TMZ Sports - Page 50

Ryan Blaney is just days removed from the biggest moment in his racing career ... so, how's the 2023 Cup Series champion celebrating?! TMZ Sports asked the NASCAR star.

"I'm going on vacation this upcoming weekend, so I'm excited for that!" Blaney told us ... adding the vacay was planned before winning the title, but it certainly makes the trip "even more special now," according to the driver.

But, even more so than a boy's trip, Blaney says he's looking forward to spending time with the team behind the great season.

"I'm excited to go to our race shop [Wednesday] to see everybody. See all the men and women who are a part of Team Penske in North Carolina. So that's gonna be another special moment to spend with everybody."

Blaney, at just 29 years old, secured the coveted title with a second-place (behind Ross Chastain) finish during Sunday's season finale at Phoenix Raceway ... earning Ryan enough points to win the Cup Series title!

Ryan comes from a racing family ... his dad Dave made nearly 500 NASCAR starts. Grandpa was a driver, too -- mostly on dirt tracks -- and the racing lineage was a huge inspiration for the new champion.

"I was lucky enough as a kid to grow up around it, with my dad racing, him coming from dirt tracks just like my grandfather and I just saw it at a young age. As a kid, I just wanted to do what my dad did. I was fascinated by it, so he was obviously a huge part of getting me going, and supporting me throughout the way."

Ryan continued ... "Still having my family in my life the way they are, supporting me week in and week out, supporting me in my adulthood, is something that I can never thank them enough for."

FYI, Kyle Larson, William Byron, Christopher Bell and Denny Hamlin rounded out the Cup Series standings.

As for when he turns his attention to next season ... here's what Ryan told us.

"Now. But at the same time, I'm still gonna enjoy this one. I don't want to look ahead too much."

Blaney continued ... "I think when it gets to the New Year, when January rolls around, 'Okay, it's time to go back to work! What do we have to do to get another?' But until January, I'm enjoying this one, and then I'll focus on the new one!"

The holidays are right around the corner, and Kim Kardashian and her SKIMS marketing elves are hard at work, this time with a little assistance from one of the biggest names in sports.

Check out the latest SKIMS campaign to drop Thursday, featuring none other than Kansas City Chiefs superstar Patrick Mahomes, and his wife Brittany with their adorable kiddos; 2-year-old daughter Sterling and 11-month-old son, Patrick, "Bronze."

The family is helping Kim's brand launch its annual Holiday Shop with items for the whole family ... including the winter-must-have, fleece.

We gotta say, the pics are pretty cute, and the whole family appears to be having a good time -- surrounded by teddy bears and gifts.

As for the campaign itself, Patrick seems pretty pumped, adding, "This is our first campaign as a family, and shooting for SKIMS all together was an awesome moment."

It was Snoop Dogg and his family who did the honors for the SKIMS holiday campaign last year, with 3 generations of the rapper's family appearing in photos ... but the pivot to an athlete makes a lot of sense considering the recent launch of SKIMS Men's line.

Logan Paul turned his U.S. Championship belt into a censor bar this week -- the WWE Superstar posted a completely naked shower snap on social media ... with only his new, shiny addition covering his junk!!

The Maverick -- who won his first wrestling title over the weekend after beating Rey Mysterio at Crown Jewel -- shared a few snaps of his life as the champ on Thursday ... and let's just say he's been getting some quality time with the hardware.

The 28-year-old clearly wouldn't let his new belt leave his side as he went about his daily routine -- spooning in bed with his fiancée, Nina Agdal, enjoying a rooftop stogie, working out ... and even when he was rinsing off!!

A lot of Logan's followers cracked jokes in the comments ... with one person saying, "Nahhh no one is wearing that belt after the last pic 😂" and another going a bit more blunt by adding, "Bro got his meat all up on da belt."

It's been an insane start for Logan's wrestling career -- the dude has fought big names like Roman Reigns, Seth Freakin' Rollins, Ricochet and The Miz over the past year and a half ... and now, he can finally call himself a champion.

