TMZ Sports - Page 50

Adam Silver is lovin' the NBA's new collaboration with Kim Kardashian's SKIMS underwear brand ... so much so the commissioner was actually wearing 'em when TMZ Sports spoke with him this week in NYC!

We caught up with the 61-year-old commish just days after the NBA announced its multi-year partnership with SKIMS MENS ... which Kardashian recently introduced.

In fact, KK used OKC star Shai Gilgeous-Alexander as one of the models for the SKIMS MENS launch ... in addition to Neymar Jr. and Nick Bosa. The line did millions of dollars in sales in minutes upon launch.

But, is the product any good? Silver's clearly a big fan!

"Although I'm not going to show you, I'm wearing them right now," Adam told us.

"I strongly recommend them to everyone."

Silver even believes the undies could help the players perform better on the court.

"When guys are more comfortable, makes them play better," Silver said. "So yes, gonna have a direct impact on the game."

Speaking of playing better, LeBron James is fresh off a monster game ... scoring 35 points, grabbing 12 rebounds, and dishing out 7 assists in 42 minutes against the Clippers.

Even though Nick Saban might look like he got into a fight with Francis Ngannou this week ... he revealed Thursday his eye is actually busted up because he's been screaming too much.

Many had been wondering what was wrong with the 72-year-old coach after he had been spotted in public multiple times this week with an eyeball seemingly full of blood.

Pat McAfee even joked with the Alabama honcho during his appearance on the "Pat McAfee Show" early Thursday morning -- asking if the seven-time national champion had suffered an injury squatting too much.

Initially, Saban said he had no idea what was wrong ... but during his hit on his weekly radio show on Thursday night, he announced it was simply a wound he got from yelling at his Crimson Tide players.

"[The doctor] comes to see me after practice today," Saban said. "And, he looks at me and he said, 'You been coughing?' And I said, 'No.' And he said, 'You know, you can get this from yelling.'"

"He said, 'You got it from yelling. There's nothing wrong with you. You just got it from yelling. You busted a blood vessel in your eye from yelling too much.'"

Saban and his cohosts got in a good laugh over it all ... with Nick even joking of his appearance, "It looks like I've been in a gang fight and my gang didn't show."

Saban should be fine going forward ... as the Mayo Clinic describes the issue as a "harmless" one that should subside in just a few days.

Megan Thee Stallion has a lot of baggage to unpack from this year -- and the load appears to be aimed at her ex-boyfriend/collaborator Pardison Fontaine!!!

On "Cobra," her first solo track of 2023, Meg delivers on her promise to bring "raw topics" to the forefront ... addressing her haters while also speaking on depression and even ideas of suicide.

Many fans were also left with the impression Meg takes a huge bite into Pardi when she raps ... "Man, I miss my parents, way too anxious, always cancel my plans/Pulled up, caught him cheating/Getting his d*** sucked in the same spot I'm sleeping!!!"

Pardi has yet to respond to Meg’s cheating accusations … but he did turn off his IG comments -- yeah, Meg’s Hotties were big mad!!!

The two rappers emerged as a couple in 2021 and were lovebirds for 2 years, but things looked shaky when Pardi took on poetry for the first time ... with a cryptic message that pointed to the split.

The end of their relationship was confirmed when Megan was spotted at a wedding with soccer star Romelu Lukaku in May ... and entered her new era, stepping out in a fully see-through bodysuit, shortly after Tory Lanez was found guilty of shooting her.

Pardi’s moved on himself -- he sent flowers to dancehall singer Jada Kingdom shortly after Meg's song dropped, something she proudly posted on social media.

Pardi and Jada have been linked since September ... and some fans think she's the woman he was with when Meg allegedly caught him.

Breakups happen, but rap's biggest critic Joe Budden thinks Meg and Pardi should work out their differences ... for the sake of her music's quality.

In other words, JB thinks Meg needs Pardi's pen, but now folks can decide for themselves if they like her new solo stuff.

Tennessee Titans star Treylon Burks was strapped to a backboard and carted off the field after suffering a scary injury during Thursday night's game ... but, thankfully, he now appears to be doing OK.

