TMZ Sports - Page 50

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."

Legendary college basketball coach Bob Knight has passed away, his family announced Wednesday. He was 83 years old.

"It is with heavy hearts that we share that Coach Bob Knight passed away at his home in Bloomington surrounded by his family," a statement by Knight's loved ones said. "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."

"We will continue to celebrate his life and remember him, today and forever as a beloved Husband, Father, Coach, and Friend."

Knight -- AKA "The General" -- is one of the most successful coaches in NCAA history with 902 Division I wins ... leading the bench for three programs (Army, Indiana and Texas Tech) from 1963-2008.

Knight was a three-time champion as the Hoosiers' head coach ... winning it all in 1976, 1981 and 1987. He also went to the Final Four five times during his time in Bloomington.

Before becoming a coach, Knight played at Ohio State, where he helped the Buckeyes win a national championship in 1961.

At 24 years old, Knight took over at Army ... where he would coach future Duke Blue Devils legend Mike Krzyzewski. Coach K also served as Knight's assistant before going to Duke.

Knight became the Hoosiers' head coach in 1971 ... spending 29 seasons with the program, including 24 NCAA tournament appearances and 22 20-win seasons.

The Hoosiers went a perfect 32-0 en route to a national title in the 1976 season ... the most recent team to ever do so.

Knight also coached Team USA to an Olympic gold medal in 1984.

Knight -- known for his hot temper -- infamously got ejected during a game against Purdue in 1985 after getting angry over a foul call.

Knight's time in Bloomington ended in controversy -- after he was captured on video choking former player Neil Reed in 1997, the school implemented a zero-tolerance policy toward the coach ... and he was fired after student Kent Harvey accused Bobby of grabbing him by the arm for referring to him as "Knight."

Knight was hired as the Texas Tech head coach in 2001 ... where he would lead the Red Raiders to a Sweet 16 appearance in 2005.

He retired from Texas Tech in 2008 ... and his son, Pat, took the reins.

Knight coached several future NBA stars during his career ... including Isiah Thomas and Mike Woodson.

After retirement, Bobby worked for ESPN as an analyst until 2015.

Knight was inducted into the Naismith Basketball Hall of Fame in 1991 ... and the College Basketball Hall of Fame in 2006.

Knight was hospitalized back in April with an "acute illness" ... and the Indiana program asked his supporters to pray for him.

A baseball fan is suing MLB star Jorge Soler ... claiming he hurled a ball into the stands during a 2021 World Series game that ended up causing an "excruciating injury to her right eye."

The lawsuit was filed by Mayra Morris in Georgia on Oct. 25 ... nearly two years after she says Soler caused the injury during one of the Braves vs. Astros championship games at Truist Park in Atlanta.

Norris claims she, her husband and her brother-in-law had seats for the Oct. 29, 2021 contest near the right field grass ... when in the fifth inning, Soler changed her life completely.

She alleges the then-Atlanta Braves outfielder hit her "directly" in her eye after he threw a baseball into the stands during a break in the action "with great force, speed, and intensity."

In the suit, Norris says Soler's toss was not "incidental to the game or any warm-up between players." She also says that after she got checked out by medical personnel, she was diagnosed with multiple fractures, an edema, and an infra-orbital abrasion ... which will require long-term medical care.

She's suing Soler and the Braves for unspecified damages.

Meanwhile, Norris' husband, Scott Norris, is also listed as a plaintiff in the suit ... after he alleges the "loss of companionship, love, affection and intimacy" as a result of the incident.

The Braves did not have a comment on the suit when reached this week ... according to Atlanta News First.

One greedy mom is getting blasted by the internet for emptying an entire bowl of Halloween candy left outside a Texas home ... a heist she pulled with her children in a matter of seconds!!!

The spooky season mercenaries were caught on musician Cody Tate's ring camera after he put out a generous helping of candy for trick-or-treaters ... so he could settle in at home, undisturbed, to watch the World Series.

However, an unidentified woman paid little attention to his sign clearly instructing people to take just ONE piece of candy.

You can see in the video she races to the bowl with a group of kids ... and they all frantically grab handfuls of sweet treats and shove them in their bags.

Seemingly oblivious to the camera, the smirking woman in a gray hoodie -- potentially the kids' mother -- ensures everyone's bags are full to the brim, takes one last look at the bowl and then leads her fleeing crew.

Cody, who plays guitar in the southern rock band Whiskey Myers, was pretty devastated and posted the vid and said "this is why you can't trust people" -- and added he was particularly shocked to see adults behaving like this.

He wants justice, though, and asked his followers to repost the video, and try to identify the perpetrators, who, he pointed out, ruined Halloween for all the other kids who hadn't come by yet for candy.

Luckily, it wasn't a lost cause as one of Cody's kind-hearted neighbors saw the candy grabbing caper in real time, and came over to restock the bowl with candy.

Golf influencer Paige Spiranac is addressing the speculation surrounding her boobs once again -- adamantly denying she got any work done ... claiming it's just the result of weight gain.