Matt Ulrich's wife, Alison, is speaking out after the former NFL player's death ... sharing an emotional post on Facebook where she remembered him as a great father, coach and friend.

"Our beloved, one-of-a-kind Matt has passed away and is in a better place," Alison wrote.

"Matt, we love you so so much. You are profoundly missed. We all want you back for just one more day."

Ulrich met Alison in the early 2000s when he was a star offensive lineman at Northwestern ... and the couple went on to get married and have four sons together.

In her post, Alison heartbreakingly said she wished she could have "One more hug. One more kiss. One more laugh. One more joke. One more wrestle with the boys" with him.

"It seems impossible to do this life without you," she said. "Please pray for peace and comfort for the boys. They have lost their greatest fan, coach and friend."

As we previously reported, Colts owner Jim Irsay announced the death of Ulrich -- who played two seasons for Indianapolis in 2005 and 2006 -- on Wednesday via the X app ... sharing his thoughts and prayers to the family.

"I am heartbroken to hear of the passing of Matt Ulrich," Irsay wrote. "Matt was with us only two seasons, but left his mark on many."

Ulrich joined the Colts as an undrafted offensive guard ... and he went on to win Super Bowl XLI with Peyton Manning, Marvin Harrison and Dwight Freeney.

A fundraiser was launched for his family following his passing ... and so far, it's raised almost $40,000.

A cause of death has not been announced at this time. He was only 41.

Victor Wembanyama got the opposite of a warm welcome in his first game at Madison Square Garden ... 'cause a bunch of ruthless Knicks fans made it clear they're not believing the hype surrounding the hoops phenom -- chanting "overrated" in the middle of the game!!

Of course, the San Antonio Spurs' No. 1 overall pick ruffled some feathers with the home crowd prior to Wednesday's matchup with New York ... when he said the Mecca wasn't as big as he expected.

Knickerbocker backers promised to give the 19-year-old hell as a result of his comments ... and they held true to their word throughout the contest -- booing and heckling the 7'4" hooper every chance they got.

Their efforts may have worked ... 'cause Wemby didn't have his best outing -- going 4-14 from the field en route to 14 points, 9 rebounds, 2 assists and a block.

Some people on social media weren't too pleased with the Knicks fans' antics -- saying it's wild to make such a claim eight games into his career ... especially when he's had some amazing performances in the Association so far.

A husband's going viral for putting a Taylor Swift tip jar in his house, and making his wife pay up for every mention of the pop star OR her boyfriend, Travis Kelce!

Maryland resident Dana Rice shared the clip of her hubby's new "invention," showing him clearly fed up with the Taylor/Travis chatter going on around their home these days ... prompting him to tape a sign with the new house rules on a tall glass.

It says, "Any mention of T. Swift and you owe $0.25" ... adding, "I can't take it anymore." And yes, there's a footnote reminding Dana the Kansas City Chiefs star is included in the deal.

Dana says she became a Swiftie when Taylor launched her "Eras" tour back in March ... and now fellow fans are coming to her defense in the comments -- one jokingly wrote, "25 cents is a small price to pay to spread the gospel."

Dana slips up pretty early, BTW ... saying they both were recently on 'SNL' -- referring to their brief cameos last month on the show's season premiere. As you know, that's when the entire country was goin' nuts over their relationship.

As we reported, the duo was spotted holding hands in NYC before their brief appearances on 'SNL' ... and they also hit up the show's after-party together.

It took just seconds for Peyton Manning and Luke Bryan to talk about Taylor Swift during the CMAs on Wednesday ... and, unfortunately for New York fans, the reference led to a hilarious crack about how terrible the Jets have been this year.

The NFL Hall of Famer and the country music star hosted the annual awards show ... and as part of their roles as anchors, the two gave an opener full of jokes.

Of course, that meant there was definitely a mention of Swift and her new relationship with Travis Kelce ... which then turned into a jab at the 4-4 Jets.

