bones took to Twitter Thursday night to offer his support to the 39-year-old Meta boss ... writing, "You already know I am Team Zuck ... Let me know if you need a training partner!"

As we previously reported, a fight between the two billionaires could actually happen ... with UFC honcho Dana White telling TMZ Sports both sides are serious about scrapping.

Of course, the weight difference between Elon and Zuck may pose a problem ... but Jones made it clear he'll be at the ready in case things move forward.

Jones' bond with Zuck goes back a few months -- in February, he commented on a video of Mark sparring with UFC champion Alex Volkanovski in the Metaverse ... saying the techy training looked like a blast.

Zuck wished him well ... replying, "Excited for your return!" ahead of Jones' first-round win over Ciryl Gane.

Now that one of the G.O.A.T.s is getting involved, the hype surrounding the potential fight is even greater.

Conversations continue between Elon Musk, Mark Zuckerberg, and Dana White ... and while the billionaires are itchin' to get their hands on one another, there's is an issue preventing the fight from being made official -- Elon's weight advantage.

Our sources tell us the guys are still serious about fighting in an Octagon, and as the UFC president told us yesterday, he's absolutely down to put on the fight ... but, Zuckerberg's size disadvantage has become an issue.

In fighting, size matters, a lot. Elon is 6'1", and reportedly weighs between 185 and 200 lbs. As for the Facebook founder, he's just 5'7", and reportedly weighs around 155 lbs.

Significant differences ... Elon has a 6-inch height advantage, and somewhere around a 30 to 45 lb. weight advantage.

To put that into perspective, Zuck would be a lightweight in the UFC. Musk would be a middleweight or light heavyweight ... a 2-3 weight class difference.

Typically, exhibition fights ignore weight classes ... Floyd Mayweather has fought a much bigger Logan Paul, for example.

But, just because the fight could technically be made doesn't mean Mark isn't hesitant to give up a sizeable advantage to his foe.

On Thursday, White joined "TMZ Live" and revealed he'd actually been having conversations with both men, who Dana says are "absolutely dead serious" about fighting in an Octagon.

Bronny James might be a college guy now, but the Lakers superstar's son isn't going to the dining hall anytime soon -- 'cause he grabbed dinner at an L.A. hot spot with USC head coach Andy Enfield and top recruit Isaiah Collier!!

The Trojans commit showed up at Catch Steak in West Hollywood in his Porsche 911 on Thursday ... where the group broke bread and, we're assuming, chopped it up about the upcoming season.

Bronny -- a four-star recruit out of Sierra Canyon -- recently announced he would suit up for the Trojans for college ball ... where he'll be joined by Collier, widely regarded as the top player in the class of 2023.

James also announced Thursday he will don #6 for USC ... the same number LeBron currently wears for the Purple and Gold.

Of course, 18-year-old Bronny's been used to living in L.A. for a few years now ... but it's gotta be a bit different now that he's the big man on campus.

Drake might be wearing Gradey Dick's jersey after all ... 'cause after the Toronto Raptors rookie gave Drizzy a shout-out at the NBA Draft, the rapper followed him on IG -- and Dick is hyped!

ICYMI, Toronto selected the former Kansas guard with the 13th overall pick in the draft on Thursday, which went down in Brooklyn, New York. Dick, while meeting with reporters, said his first mission as a Raptor was to become besties with Drake.

"Gotta get out there, see Drake. I haven't seen him a bunch, but I'm looking forward to that," the 19-year-old said at the press conference.

"[Becoming boys with Drake], that's the goal. I need him to wear my jersey. That's my priority."

Well, Drake got the message ... and since Dick's jersey won't be on sale yet, the Toronto rapper and Raptors super fan followed him on Instagram for the time being.

Dick was stoked and showed fans that the Champagne Papi verified account was officially one of his followers.

"Come on," Dick said. "Champagne Papi!!!"

It's safe to say Dick, who spent one season with the Kansas Jayhawks, had a GREAT Thursday ... Dream of being an NBA player fulfilled, and a follow from Drake.

Memphis Grizzlies general manager Zach Kleiman says he feels Ja Morant's 25-game suspension was "appropriate" ... telling reporters the face of the franchise needs to make some major changes during his time away from the team.

