TMZ Sports - Page 2

Broncos fans are going to love this ...

Terrell Davis tells TMZ Sports Sean Payton has made such a huge impact since taking over the Denver reins this offseason ... it actually reminds him of the way Mike Shanahan turned around the team in the 1990s.

"It's different already," the former Broncos tailback said. "In terms of just the energy and the vibe around the building."

"This reminds me of Mike Shanahan when he first came to Denver," added Davis, who played for the legendary Denver coach from 1995 through 2001, winning two Super Bowls. "A lot of things that Mike did, it sounds like Sean Payton is the same type of coach."

One of the biggest positive changes Davis has noticed already with the team is the workman-like mentality the players have adopted.

He tells us he's not seeing nearly as much activity on social media from the guys  -- and it appears everyone is far more focused on winning games than they were last year, when they piled up an abysmal 5-12 record.

"They're just working," Davis said. "He's changing the culture there. He's putting his own stamp on things behind the scenes."

Davis, though, tells us he's not necessarily expecting immediate results in Year One ... explaining he's anticipating some growing pains in Payton's first season with a new franchise.

But, he is predicting a huge jump for Russell Wilson nonetheless ... telling us "this is exactly what Russ needs."

Zoey Stark has been making a name for herself since being drafted to "Monday Night Raw" ... but the former NXT star is ready to become a champ on the main roster -- and wants to go through WWE Smackdown Women's Champion Rhea Ripley to make it happen!

TMZ Sports spoke with Stark just days after she defeated Natalya to qualify for the Money in the Bank Women's ladder match with help from her friend, Trish Stratus ... and she's already envisioning going toe-to-toe with the Judgement Day member in the squared circle.

"I really want Rhea Ripley," Stark said. "I feel like we can have an amazing match. I feel like we'll have great chemistry inside of a ring together. And we'll have a fun time doing it, and honestly, we'll beat the crap out of each other. And I think that would be fun to watch."

Stark's on-camera relationship with Trish blossomed after she helped Stratus defeat Becky Lynch at "Night of Champions" ... and Zoey told us she attributes her early success on RAW to Trish's mentorship.

"Trish has been very big in helping me," Stark said. "Every week, we sit down, and we talk about what could have been better, what do I need to fix. She's been an amazing mentor. So being able to work alongside her is so fun, and I'm truly blessed to be able to do that."

Before Stark can get her hands on Rhea, she'll have to defeat several competitors at the Money in the Bank Ladder match, slated to go down Saturday, July 1, at the O2 Arena in London ... but she assured us she's going to emerge from that match victorious.

She also gave Haley & Hanna Cavinder some advice after the twins recently made their first WWE appearance on NXT ... reminding the former college hoopers that becoming a WWE Superstar requires sacrifice and commitment.

Despite all the negativity surrounding Zion Williamson and his personal life, his stepfather is offering a public show of support for his son, saying he stands by the NBA star ... while reminding people to "believe half of what you see and nothing you hear."

Williamson's stepfather, Anderson Lee, indirectly addressed the swirling rumors which started when porn star and OnlyFans model Moriah Mills blasted the Pels star this week, while at a Zion Williamson Foundation event in Louisiana.

"And I wanna say this," Lee said at the end of his speech ... "and I wanna be politically correct when I say it. That’s my son and I love him."

He continued ... "Believe half of what you see and nothing you hear. That’s all I want to say. I stand by my son one hundred percent. I wasn’t always where I am today."

ICYMI, Mills, 32, went on a Twitter rant this week, saying she has a romantic fling with the NBA superstar. She says she exposed their relationship, and alleged screenshots of their intimate text messages because she claims Zion did not tell her he had a girlfriend, nor that they were expecting a baby.

Williamson and his girlfriend, Ahkeema, announced on Tuesday they're expecting a baby girl.

"I was with you last week in New Orleans and you couldn’t tell me you had a random thot pregnant after all I’ve done for you @Zionwilliamson," Mills wrote on Twitter.

"Better pray I’m not pregnant too because I’m definitely late."

Mills claims this is not for clout or money ... it's about her getting "emotionally played."

Williamson -- who signed a 5-year, $193 million rookie extension with the New Orleans Pelicans -- has yet to comment on the allegations.

Amanda Nunes believes she is the greatest mixed martial arts fighter of all time... but if you don't, that's cool with "The Lioness."

TMZ Sports talked to 35-year-old Nunes, who is returning to the Octagon in the main event at UFC 289, and asked her who she believed was the greatest ever.

Amanda didn't mince her words ... "Me."

Of course, it's a subjective question ... it can't be definitively answered. In the wake of Jon Jones going up to heavyweight and dominating Ciryl Gane with ease, a lot of fight fans, including Dana White, have declared "Bones" Jones the greatest.