"Luke," Manning said into the mic onstage, "you know the difference between Taylor Swift and the New York Jets?"

"Uh, Taylor can sell out a stadium?" Bryan responded ... before Manning cracked, "You nailed it!"

The barb was met with a mix of laughs and groans -- before Manning chuckled, "I had you do that punchline, Luke, so I wouldn't get in trouble."

The duo's opener also included Peyton singing some country music classics ... as well as a quip about Eli Manning getting a face tattoo in honor of Jelly Roll.

Alan Foster -- who cofounded the Big Baller Brand -- is dragging the Balls to court once again ... this time he's suing LaVar Ball, Tina Ball, LaMelo Ball as well as PUMA, alleging they screwed him out of hundreds of millions of dollars.

Foster's claims were spelled out in a new lawsuit filed in federal court in California earlier this week ... some four years after he had a falling out with the Ball family over the BBB business.

In the suit, obtained by TMZ Sports, Foster says as part of his role at BBB, he helped develop Melo's brand.

Foster alleges he came up with the "MB1" line for the Charlotte Hornets point guard when the hooper was just a teenager -- and then he filed for several trademarks for it. Foster claims it all eventually led to the creation of Melo's first signature shoe, the MB1 -- which he says was highly successful.

However, Foster says a few years later ... in an attempt to push Foster out of the company, LaVar created a second version of BBB -- and tried to transfer over Foster's trademarks to cut him out of the "huge profits" from the successful brand.

In addition, Foster says when Melo ultimately signed a lucrative shoe contract with PUMA, the basketball player and the apparel company infringed on his trademarks when they created their new signature shoe, the MB.01.

"LaMelo was instrumental in creating his first signature shoe with Big Baller Brand," Foster wrote in the suit. "He was fully aware of the existence of the LaMelo Trademarks -- he helped design them!"

Foster continued, "He knew that his Big Baller Brand signature shoe was called the 'MB1' and that the name was protected by federal trademark. Yet, despite his knowledge of all of this, LaMelo willfully and deliberately chose to name the signature shoe he created and designed with PUMA the 'MB1' in violation of the LaMelo Trademarks."

Foster alleges the damages he's sustained over it all exceed $200 million.

Of course, this is not the first time Foster has gone after LaVar in court ... he previously sued after alleging LaVar used BBB company money to fund his lavish lifestyle.

Tyreek Hill officially has another ring ... TMZ Sports has learned he just married his longtime fiancée, Keeta Vaccaro!!!

According to court documents we obtained, the former Super Bowl champ and Vaccaro -- the sister of ex-NFL star Kenny Vaccaro -- tied the knot on Wednesday afternoon while in Travis County, Texas.

The ceremony had been a long time coming ... as Hill initially asked for Keeta's hand in marriage way back in 2021.

During his extravagant proposal, Hill popped the question with a giant diamond ring that the wide receiver said he put in serious effort to make sure was better than his SB bling.

"She's definitely got the most diamonds, man" the 29-year-old Miami Dolphins star told us at the time. "We made sure of that, you know what I'm saying?!"

Hill will now have plenty of time to celebrate being a newlywed ... the Fins are on a bye -- so he won't have to start prepping for a game until next week.

Victor Wembanyama better prepare for the most hostile environment when he takes the court for his debut at Madison Square Garden on Wednesday ... 'cause the NBA star just pissed off the entire Knicks fanbase for downplaying the iconic venue.

The No. 1 overall pick in the 2023 NBA Draft was speaking to reporters ahead of the Spurs' matchup against New York ... when he was asked about playing in the Mecca for the first time.

The 19-year-old certainly seemed unenthused with his response ... saying, "It’s not as big as I expected, but still the vibe is here."

Wemby's remark was shared all over social media ... and of course, the Knicks fans didn't take it well.

"He gone learn todayyyyyy 😂😂😂😂!" one Knicks fan said on Instagram ... while another hilariously added, "Oh I'll show you big, Mr. Wobblymama."