Kleiman answered several questions about the All-Star guard's punishment following Thursday's NBA Draft ... and while he claimed the two sides maintain a solid relationship, he made it clear the organization is "disappointed" in his recent actions.

"I think the discipline from the NBA was appropriate," Kleiman said.

"I think the thing to focus on at this point is ... what's Ja going to commit to moving forward? What are the steps that he's prepared to take for the NBA to grant the ability to rejoin the team after serving the suspension?"

The 23-year-old was hit with the ban after he flashed what appeared to be a gun for the second time in two months ... which, according to video obtained by TMZ Sports, he claimed was actually a lighter.

The National Basketball Players' Association ripped the suspension shortly after it was announced last week ... calling it "excessive and inappropriate."

But, Kleiman believes the league made the right call ... and the team has had good conversations with its star player about what he needs to do in order to get back on the court.

"I think there's a lot of healthy dialogue there," he added. "I think everyone did acknowledge early on that this was going to be ongoing and Ja wasn't just going to become the best version of himself overnight. I think there's many really serious steps that he needs to continue to take."

Ja apologized for the second gun video after the NBA's decision was handed down ... and he vowed to be a better role model to his fans.

Arnold Schwarzenegger's youngest son pumped iron Thursday morning at the gym his old man made famous forty-five years ago, and then reminded us of the similar paths their lives have taken.

Joseph Baena visited Gold's Gym in Venice, which is the same spot featured in the 1977 documentary "Pumping Iron" that helped launch Arnold into superstardom. Photogs snapped a post-workout pic of Joseph just as he passed an enormous poster promoting a new Netflix documentary about Arnold's life.

It's a poignant moment ... 25-year-old Baena in front of a poster for a doc celebrating his father, reminding us all of the similar roads they’ve traveled. Like Arnold before him, Joseph overcame humble beginnings to make it big, first as a bodybuilder and now as an actor.

In fact, Joseph’s movie career is blowing up just like his dad’s did when he was in his 20s … the younger man starred in three projects in 2022 and has five more flicks due out in the next year.

Making the whole thing even more surreal… Joseph is the spitting image of his dad, whose smiling face is front and center in the poster behind him.

Francis Ngannou is opening up about his recent face-to-face with Jon Jones -- where the two rivals got up close and personal -- and the former UFC heavyweight champ made it very clear it's still a fight he wants!

TMZ Sports talked to the 36-year-old MMA superstar days after the two towering men exchanged mostly pleasant, if not a bit tense, words at PFL 5 in Atlanta on Friday ... breathing new life into the fight fans want as much as any matchup in the sport.

"I think [it's possible]," Ngannou told us, adding a "cross-promotion" could be in store "in order to give the fans what they want."

"All the parties are down except for one," Francis said ... meaning the fighters and PFL are in, while the UFC is not (the promotion doesn't do cross-promotions with other companies).

Now that he's seen the bigger version of Bones Jones, we asked Francis about the heavyweight iteration of Jon.

"I will say I am more comfortable with a heavy Jon Jones than the Jon Jones of light heavyweight because of course, he gave an impressive performance against Ciryl Gane, but for the first minute, the first interaction and striking, he didn't look good."

Ngannou continued ... "He wasn't on point, as sharp as in light heavyweight, and for me that's the best -- I want Jon heavy! I want him heavier if he can put on more size."

Of course, Jones needed only half a round to beat Gane at UFC 285 in March, his first scrap at HW, but despite the win, Francis clearly wasn't impressed.

The Predator wholeheartedly believes Jon's in for a rude awakening if he thinks a fight with him would mimic the Gane bout.

"He never faced a guy like me, a real side heavyweight," Francis told us, explaining Gane was a perfect matchup stylistically for Jon.

"I think Ciryl was a perfect pro fighter to run into because there wasn't a threat. He's not a guy that's gonna knock you out with one shot."

The San Antonio Spurs just made the easiest decision in franchise history ... taking international sensation Victor Wembanyama with the first pick in the 2023 NBA Draft.