Others in the conversation are Khabib Nurmagomedov, Demetrious "Mighty Mouse" Johnson and Georges St-Pierre, in addition to Nunes.

Amanda, who won back her belt vs. Julianna Pena in July, will fight 35-year-old Irene Aldana Saturday night in Vancouver. We asked Nunes, who has done everything in the sport (double champ, beaten "Cyborg", Ronda Rousey, V. Shevchenko), if retirement has entered her mind.

The short answer is no ... 'cause Amanda says she still enjoys the "feeling" of a fight, and "process" of preparing.

"I wanna keep doing this because this is what makes me alive, keeping me fresh, keeping me on my toes. I love the competitions and I don't see anything after this fight so I guess I'm gonna go through this, get my belt back home, and get right back to the next."

We also talked to Irena, who is on a mission to stop the belt from going back to Florida with Nunes, and she made it clear she isn't content with simply sharing the Octagon with Amanda. She wants to win.

And since her teammate, fellow Mexican fighter Alexa Grasso, won the belt by beating another dominant champ in Valentina Shevchenko, Aldana has faith that it's possible.

"I learned a lot from [Alexa] and I love the way she handled all these things. She had the world against her and nobody gave her a chance and she showed the world."

FYI, Grasso was a huge underdog ... and so is Aldana.

But, Alexa won ... and that's Irene's plan, too.

The insane celebrations on UConn's campus following the school's basketball team's championship win in April have now cost several students dearly ... TMZ Sports has confirmed a few have been expelled over it all.

UConn spokesperson Stephanie Reitz says while some investigations into the postgame incidents in Storrs, Conn. remain ongoing ... some have closed -- and they've resulted in students being perma-banned from the university.

Others could suffer similar fates soon -- Reitz tells us there are further hearings still on the school's agenda.

"We'll likely have a better picture later in the summer of the totality of the outcomes," Reitz said ... adding, "since students have the opportunity for an appeals process if they disagree with the proposed outcome, and in those circumstances, the case remains open until that takes place and a final decision is made."

The school initially launched investigations into the partying on April 3 ... just hours after students were seen wildly celebrating the Huskies' 76-59 win over San Diego State.

Video shot by bystanders shows students smashed windows ... while others ripped down light poles and lit fires in the streets.

Some were even accused of flipping a car on its side.

After nearly a year of dating, LaMelo Ball and his girlfriend, Ana Montana, went Instagram official on Friday ... and things appear to be serious -- 'cause the model says she's in love!!

The Charlotte Hornets star and influencer certainly haven't been hiding their romance ... exchanging mushy social media messages and featuring each other on their stories over the past few months.

While everyone assumed they were the real deal, the two never really came out and confirmed they were "official" until Friday ... when Melo and Montana shared each other on their IG grids.

Montana -- real name Analicia Chaves -- captioned her pics "The ONE😍🥰💕" and ... Melo wrote "1 of 1's 😘🛸💕" on his post.

Montana left a sweet comment on Melo's page ... saying, "I love you baby 💕😍🥰" ... and their fans went crazy.

"Happy looks so good on you 😍😍," one fan said ... while another said they look like a great couple.

Ball has made a splash in the NBA so far in his short career ... but his 2022-23 campaign was cut short due to a bad ankle injury. It's safe to say Ana did her part in helping him recover off the court.

Grab tissues ... Rams defensive coordinator Raheem Morris just reunited with the little boy he rescued from drowning last month, getting a big hug from the 3-year-old child whose life he saved!

The special moment came two weeks after young Wyatt was rescued by Morris and fellow good samaritan, Dr. Andrew Oleksyn, after he was found blue at the bottom of the Encore hotel swimming pool in Las Vegas.

"Good Morning America" captured the reunion on video ... showing Wyatt, and his mother Kelseigh Stanley, giving Morris a huge hug.

"It's truly a miracle, truly," Stanley said.

Dr. Oleksyn -- an ER physician -- also met with Wyatt, visiting him at the hospital, and describing it as a very emotional moment.

Both Morris and Dr. Oleksyn spoke about what happened that day ... with Raheem saying he heard a parent scream and then saw Wyatt unconscious poolside.

The Rams coach continued, saying he could feel the "panic of it all," jumping into action, asking the on-duty lifeguard for the location of the automatic external defibrillator (AED), something Morris learned at a recent training with the Rams (in light of the Damar Hamlin incident).

Dr. Oleksyn performed CPR while Morris retrieved the AED ... and shortly after, Wyatt started to come back, spitting water from his lungs, and developing a pulse -- thanks to the effort of Coach Morris and Dr. Oleksyn.

