TMZ Sports - Page 7

Kyle Busch's tragic death has inspired statewide mourning in North Carolina ... with the governor ordering all flags to be flown half-staff.

Governor Josh Stein announced the order Friday ... directing officials to lower all U.S. and state flags to half-staff as a way of honoring Busch's legacy.

The flags were set to half-staff at sunrise Saturday and will remain that way until the sun sets on Sunday.

Ray J and Supa Hot Fire are already going at it ahead of their big MMA bout, s***-talking each other during a presser in which Ray shouted "Free Diddy"!

Ray was sitting on stage near Supa during Friday's pre-fight press conference -- and things quickly turned ugly between the two men.

Supa Hot kicked things off by bringing up that Ray's estranged wife, Princess Love, once had a fling with boxing legend Floyd Mayweather Jr. Ray jumped up and tried to confront him face-to-face, but was stopped by his handlers, and he went back to his chair.

Taylor Swift and Travis Kelce shared an intimate dinner at an NYC restaurant Friday night -- and the two were a picture of happiness ahead of their much-anticipated wedding!

TMZ obtained a photo of Taylor and Travis sitting in a corner booth inside Sartiano -- an Italian restaurant in the fancy Mercer Hotel in Manhattan's SoHo neighborhood.

We're told the power couple was having a blast -- smiling, laughing and talking the night away. Our source did not see any PDA ... but said Taylor and Travis looked sweet and are definitely in love!

Fresh off his arrest for battery in Florida ... WWE's Ludwig Kaiser was back in the wrestling world, but in a totally different role in Mexico and the crowd there just loved it!

Kaiser (real name: Marcel Barthel) turned into his alter ego -- the mask-wearing El Grande Americano -- for the cheering crowd Friday night at his very own "Serenade for El Grande Americano" rally in Mexico City.

Video shows El Grande getting pumped up and emotional, appearing to wipe tears from his eye slits as he high-fives fans.

Another clip shows the wrestler looking dapper in his suit behind the scenes ahead of his upcoming mask vs mask match at Noche de Los Grandes next Saturday.   

Kyle Busch's medical emergency has been partially revealed by 911 audio obtained by TMZ Sports ... with a caller saying the NASCAR superstar was struggling to breathe, overheating and coughing up blood before medics rushed to help.

During the emergency call placed around 5:30 PM Wednesday, the caller urgently requests an ambulance to a training facility in Concord, North Carolina ... telling dispatch, "I've got an individual that's shortness of breath, very hot, thinks he's going to pass out, and he's producing a little bit of blood, coughing up some blood."

The caller also confirmed the patient was still conscious at the time ... repeatedly telling dispatch, “He is awake. He's awake. He's awake.”

It sure sounds like Austin Reaves wants to be a Los Angeles Laker next season ... but not only that -- he tells TMZ Sports he'd love to "run it back" with LeBron James, too!!

We caught up with the upcoming free agent after the Purple and Gold's playoff exit ... and asked how he'd feel about getting the King to stay in L.A.

Of course, Reaves would have to put pen to paper himself before he thinks ahead to the 2026-27 roster ... but Lakers Nation has gotta be wondering how they could've done this postseason if everyone was healthy.

Naji Marshall is proving he's just as generous off the court as he is talented on it ... 'cause TMZ Sports has learned he left a massive tip for a server during a family dinner in New Orleans.

Sources at Otis Seafood House tell TMZ ... the Dallas Mavericks forward stopped by the popular NOLA restaurant Saturday for a birthday dinner with family and quickly made an impression on everyone in the building when he dropped a whopping four-figure tip.

Our sources say Marshall happily took photos with the entire group before quietly pulling the restaurant manager aside and offering to pay for their meal.

Dak Prescott and Sarah Jane Ramos aren't going to be romantic teammates for life ... but, when it comes to their kids, they're driving down the proverbial gridiron in the same direction -- reuniting for their daughter Aurora's first birthday.

SJR shared photos from the special day ... including one with Dak, Aurora and older daughter Margaret -- all sporting big grins.

Ramos wrote on the pic, "How is this perfect baby 1 today? Grateful for the best day celebrating her."

'Real Housewives of Atlanta' alum Kim Zolciak is in court fighting her estranged husband, Kroy Biermann, over claims she neglects their kids, weeks after having her custody temporarily suspended, TMZ has learned. 

Kim filed court docs, obtained by TMZ, claiming the custody decision was made without the proper witnesses testifying, including a therapist who speaks to their family. 

In the filing, Kim alleged the therapist refused to show up to the hearing and testify, despite being under a subpoena. The RHOA alum said she wasn’t able to grill the witnesses present, including the court-ordered lawyer. 

New York Giants quarterback Jaxson Dart is a big Donald Trump guy ... and the young star made that clear as he introduced the president at an event on Friday.