The social media star -- who boasts nearly 4 million followers on Instagram alone -- was interacting with fans on Wednesday ... when she was asked if she's fed up with people asking whether she got implants.

As it turns out, Paige says it's not annoying -- she actually understands why people would be curious ... saying, "No, because they've actually gotten a lot bigger."

"So, I can see a lot of people being confused by like, [how they were] when I first started this."

Paige -- who went on to say she's "always had a chest, but not like this" -- explained her boobs get bigger and smaller whenever her body type changes ... and there's nothing more to it.

"It's just ... the human body is a magical thing."

The former Maxim Sexiest Woman Alive has a history of getting candid about her body -- as we previously reported, she once had to delete comments on one of her posts to combat the idiots who were shaming her weight.

"Honestly the amount of men calling me 'fat' on this post is next level lol," the 30-year-old said back in September 2022.

Vontae Davis has avoided further jail time in his DUI case ... TMZ Sports has learned after cutting a plea deal with prosecutors last month, the ex-NFL star was sentenced to 12 months probation.

According to court records, Davis made the pact with officials on Oct. 23 ... agreeing to plead no contest to a lesser charge of reckless driving.

In exchange, prosecutors agreed not to move forward with the other charges against Davis.

As part of his sentencing, the 35-year-old former Buffalo Bills defensive back was also ordered to pay fines and fees and cover the medical bills for the folks injured during the incident. He also must complete 50 hours of community service.

Davis had been facing six total charges -- including DUI -- stemming from allegations that he drunkenly crashed his Tesla into the back of a Toyota truck on Feb. 4 in Broward County, Fla.

The scene of the accident was terrifying ... both vehicles were totaled -- and shortly after the crash, Davis was seen appearing to be fast asleep next to the wreckage.

To make matters worse, Davis -- who played in the NFL for 10 seasons and made two Pro Bowls -- could seemingly hardly stay awake while being questioned by cops in the back of a squad car.

He did, however, ultimately tell officers he had drank two "mixed drinks" before getting behind the wheel. He added, though, he had no recollection of the car accident.

Elon Musk and Mark Zuckerberg, the biggest fight that never happened, ain't dead just yet ... 'cause the billionaire X owner says he's still ready to beat up Zuck!

52-year-old Musk joined Joe Rogan's JRE pod on Tuesday ... when the convo turned to the fight with the 39-year-old Facebook founder. For the first time, Elon explained, from his perspective, why negotiations broke down, torpedoing the bout.

“Italy actually was willing to let us use the Coliseum,” Musk told Rogan.

“I was like, well, can’t turn that down. Then I was like, well, if it’s going to be in the Coliseum, I like UFC and everything, but we don’t have tons of ads in UFC branding on the Coliseum 'cause it’s a place of great history. You don’t want to have it be all like NASCAR. And then Zuck pulled out.”

Of course, talk of the fight between the two ultra-wealthy moguls started around the time Zuck launched his X-competitor, Threads. Elon tweeted he was "up for a cage match," and Mark responded, channeling Khabib, saying ... "Send me location."

And, we were off ... unfortunately, a deal never materialized, and Zuck accused Musk of screwing around with no intention to actually fight.

"[Zuckerberg] accused me of not being serious, and I said, ‘Listen, at the end of the day, I’ll fight you any place, anywhere, under any rules,’” Elon told Joe.

As for who'd win the fight, Elon's clearly heard the people who say Mark would kick his ass because of his jiu-jitsu experience. He doesn't agree.

“I’m like 50% heavier than him,” 6'2", 240-ish lb. Musk said.

“I’ve got my patented 'walrus' move. I just lie on him. A walrus doesn’t need martial arts training because it’s really big.”

Bottom line ... the fight may be on life support, but Elon's indicating there's still a chance it goes down, and he says he's ready to crack right now.

“I don’t need any time, no time at all."

Kirk Cousins is in great spirits after going under the knife to fix his torn Achilles ... sharing a positive update from his hospital bed.

The Minnesota Vikings quarterback went down with the injury in the fourth quarter of Sunday's win over the Green Bay Packers ... officially ending his 2023 campaign.

Despite the circumstances, Cousins was all smiles following his procedure Wednesday morning ... giving a big thumbs up as he showed off his new purple cast wrapped around his right leg.

"Surgery was a success!" Cousins said on X ... adding he enlisted popular doctor J. Chris Coetzee of Twin Cities Orthopedics in Eagan, Minnesota for the job.

"Grateful for your prayers, Dr. Coetzee’s abilities, and our medical team. Would appreciate continued prayers! One day at a time…"

The Vikings -- 4-4 so far this season -- will now look to move past the injury ... trading for Josh Dobbs prior to Tuesday's trade deadline. Jaren Hall will get the start.

Cousins has been a trooper in the days following his ailment -- he even showed up to the team's trick-or-treat event and signed autographs for young fans on Monday.