Kim Zolciak knows how to promote herself, teasing a comeback to "The Real Housewives of Atlanta" on the heels of her divorce, but fans aren't gonna get the tea on her split ... TMZ has learned.

Kim shared a group pic Thursday with 'RHOA' OG cast members Sheree Whitfield, Lisa Wu and DeShawn Snow. "See you soon 🎥 @bravotv #RHOA". Of course, fans immediately began to speculate Kim was brought back on the show because of her divorce with Kroy Biermann.

Sources with direct knowledge tell us … Kim's got a cameo on the upcoming season 15 of the series, which is currently airing on Bravo. We're told Kim will appear on the show in a small capacity and when she filmed with the other ATL ladies, it was several months ago before the divorce.

Sources connected to the show tell us 'RHOA' is not currently in production and there are currently no conversations being had between Kim and producers to bring her on full-time or to cover the fallout between her and Kroy.

TMZ broke the story ... Kim and Kroy filed for divorce after 11 years and 4 kids.

As we reported, the former NFL star accused Kim of having a gambling problem and she's accused him of being a pothead who needs to take a drug test. Remember, Kroy has asked for sole physical and legal custody of their kids while Kim is asking for primary physical custody.

On top of that, the estranged couple is dealing with financial issues ... deep in the hole, owing more than $1 million to the IRS.

Brooks Koepka's wife brought a plus-one to the runway for her modeling gig on Thursday ... but it wasn't the star golfer -- she showed off her growing baby bump while rocking bikinis!!

Jena Sims was one of many beautiful ladies to walk in ONEONE's Miami Swim Week event ... and she stole the show as she put her tummy on display.

"Two hearts beating for @oneoneswim 💕," Sims said on Instagram. "Thank you for letting us 😉 represent your amazing brand [Valentina Suescun.]"

Sims -- who announced last month she was expecting her first child with her hubby -- leaned into the special moment ... drawing a pink heart on her tummy and putting her hands on the bump as she posed in numerous 'fits.

Jena's appearance is getting a ton of love ... with users flooding the comments with support.

Brooks was there to show love to his lady ... and we're sure he was enjoying every second of it.

Bam Margera getting treatment at Lamar Odom's wellness center can't come fast enough for his estranged wife, who says she got some very aggressive texts after he was released from a psych hold.

Nikki Margera's attorney, David Glass, tells TMZ ... "Bam has started texting since his release from the 5150 hold, but the content quickly turned abusive, calling Nikki awful names, saying she is the cause of all his problems, even saying she’s a 'gold digger.'"

David says Nikki's still hopeful Bam's upcoming treatment will help him learn to take responsibility for himself -- adding she also hopes he'll learn how to communicate without being abusive.

Bam's attorney, Peter Thompson, says Bam was pissed after finding out Nikki's filed docs asking for $15,377 in child support, spousal support and $50K in attorney's fees.

Thompson tells us, "Bam continues to support her and Phoenix even though she won’t even allow a phone call or FaceTime with Phoenix. He just wants to see his son and continues to come up against a brick wall on that. Contact would go a long way in getting this resolved."

TMZ broke the story, Bam's been detoxing as of Wednesday's release and went with Lamar to one of his treatment centers. The former NBA star even checked in on Bam earlier in the week while he was under the psych hold.

The "Jackass" star posted a pic Thursday of himself with Lamar, saying he's starting his rehab journey.

Selena Gomez isn't shy about taking risks when it comes to her love life ... announcing to a large group of (possibly) single dudes she's single and sharing the clip with the world.

The pop star posted a TikTok video Thursday, which showed her watching a soccer game while wrapped in a blanket, yelling, "I'm single. I'm just a little high-maintenance. But I'll love you soooo much."

It's clear from the footage Selena was poking fun at her current dating situation, which has been relatively quiet ... but it's clear she's available and looking for Mr. Right.

Selena's fans seemed amused, but also identified with her relationship struggles. Some of them wrote in the comments section, "so relatable," "hilarious," and "so real."

Selena even included a caption that read, "The struggle man lol."

It's not the first time she's joked about her relationship status ... Selena hosted Saturday Night Live in 2022 and talked about it in front of a studio audience,  "I would like to say that I'm looking for my soulmate. But at this point, I will take anyone."

Boxing star Adrien Broner is itching to show his critics he's far from washed ... telling TMZ Sports he's looking to knockout Bill Hutchinson later on Friday!!

The 34-4-1 welterweight hasn't stepped into the ring since 2021 ... but he says he's more than ready to put back on his gloves at the FITE event inside Casino Miami in Florida.

"It's been a crazy training camp," the 33-year-old said earlier this week. "I feel good. I'm ready. I can't wait to put on a show."

Many, however, don't believe Broner can return to the boxer he once was ... particularly because he's only taken one fight since he lost badly to Manny Pacquiao in Jan. 2019.