"That’s cause you big as hell ... don’t disrespect the Garden," a Knicks backer echoed. "You see how we treat Trae Young when he come here 😂😂."

Of course, that user is referring to the hell Knicks fans put the Atlanta Hawks star through over the years -- chanting "f*** Trae Young" and more ever since he became the current villain for the entire organization.

Knicks fans AND players are prepared for Wemby ... especially Mitchell Robinson, who said earlier this week he knows how to handle a 7'4" guy like Victor.

"I'm not really worried about the tallness s***," the 7-foot center said. "Just go out there and play hard."

And Mitch knows he can count on Knicks fans to be loud as hell during tonight's game after Wemby's "diss."

FYI -- MSG seats 19,500 people ... and yeah, it's gonna sound like that in a few hours.

Frances Bean Cobain and her new hubby, Riley Hawk, are bonded by matrimony -- and now it appears they're getting ready to call a new spot home for their early years.

Kurt Cobain's only daughter and Tony Hawk's oldest son were spotted out near their Oceanside, CA home Tuesday ... where they appeared to be getting situated in what looks to be a big move -- possibly even them settling into their newlywed nest.

The couple wasn't actually pictured together ... each running separate errands -- with RH doing the heavy lifting with the furniture, and Frances hitting a store.

Of course, what everyone wants to see is if they're rocking wedding bands ... and yes, they most certainly are. FBC has a traditional gold ring, whereas Riley has a sportier rubber one.

We broke the story ... their marriage certificate revealed they actually exchanged vows on Oct. 7 here in L.A. -- but it would appear they prefer to spread out closer to San Diego, albeit ... still right by the beach.

They've been linked as a couple since at least 2021 -- so a good 2 years of dating went a long way ... and their famous extended fams have obviously been introduced/mingled too.

Ex-MMA fighter Javier Baez didn't just body slam a crazed knife-wielding assailant; he also "choked him out" ... telling TMZ his 15 years of pro training finally came in handy in the streets.

As we reported, the shocking clip making the rounds online shows Javier's attacker, Omar Marrero, didn't stand a fighting chance when he charged ... even though he had a 14-inch knife in his hand.

Javier tells us it all started while he was minding his biz, sitting in his car and talking to his fiancee -- he says that's when Marrero banged on his car window, shattering it.

He told Marrero to beat it, and warned he was going to call the police, but Omar brandished the giant knife -- and while some people would've driven off at that point, Javier stepped out of his car and the fight was on!

As you've seen, Javier body slammed Marrero to the ground, but what's harder to see is that he also blocked the knife by applying a chokehold ... which made the assailant pass out.

He then called the cops, and Marrero woke up with Javier's foot on his back.

With his amazing piece of ass-kicking going viral, Javier says he's getting a slew of calls from folks who want to hire him for personal and self-defense training.

Irina Shayk was spotted walking into Tom Brady's condo building on Wednesday ... and she arrived in a curious fashion -- considering she just recently vented about the coverage of her dating life.

The supermodel showed up to the lavish New York City complex wearing an all-black, leather outfit ... opting to walk through the front door near paparazzi -- as opposed to the building's more discreet, private entrance away from cameras.

It was a peculiar decision ... because she had just said in an interview with Elle that she couldn't stand the attention her love life has drawn.

What's even more interesting ... it's unclear why she was even there -- as our sources say she and Brady are not back together after splitting last month.

For her part, Shayk didn't want to talk about her romance with Brady or if she and Bradley Cooper have reignited their relationship during her chat with Elle ... saying to the inquiries, "No comment."

As we reported, Shayk and Brady began dating over the summer and continued to see each other despite her posting photos of herself topless while out vacationing with Cooper. They, however, split in October, after sources close to the situation told TMZ things just "fizzled out."

Shayk was then seen spending Halloween night with Cooper, wearing matching costumes while trick-or-treating with their daughter.