The terrifying moment happened late in the fourth quarter of Tennessee's tilt with the Steelers in Pittsburgh ... when Burks attempted to make a circus catch to keep a late-game Titans drive alive.

The 23-year-old jumped up for the ball, grabbed it with two hands ... but when he came crashing to the grass, it slipped from his grasp as his head and neck slammed violently into the ground.

Burks lay motionless for several moments ... before trainers and medical personnel rushed to stabilize him.

The wide receiver -- a former first-round pick -- was eventually taken to the locker room ... where Titans head coach Mike Vrabel said he was showing positive signs of recovery.

"He's alert, moving," Vrabel told reporters after the game. "I'll have more of an update hopefully tomorrow, but he's back there being evaluated. But, I would say that the way it looked -- it's probably better than how it looked."

Texas Tech security didn't have to worry about fans invading the football field on Thursday night -- but they did have to deal with an opossum storming the pitch ... and the animal was sure pissed off when guards wouldn't let it continue its jaunt.

The wild scene played out at the end of the first quarter of the Red Raiders' game against TCU in Lubbock, Texas ... when an opossum somehow broke into Jones AT&T Stadium and made its way onto the field.

Broadcast cameras showed the marsupial got to the 15-yard line ... before security went to chase it down so play could resume.

Eventually, officials were able to corral it with an animal snare pole ... but you can see, the little beast was not pleased at all to be detained. In fact, it hissed and showed its teeth the entire time that it was being dragged away.

The opossum was ultimately removed from the stadium ... and the game went on -- but after TTU was able to beat TCU, 35-28, its fans asked to keep the critter!!

"Our lucky possum!!!" one Red Raiders supporter wrote on social media.

Seems the school is at least somewhat open to the idea ... its president was actually seen petting the opossum following the incident -- and the team ended up making a pic of the little guy its background image on X.

BMW's ready to come-a-knockin' for Kroy Biermann's luxury whip ... the company's asking a judge to let it take back a Rolls-Royce he allegedly hasn't paid for in over a year.

According to the new docs, obtained by TMZ, Kroy failed to respond to BMW within the allotted time ... after the company filed, months ago, for a writ of possession. That's legal-ese for ... we're ready to repo the damn car!

With Kroy going radio silent, BMW wants the judge to give 'em the green light to get the car back from the former NFL linebacker.

TMZ broke the story, BMW sued Kroy in June for allegedly missing his lease payments on the $400,100 luxury SUV.

The docs claimed he owed $5,297.64 per month from July 2020 to July 2023 -- totaling a whopping $190,715.04 -- but the company says his last payment was in September 2022.

Don't forget, the repo request comes as Kroy and Kim Zolciak are deep in the hole financially amid their messy divorce.

The 2 recently asked a judge to push pause on the foreclosure of their mansion -- adding the scheduled November 7 auction going through will mean they will suffer "irreparable injury to the marital estate depleting it in its entirety."

Big Boi's performance at a college football game went south real quick when he decided to share the stage with an owl that wasn't exactly feeling the vibe ... and tried to fly the coop, real quick!

Here's the deal, BB hit the stage in Georgia after Kennesaw State University's game with one of his pet owls, Kennesaw State's mascot is an owl, on his arm -- obviously thinking it would be the perfect crowd-pleaser. Ahhh, the best-laid plans of owls and men!

It did NOT go as planned, as you can see in the video... the owl got spooked right away during Big Boi's Saturday night performance and tried to fly away, but he was leashed to rapper's gloved right hand.

Sleepy Brown did his best to distract the crowd while Big Boi called in some help -- hopefully from a professional handler -- and the show went on, but it made for an awkward walk-out nonetheless.

He also shared a clip of him and the owl before the game and, at least backstage, it seemed chill.

Kennesaw State hasn't had a live owl mascot in a few years and its current mascot Scrappy is a costume.

Dan Dakich spent 16 years with Bob Knight as a star player and coach, and while "The General" was certainly a hardass many times, his former pupil revealed another side of the legendary Indiana University coach ... the funny side!

