TMZ Sports - Page 50

If Ricky Stenhouse Jr. and Kyle Busch wanna take their beef from garages and pit roads to an actual squared circle ... TMZ Sports has learned Celebrity Boxing is more than willing to put on the bout for them.

Damon Feldman -- the honcho of the fight org. -- said in a video message Monday he's ready to put the wheels in motion on a boxing match between the NASCAR stars ... as soon as they give him the green light.

"Come on, NASCAR," Feldman said, "let's make this the biggest deal in the country!"

A transgender high school runner won a state title over the weekend, but instead of a rousing ovation, the athlete was met with a chorus of boos ... with spectators voicing their displeasure over the track star's participation in the event.

The controversial incident happened Saturday at the Oregon School Activities Association track and field championships in Eugene ... where McDaniel H.S. sophomore Aayden Gallagher raced girls in the 200-meter finals.

Gallagher trailed, but a late push saw her cross the finish line in 23.82 seconds, just ahead of the second-place runner.

Auburn head coach Hugh Freeze is imploring his fans to send their prayers Brian Battie's way ... revealing Monday the Tigers running back has been put on a ventilator after he was involved in a shooting over the weekend.

The football player was initially wounded at around 3:30 AM on Saturday ... after gunfire erupted in the Tallywood Centre Plaza parking lot in Sarasota, Fla.

According to the Sarasota County Sheriff's Office, one person, Battie's brother, Tommie L. Battie IV, was killed during the incident. Several others, the SCSO said, needed to be transported to nearby hospitals to address their injuries.

Caleb Williams, Jayden Daniels and their fellow first-round draft picks might be pros now, but they ain't done learning -- soaking in some wise words from Tom Brady and Jay-Z at a luncheon over the weekend.

The Bears and Commanders top picks -- as well as Patriots quarterback Drake Maye, Giants receiver Malik Nabers, Raiders tight end Brock Bowers and Broncos quarterback Bo Nix -- attended the gathering held by Fanatics founder Michael Rubin ... and hopefully they were taking notes, 'cause TB12, Hov and the businessman shared some serious nuggets.

"When you have 53 guys on the team, you think it's about you -- it ain't about you, it's about us," Brady said during the lunch. "And the biggest problem I see with a lot of the young players today, you guys are making it too much about I and me because of social media, because of branding and all that. It's fine. You're not gonna win."

Nina Dobrev's active lifestyle has taken a hit -- 'cause she landed in the hospital ... this after an accident on an electric bike.

The 'Vampire Diaries' alum shared this unfortunate news Monday by posting a photo from her hospital bed on Instagram ... where she was hooked up to a monitor while sporting a knee brace AND a neck brace.

Nina appeared to blame an e-bike for her current state ... as her first slide in the upload featured her posing on the vehicle in a little black outfit -- looking as happy as can be.

Paul Pierce is finally letting the world know how he suffered a finger injury that required a trip to the hospital last week ... revealing he busted up the digit during a workout mishap.

The NBA Hall of Famer explained the situation to Keyshawn Johnson and Skip Bayless on Monday's episode of "Undisputed," telling the guys it all happened as he was trying to do a plank with a weight on his back last Friday.

Pierce said at one point during the core exercise -- the 45-pounder that had been placed between his shoulder blades came dislodged ... and then fell right on his hand.

Jim Otto -- a Pro Football Hall of Famer and one of the greatest Raiders of all time -- has sadly died, the team announced this weekend. He was 86 years old.

Las Vegas owner Mark Davis extended his condolences following the legend's passing late Sunday evening ... lighting the Al Davis memorial torch at Allegiant Stadium in the former offensive lineman's honor.

"The entire Raider Nation's thoughts and prayers go out to Jim's wife, Sally, and the entire Otto family," he said.

NASCAR's All-Star race Sunday night looked a whole lot more like a UFC event -- at least at the end -- when Ricky Stenhouse Jr. hauled off and socked Kyle Busch in the face for wrecking into him earlier in the evening.

The scene was chaotic ... after getting run over by Busch in the second lap of the contest at North Wilkesboro Speedway in North Carolina, Stenhouse Jr. waited all night long to confront the NASCAR superstar in the raceway's garage.

He got in Busch's face, told him he was pissed over the crash ... and then he threw a right hand that connected with the driver's left cheek. He appeared to throw at least one more punch -- before all hell then broke loose.