Chicago Bears legend Dick Butkus died after suffering a stroke last month, according to the death certificate obtained by TMZ Sports.

We broke the story ... the Hall of Fame middle linebacker passed away on October 5 in his Malibu, CA home, and now we know what happened to the beloved football star.

The certificate, issued by Los Angeles Department of Health, shows "cerebrovascular accident" -- known more commonly as a stroke -- as the immediate cause of death.

There were secondary causes listed as well ... including atrial fibrillation (an irregular heartbeat) weeks prior to his death, and dealing with high cholesterol and atherosclerosis (thick/hardened arteries) for years.

The document also points out Butkus underwent coronary bypass surgery in 2001.

Fittingly, Butkus' occupation is listed as "linebacker" ... considering he was one of the best to ever play the position. His business, no surprise, is the National Football League, where he dominated for nine seasons.

As we previously reported ... paramedics responded to a call for a patient in cardiac arrest at Butkus' residence in Malibu at 12:51 PM. He was pronounced dead at the scene.

Zion Williamson won't be suiting up for the New Orleans Pelicans' matchup against the Minnesota Timberwolves on Wednesday ... an announcement that came just a few hours after his pregnant girlfriend posted a picture from a hospital bed.

The 23-year-old former No. 1 overall pick was officially listed as "out" for the road contest for "personal reasons" ... and his partner's recent social media activity might explain what exactly sparked his absence.

Zion and his lady, Ahkeema, announced back in June they were having a baby girl with a lavish gender reveal party ...  and she recently stated she was 38 weeks along in her pregnancy.

So, there's a chance Williamson's first child could be here soon -- if not already -- and naturally, he'd want to be around his girl for the monumental moment in his life.

Of course, Zion was over the moon when he first went public with his upcoming fatherhood ... even sending his future kid a special message.

"My baby, you’re going to see this at some point," Williamson said in a touching vid. "I don’t know what the future holds, but mommy and daddy love you."

"If you don’t know nothin' else in this world, know that mommy and daddy love you -- for life."

Former NFL player Matt Ulrich -- who won a Super Bowl with the Indianapolis Colts in 2006 -- has died, Jim Irsay announced Wednesday. He was 41 years old.

Details surrounding his death have not been revealed at this time.

Irsay shared his condolences on X just minutes ago ... saying even though the offensive guard was with the team for a short time, his presence was felt throughout the organization.

"I am heartbroken to hear of the passing of Matt Ulrich," Irsay said in a heartfelt post. "Matt was with us only two seasons, but left his mark on many."

"Great guy, I hear he was a great dad---and he was a Super Bowl champ.  My prayers to his family. 🙏"

Ulrich was a star athlete at Streamwood High School in Illinois ... receiving high honors in football and shot put before attending Northwestern.

Ulrich -- who went undrafted -- joined Indy in 2005 ... appearing in 10 games in his career, winning it all alongside Peyton Manning and Co. at Super Bowl XLI.

He started a fitness company in retirement ... and also ventured into business.

A fundraiser was set up to support Ulrich's family following the athlete's sudden death ... with nearly $30,000 being raised over the past 18 hours.

Tom McMakin -- the CEO of Profitable Ideas Exchange, where Ulrich worked -- donated $20k for the cause. TMZ Sports spoke with McMakin ... and he said Ulrich had the biggest heart in Montana.

"Matt had love and energy for everyone he met," McMakin said ... adding Ulrich was heavily involved in the community by coaching his kids' football teams and providing speed and strength training for young athletes.

McMakin also praised Ulrich's brain and leadership -- assisting on multiple boards for causes throughout the area and raved about his success in the office.

"An NFL lineman is usually scary ... but Matt immediately put you at ease," McMakin said. "He was a gentle giant."

Tom also commended Ulrich for continuing to focus on his health following his playing days ... pointing out the athlete had lost 40 pounds in recent years and was in "peak condition."

As for why he decided to make the substantial donation, McMakin said, "He helped build our company and he was the heart and soul to the business. It's the least we could do."