"The dude was hilarious. He comes off as this big, mean, 'I'm gonna go crazy on everybody,' and he did. Let's be honest, he did. The man would go nuts on you and make you do things you never thought your body was capable of doing, but he was hilarious, honest to God," the Outkick host told TMZ Sports.

The 61-year-old continued ... "He was a guy's guy. You could crack on him if he was in the right mood. If we won a few games. And he was certainly gonna crack on you."

As for his prowess on the bench, Dan says Knight's "the best basketball coach I've seen."

Dakich played for Bobby at IU from 1981 to 1985 ... where he served as a team captain during his junior and senior seasons.

Right after graduating, DD went to work with Knight as a graduate assistant until 1987, when he became a full-time assistant coach. Dan remained with Indiana until 1997 when he left to become the head coach at Bowling Green.

Ja'Marr Chase could look more like Ja'Marr Uno this weekend ... 'cause after striking an agreement with Chad "Ochocinco" Johnson this week -- he's promised to recreate one of the Bengals legend's epic touchdown celebrations!!

The deal was consummated on Thursday afternoon ... after the Cincinnati superstar initially offered it to Johnson during his media availability earlier in the day.

Chase told reporters if the former Bengals wideout would pay the fine, he'd go and grab a broadcast camera after scoring a TD just like Johnson did nearly 16 years ago.

And, it didn't take for Johnson to shake on the pact ... because just minutes after he became aware of Chase's words, he tweeted out, "Say less I’ll pay the fine."

Chase, of course, will now have to find the endzone against the Buffalo Bills on Sunday night in order to try to duplicate the celly ... though it shouldn't be too hard for him, considering the tear he's currently on.

Chase has recorded 31 catches in his last three games ... and he's scored four times in that time frame as well.

It's Jimmy Garoppolo's birthday, and as a present, the Las Vegas Raiders sent him well wishes on social media ... something fans are absolutely roasting the team for -- 'cause they just benched the QB hours prior!

Las Vegas moved on from the signal caller on Wednesday, opting to go with fourth-round pick Aidan O'Connell moving forward.

But, in an apparent effort to extend an olive branch to the now 32-year-old quarterback ... the team gave him a shout-out on its X page on Thursday morning.

"Join us in wishing Jimmy Garoppolo Happy Birthday!" the Raiders wrote. "#RaiderNation."

Of course, many in Black and Silver found the gesture cruel since the team had just moved on from the QB ... and his head coach, Josh McDaniels.

"Y'all messed up for this 😂," one fan said. "He gets benched then y'all wish him happy birthday 😂 he's probably like 'don’t wish me s***!!'"

Another Raiders supporter commented, "Benched em then telling us to wish em a happy bday? Cold game 😂😂😂😂."

However, some took the opportunity to dance on Jimmy G's grave ... after he didn't do much to help the 3-5 team this season.

"Happy Bench Day, I mean birthday 🎂 😂," one fan commented.

Surprisingly, this isn't the first time an NFL star has been benched on their cake day ... it happened to Andy Dalton when he was with the Bengals as well.

"I think people don't get to see how caring he was, how loving he was. He loved his players. he loved his team. He loved his school. And he was always giving back."

That's former Indiana University star turned college basketball head coach Steve Alford joining Babcock on the TMZ Sports TV show (airs weeknights on FS1) ... opening up on the death of his coach and longtime friend, Bob Knight.

Alford played for the legendary figure in Bloomington between 1983 and 1987 ... winning an NCAA National Championship as a senior. Steve averaged 19.5 points per game over his standout college career and graduated as Indiana's all-time leading scorer (Calbert Cheaney later surpassed SA atop the list).

Knight's accomplishments on the court are nearly unmatched ... he led his team to 3 National Championships, 5 Final Fours, and 11 Big Ten titles. He was named the AP Coach of the Year 3 times, and Big Ten COY 8 times. He was also inducted into both the Basketball and College Basketball Hall of Fame. Coach Knight won 902 games over 42 seasons.