Prez No. 45/47 took the stage at Rockland Community College in Suffern on Friday ... and was welcomed by No. 6 -- who took his spot at the podium and casually said, "Wassup, wassup, wassup???"

Before he got to Trump, Dart got the crowd to do a "Go Big Blue" chant ... and then he said it was an "honor" and "privilege" to bring The Donald out.

Blake Griffin traded poster dunks for bikini-filled boat days ... but he's still bringing serious heat overseas with fiancée Francesca Aiello!

Feast your eyes ... the retired NBA star and the Frankies Bikinis founder were spotted living their best Italian summer during a steamy getaway in Portofino ... soaking up the Mediterranean sunshine while packing on plenty of PDA in and out of the water.

Francesca showed off her killer figure in a tiny pink bikini while Blake flexed his muscular frame in bright red swim trunks ... looking straight out of a swimsuit ad.

No one will race the No. 8 car after Kyle Busch's tragic death ... with Richard Childress Racing announcing the digit will be suspended in his honor until his son, Brexton, is ready to join NASCAR.

The decision was shared on Friday ... with Busch's team saying it will opt to use No. 33 at Charlotte Motor Speedway this weekend and beyond.

"Kyle Busch was instrumental in the design of RCR’s stylized No. 8 and it has become synonymous with Kyle and an important symbol for his fans and the NASCAR industry," RCR said minutes ago. "No one can carry it forward to the level that he did."

5/24/26 -- Attorney for the defendants, Morris Missry, tells TMZ ... “We have thoroughly reviewed Mr. Mayweather’s lawsuit. His claims against our clients are utterly baseless and refuted by substantial documentary evidence including Mr. Mayweather’s own correspondence."

"Our clients intend to vigorously defend against these claims and are confident that once all of the facts are presented in court, not only will our clients be vindicated, Mr Mayweather’s gambling issues, prolific spending habits, monies owed to third party creditors and IRS tax liens and levys, as well as other unseemly behavior will be exposed and we believe that Mr. Mayweather will be the one paying significant damages to our clients.”

10:15PM PT -- A source close to Rechnitz disputes the allegations entirely and says Mayweather’s financial, tax levy, and lien issues date back to at least 2018, years before they were ever involved professionally.

The source claims the boxer’s longstanding financial obligations and disputes were pre-existing and not caused by Rechnitz.

Floyd Mayweather says he got cleaned out to the tune of $175M ... claiming a former close associate ran a years-long scheme that allegedly drained his bank accounts, hijacked real estate deals, pawned off his jewelry and even made his private jet disappear.

According to a bombshell lawsuit, obtained by TMZ Sports, Floyd claims Jona Rechnitz spent years gaining his trust ... before allegedly becoming the boxer's de facto money manager, real estate guy and banking middleman.

Now, Mayweather says it was all one giant setup.

2:45 PM PT -- Barstool is taking umbrage with TMZ's use of the phrase, "juicy fart," and in a "Cease & Desist" letter claims we've mischaracterized what was simply Hank's "butt releasing an odorless pocket of air due to the physics of crossing his legs."

Translation: It was an SND ... Silent Not Deadly. Duly noted.

Barstool Sports' "Pardon My Take" had an explosive interview with Kellen Moore on Friday's episode ... when the whole sit-down was thwarted by a juicy fart.

The blooper went down as Big Cat and PFT Commenter were chatting it up with the New Orleans Saints head coach as part of the Netflix podcast's annual "Grit Week."

The crew certainly had to show some grit during the episode ... when producer Hank Lockwood broke wind mid-conversation.

8:52 AM PT -- Kyle Busch's medical emergency has been partially revealed by 911 audio obtained by TMZ Sports ... with a caller saying the NASCAR superstar was struggling to breathe, overheating and coughing up blood before medics rushed to help.

NASCAR legend Kyle Busch tragically died at the age of 41 Thursday ... and we are starting to learn more about what happened prior to his shocking passing.

Before being hospitalized ... Busch was testing in a racing simulator in Concord on Wednesday when he became unresponsive -- and was rushed for medical care, the Associated Press reported via unnamed sources.

As TMZ reported ... Busch's family, racing team, Richard Childress Racing, and NASCAR announced the shocking news yesterday afternoon.

Ben Stiller was directing his ass off from his courtside seats on Thursday ... documenting the Knicks' win over the Cavs on his cell phone -- and fans can't get enough of the results.

The actor, director, and producer had his feet on the wood for Game 2 of the Eastern Conference Finals at Madison Square Garden ... and he elected to share his view with his 5 million followers on X.

The footage started with a slo-mo vid of a Jalen Brunson floater ... and he did a great job at tracking the action and zooming in and out with precision.