Adele's got the public buzzing with some life news, 'cause she let a little secret slip -- apparently, she's feeling motherly again ... and now, it sounds like she wants a little girl.

The British singer reportedly spilled the beans during her Friday Las Vegas show ... telling the crowd once her residency wraps up, she's putting baby-making on the top of her to-do list with Rich Paul -- and she's totally hoping for a pink gender reveal.

Adele said she wants a girl 'cause she's ready to balance out her squad. Remember, she was previously married to Simon Konecki, and together they share their son Angelo, who's now 11.

Charles Leclerc had a podium finish at F1's Imola Grand Prix on Sunday ... but his weekend was pretty crappy overall -- thanks to his adorable puppy, Leo, handling his business right in the middle of the paddock!!

The Ferrari superstar placed third in his team's home race ... with Red Bull's Max Verstappen and McLaren's Lando Norris taking the top two spots respectively.

Leclerc was more worried about No. 2 following the outing, though ... as Leo dropped a deuce while roaming around the team garages -- and the 26-year-old was NOT prepared.

Simone Biles is tired of hearing the trolls chirp about her husband ... telling Jonathan Owens' critics this weekend to "f*** off."

The gymnastics star took to Instagram to send the message to the haters on Sunday night ... after they had crawled out yet again following the NFL player's appearance at her competition on Saturday in Hartford, Connecticut.

You'll recall, the NFL safety has received heat from fans ever since he referred to himself as "the catch" in the couple's relationship while doing an interview on the "The Pivot" back in December ... and when he was shown on TV as "Simone Biles' Husband" at the event over the weekend, the negative comments cropped up again all over social media.

Former UFC fighter Geane Herrera -- who also competed in Bare Knuckle Fighting Championship (BKFC) -- tragically passed away following a fatal motorcycle crash in Florida on Saturday.

He was only 33 and a few days shy of his 34th birthday.

The Florida Dept. of Highway Safety and Motor Vehicles told us the incident happened around 10:45 PM at Gandy Bridge in Tampa, FL ... when Herrera crashed into the back of another vehicle at a "very high rate of speed."

Jalen Brunson and Josh Hart showed love to the diehard Knicks fans -- who ride for their squad, win or lose -- after the season-ending game 7 defeat to the Pacers ... showing love to droves of NYK supporters hanging out around the Garden after the game!

Of course, the Knicks and Pacers were tied at 3 games each heading into Sunday's deciding contest. Indiana star Tyrese Haliburton went off, knocking down six threes, and shooting 67% as a team, ending the season for the beaten-up Knicks.

Despite the L in the crucial game, Knicks fans still posted up at The Garden ... and Brunson -- who suffered a fractured left hand during the game -- got out of his car to shake hands with the crowd.

Michael Malone didn't have time for "stupid ass questions" after the Denver Nuggets were booted from the playoffs ... taking his frustrations out on the media following his team's Game 7 loss to the Minnesota Timberwolves.

Nikola Jokic and the defending champs were sitting pretty for the majority of Sunday's contest ... but Anthony Edwards and Co. bounced back from down 20 to secure the 98-90 victory and their spot in the Western Conference Finals.

Malone was clearly pissed over how things played out on the court ... 'cause when he took the mic at his postgame presser, it didn't take long for him to tee off on a reporter.

The WNBA is boomin' right now ... and it's all thanks to Caitlin Clark and the league's new crop of rookies, at least that's according to Tina Charles, who's crediting the youngsters for injecting a whole new life into the game.

The Atlanta Dream star didn't mince words when TMZ Sports caught up with her at LAX this week ... saying straight up the WNBA's "new generation" is responsible for all of the new buzz that's now surrounding the league.

"The energy that we're getting, the reception, the eyes that we're getting on us -- this is amazing," the center said.

Turns out Travis Kelce IS with Taylor Swift in Sweden ... symbolically, anyway, because the singer's flaunting what looks a lot like a hickey on her neck. Can they get any more high school?!

Several fans at her shows in Stockholm noticed the love mark while Taylor was seated at the piano and performing her "Evermore" era songs at the Friends Arena.

The big red blotch was pretty obvious as Taylor was wearing a blue dress as she sang, "Champagne Problems." Swifties don't miss a beat, and several posted videos zooming in on their girl's neck.