For all his accolades, Alford says Bobby did just as much for the players away from the hardwood.

"[Coach Knight] was a mentor, he was a father figure. He taught us about life as much as he did about playing the game of basketball, which was immense. He was as good as it got on the court," Alford said.

Steve also told the story of Bobby's recruitment of him ... when he was Indiana's Mr. Basketball in high school in 1983.

"When he made his home visit to our home in Newcastle, he only gave me 4 promises," Alford told us.

"He said 'you'll play with great teammates.' I have incredible teammates. 'You'll play for championships.' That happened, both conferences and nationally. 'You're gonna get your degree.' That happened in 4 years, and 'you're gonna have a friend for life.' Those were the promises coach made."

Knight (as well as Steve's dad, who was a coach) left a huge impression on him ... so much so Alford obviously because a head coach, too. Alford, who was previously the head coach at UCLA, is now the HC at Nevada.

The General's family announced the sad news Tuesday afternoon.

"It is with heavy hearts that we share that Coach Bob Knight passed away at his home in Bloomington surrounded by family. We are grateful for all the thoughts and prayers and appreciate the continued respect for our privacy as Coach requested a private family gathering, which is being honored."

Israel Barona, a surfing star in Ecuador and Olympic hopeful, passed away following a medical emergency in his hotel room in Central America this week.

He was only 34.

The National Civil Police (PNC) reported the death of Barona on Tuesday, announcing the young surfer suffered seizures in his hotel in El Zonte, La Libertad.

"He was taken to a hospital, however he was already deceased," PNC said on X.

"Homicide is ruled out" ... indicating there was no foul play.

The Ecuadorian Olympic Committee confirmed the sad news, saying the surf champ was in El Salvador for a competition when he died.

"The Olympic Movement extends its heartfelt condolences to the Barona Matute family, following the death of the great athlete of Team Ecuador Surf, Israel Barona Matute," the committee said on Tuesday.

"Rest in peace, champion."

Barona's surfing career started when he was 10 years old ... and he won several national championships. He repped Ecuador at the World Surfing and Bolivarian Games.

Israel also coached the sport with his sister Dominic Barona who is one of the best female surfers in Latin America.

Fans and fellow surfers paid tribute to Barona on social media, including Rafael Romero who called him "a great friend and mentor of the ocean ❤️."

Ex-NFL quarterback Ryan Leaf believes he wouldn't be where he is today if it weren't for Matthew Perry ... crediting the late "Friends" star with playing a pivotal role in his sobriety.

Leaf -- who's approaching 12 years clean after battling drug and alcohol addiction in the past -- poured his heart out about his friend on his "Straight Line" podcast with PointsBet this week ... just days after 54-year-old Perry was found dead at his L.A.-area home.

The former No. 2-overall pick kicked off his tribute by stating Perry was "instrumental in my recovery" ... before going into detail about how the actor offered his support without hesitation over a decade ago.

"I got out of prison and when I got to Los Angeles, Matt put his arm around me immediately," Leaf said. "And he carried me for like, the first six months probably in Los Angeles, trying to learn how to be a sober person really in a public platform."

"I don't know if I’m here right now, being able to do stuff like this -- or anything -- if it weren’t for him, and him sharing his story and making me understand that you can be a guy in the public eye that everyone knows and still be sober, be humble and be about helping other people."

Leaf explained even as Perry dealt with his own drug, alcohol and mental health issues over the years, he didn't ever leave his side and continued to assist in the athlete's sobriety.

The 47-year-old said his takeaway from the tragedy is Perry was so much more than a TV star -- he was a guy who wanted to help others, and that's how he will remember him.

"There's a lot of people that I owe for the life I now have, get to live ... and he's certainly at the top of that," Leaf said.

Kayla Nicole might not be with Travis Kelce anymore, but she had no issue getting the best seats in the house when the Lakers hosted the Clippers on Wednesday -- enjoying the contest from a courtside view.

The model and fitness influencer appeared in great spirits as she celebrated her 32nd birthday a day early at Crypto.com Arena ... seemingly blocking out all the outside noise related to her ex's new relationship with Taylor Swift.