The 19-year-old French big man was the most hyped prospect since LeBron James ... in large in part due to his 7'5" frame, smooth ball-handling skills and impressive shooting ability.

In fact, Wemby was a massive betting favorite to have his name called first on Thursday at -50000 odds (you'd have to bet $50k just to win a hundred bucks).

Wembanyama was a star for the LNB Pro A's Metropolitans 92 this past season ... racking up 21.6 points, 10.4 rebounds and 3 blocks a game.

The selection was pretty much set in stone after the ping pong balls landed in the Spurs' favor at the Draft Lottery last month ... which was unofficially dubbed the Wemby Sweepstakes.

Wemby is already a massive star in the States ... as there have been massive crowds following him throughout NYC this week.

The rest of the draft will get a bit more interesting ... with stars like Scoot Henderson and Brandon Miller slated to round out the top 3.

One thing's for sure ... Wemby won't have to pay for a meal in San Antonio again.

Gradey Dick is not in Kansas anymore ... but the former Jayhawk is still paying homage to his home state nonetheless at the 2023 NBA Draft -- rockin' a "Wizard Of Oz" inspired suit!!

The shooting guard pulled up to the annual event at Barclays Center on Thursday looking just like Dorothy's famous red shoes ... and he told media members at the venue that there was absolutely no coincidence there.

"So, I'm from Kansas," Dick said while showing off the 'fit. "Dorothy has her little slippers, I got my Dorothy suit!"

Dick paired the shiny blazer with a matching turtle neck, some black slacks, some Christian Louboutin red bottom shoes and some sunglasses.

He also revealed he got a custom chain made for the momentous occasion too!!

It won't be long before you'll get to see the outfit on television -- many draft experts expect him to go within the top 12 picks later tonight.

As for the rest of the draft's prospects ... they didn't go quite as outlandish as Dick -- though they still looked stylish.

Victor Wembanyama -- the projected first overall pick -- wore a classic all-forest green suit, while UConn's Jordan Hawkins -- who won the NCAA title in April -- also kept it lowkey, wearing a crisp black suit and tie.

Meanwhile, Villanova's Cam Whitmore -- who's projected to go in the first round -- also wore a black suit ... but paired it with some custom kicks that have his high school and college jerseys painted on the side.

Travis Kelce says Ja'Marr Chase gave the Kansas City Chiefs some prime bulletin board material after dissing Patrick Mahomes last week ... warning the Bengals receiver he better back up his words on the field -- or it's gonna get ugly.

Remember, the former LSU star sparked some drama over his "Pat who??" comments when he was asked about the best player in the NFL ... to which Mahomes responded with a pic wearing his Super Bowl rings, saying, "That's who."

Kelce addressed the beef on his "New Heights" podcast with his brother, Jason, this week ... saying, "I thought it was a little bold. The guy is a two-time league MVP, two-time Super Bowl MVP."

"It is what it is, dog. Who doesn't love some good locker room banter, man?" he added. "Shoutout to Ja'Marr Chase for holding it down for his QB, but don't you ever disrespect Pat Mahomes, now."

"If you wanna talk your s***, talk your s***, pimp. You just better back it up."

Unfortunately, the Chiefs will have to wait until New Year's Eve to get revenge on Chase and the Bengals in an AFC Championship Game rematch ... but we're sure the guys in K.C. aren't going to forget about his words anytime soon.

Bronny James will honor his dad, LeBron James, during his freshman year on the USC Trojans hoops team this fall ... wearing jersey number 6, the same number as his pops.

The University of Southern California confirmed the jersey number news on Thursday, sharing a photo of Bronny in the cardinal and gold threads.

Remember, the former Sierra Canyon star wore 0 during his high school career, explaining it was a tribute to his favorite NBA player, and his dad's former teammate, Russell Westbrook.

Bronny also previously wore #23 in honor of his dad.

Of course, King James first wore #6 in Miami in 2012, before ultimately switching back to 23, and then returning to 6, which he now wears for the Lakers.

But, Bron isn't the first great player to rock the digit ... Julius Erving, Ben Wallace, and Bill Russell also wore the number. In fact, the NBA retired #6 leaguewide after Russell passed away last July, a way of honoring the 11-time champ.