But, Broner says he isn't the least bit concerned about his detractors ... telling us they're all simply just like "ass****s."

"Everybody got one," he said. "If I didn't have critics or haters, then I wouldn't be doing something right, you know? I'd feel like, 'S***, why nobody hatin' on me?'"

AB's opponent, Hutchinson, is by no means a tomato can ... he's 20-2-4 with nine knockouts -- and will present a tough test for Broner. The fight is expected to begin around 10:30 PM ET.

G.O.A.T. blood apparently runs thick in the Tom Brady family ... 'cause the greatest quarterback of all time just revealed his 15-year-old son is nearly as big as he is now!!!

The 6-foot-4 Brady shared the eyebrow-raising update in an Instagram post on Thursday afternoon ... showing Jack -- his son with Bridget Moynahan -- is only a couple inches away from Pops now.

"Not Yet Kid!!!" Brady said in a caption on the post. "I'm still here."

The 44-year-old added a bunch of laughing emojis and a few hearts as well.

Of course, while Tom still might have the height and the athleticism edge over Jack these days -- it doesn't seem like it'll be long before the teen can claim both titles from Dad.

The younger Brady is very much into sports -- he actually plays QB for his high school football team -- and he even showed he's got an arm at a Buccaneers practice late last year.

Tom, though, said in an interview with ESPN last week that he wouldn't "choose" for his son to continue down the quarterback path due to the "crazy" and "unfair" expectations that would be placed on him.

Esports star Karel Asenbrener -- famously known as "Twisten" -- died at 19 years old on Tuesday ... shortly after he posted a chilling tweet that read nothing more than "Good night."

Twisten's gaming org, Team Vitality, made the heartbreaking announcement on Wednesday ... saying its "deeply saddened" by the "devastating loss" of its star.

"Our first thoughts and prayers are with his family and friends in this difficult time," the French esports team wrote in a statement. "Rest in peace Karel."

One of the organization's coaches, Harry "Gorilla" Mepham, said in a tweet that Asenbrener had died by suicide.

"Words can not describe the grief or emptiness i’m feeling right now," Mepham said. "I loved him and forever will."

In its announcement of Asenbrener's passing, Team Vitality also shared a tweet encouraging anyone struggling with mental health to reach out for help.

Asenbrener had previously opened up about a battle with depression back in February ... but the "Valorant" player said he had gotten into a better place after spending time at a mental health hospital.

"After that I had a new fresh start and was able to thankfully get my s*** together," Asenbrener wrote.

"It was hardest time for me as a person and as a professional esport athlete. But after that time I knew why I'm playing games and what my team means to me."

He added at the time, "Take care of yourself and if you're experiencing something like I did, dont be scared to reach out to your close friends, to your family or your team."

According to Escorenews, the Czech player last competed on May 25 ... and earned $10,000 in his gaming career.

RIP

It's safe to say Lionel Messi is the Taylor Swift of soccer ... 'cause the Argentinian legend's move to Inter Miami has fans rushing to buy tickets to his games -- and they're selling for way above face value!!

Messi's shocking decision to come play in the U.S. after two years with Paris Saint-Germain resulted in a busy day for secondary market sellers ... with ticketing tech company Logitix telling TMZ Sports there were four times the amount of sales on Wednesday than the past 169 days combined.

We're told the average price for a home game seat has skyrocketed ... going from $15 to $230, a whopping 1,398% increase.

Inter Miami away games are even feeling the Messi effect ... increasing from $53 on average to $251, a 374% difference.

The Inter Miami ticket sitch is similar to what Swifties experienced when Taylor's 'Eras' tour started selling seats ... with some shelling out a LOT more than face value to check out the show.

Messi's contract with the MLS club reportedly includes an option to join team ownership, as well as a split of the profits from the Apple TV broadcasting deal ... but it was still surprising the World Cup hero turned down a rumored offer of more than a BILLION dollars to play in Saudi Arabia.

The late "Power Rangers" star Jason David Frank's karate school has allegedly fallen way behind in rent since his death ... and now the landlord is taking the school to court.

According to the docs, obtained by TMZ, Jason's Rising Sun Karate in Valencia, CA is getting sued by Valencia Marketplace, the shopping mall where the dojo's located. The suit claims Jason and co. are tenants under a couple of leases -- the original of which dates back to around 1998.

The problem, according to the docs, is that Rising Sun stopped paying rent around November and December 2022 -- you'll recall, Jason died on November 19, 2022. Valencia Marketplace says it served the company a written notice of its running balance that was owed back in March, but says the balance was never paid.

The shopping mall's now seeking a whopping $47,347 in unpaid rent from Rising Sun Karate.