Of course, KN recently spoke out about Kelce's new romance ... saying she had to distance herself from the situation by unfollowing her good friends Patrick and Brittany Mahomes on Instagram to protect herself.

While Kayla and Travis' romance is dunzo, there was still love in the air at the game -- recently-married Lakers owner Jeanie Buss and comedian Jay Mohr couldn't help but share a kiss while LeBron James and Co. secured the 130-125 win in overtime.

The arena was packed with star power -- popular K-pop group LE SSERAFIM also got to check out the Purple & Gold in their custom L.A. jerseys ... and the Laker Girls paid tribute to the quintet by doing a dance to their hit song, "ANTIFRAGILE."

The ladies also had a special meet and greet with Laker legend Magic Johnson, who fanboyed out and asked for a pic outside the arena.

Chaewon, Kazuha, Eunchae, Sakura and Yunjin were really into the game ... going crazy for the home team after the final buzzer -- so it really was a "Perfect Night" for the group.

Actor Jeremy Renner proved once again he's doing well after his serious accident earlier this year ... smiling from ear-to-ear as he caught the action from the front row.

Other big names include Swae Lee, Latto, Mike WiLL Made-It, internet star Corinna Kopf, Jimmy Iovine and Clippers owner Steve Ballmer, who might be the only celeb who didn't go home happy.

Everyone in attendance didn't get to check out the Clips' newest star, James Harden ... who wasn't available to play following his big trade from the Philadelphia 76ers.

The Texas Rangers won the World Series and then they dominated the postgame celebration ... sucking down a ton of beers and bubbly -- all while they blared Creed on the sound system!!

Corey Seager, Nathan Eovaldi and the rest of the guys threw the epic locker room party just a few minutes after they beat up the Diamondbacks, 5-0, at Chase Field in Arizona.

Manager Bruce Bochy got everything kicked off with a congratulations speech -- praising his team for its 4-1 Series win ... and then for a while, the guys got after it.

They dumped bottle after bottle of champagne and Budweiser on each other ... pausing only to make sure they sang Creed's "Higher" -- their unofficial postseason anthem -- as loud as possible.

The fiesta got so rowdy that at some points the guys filled buckets full of beer ... and then they doused each other in the suds.

Eventually, the dudes packed it in to fly back home to Texas ... and you can see in a video of the aftermath of their celebration, it looked like dozens -- if not hundreds -- of bottles of alcohol were spilled during the party.

As for the on-the-field action, Seager made history ... becoming just the second position player ever to win World Series MVP honors. Bochy, meanwhile, logged his FOURTH W.S. title with the victory.

And, Creed made sure to shout out the guys following the dub ... writing on X, "Congratulations Rangers!"

Francis Ngannou knows what he wants next ... telling TMZ Sports the clear choice is a rematch with Tyson Fury!

We talked to 37-year-old Ngannou on Tuesday ... just days after his incredibly impressive performance against 35-year-old Fury, and asked one of the most coveted athletes in all combat sports who and/or what he wants now that the world's at his fingertips.

"The rematch is what I want next the most," Ngannou told us.

"As for right now I feel like there is a lot of options for me, but I want to choose wisely, and I would go for the rematch first."

Before Tyson and Francis ever threw a punch at each other, Fury already had his next fight booked vs. Oleksandr Usyk. Ngannou thinks he and Fury should settle their business (the rematch) before the boxing champs scrap.

"My best scenario in boxing is to wait for Fury. If Usyk can step out and let me fight Fury, I'll fight Fury, then I'll let them do whatever they do. I'll go back, maybe do some MMA fight and come back with some people in boxing," Francis said.

"I'm planning to fight potentially twice next year, [starting] maybe February or March."

Of course, despite losing by a split decision on the judge's scorecards, many fans believe Francis beat Tyson ... so, we asked The Predator if he plans on appealing the decision.

"Who am I gonna appeal to? [The British Boxing Commission]? I have no chance. I think that's just another way of humiliation."