ESPN Daily

The Nuggets and Timberwolves Western Conference Semifinals is truly a tale of two series. Just about a week ago, it looked like young phenom Anthony Edwards was going to lead the Timberwolves past the defending champion Nuggets to the promised land after starting the postseason with six-straight wins. But then, the inevitable happened. And it came in the form of 6-foot-11 three-time MVP, Nikola Jokic reminding everyone in the league who the defending champions are. With all these ups and downs we turn to ESPN’s Dave McMenamin and he shares what he’s seeing and hearing behind the scenes in this roller coaster of a series. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

The latest move for Perfect Game, the world’s largest youth baseball tournament and scouting service, is an expected multi-year memorabilia deal with Fanatics. While on the surface, the deal means Fanatics would produce and distribute trading cards and collectibles for Perfect Game athletes, it also raises agents’ concerns about amateur players’ rights, especially if they end up playing professionally.  Brittany Ghiroli’s reporting on the impending deal for The Athletic revealed that young baseball players have already been signing their rights away to Perfect Game. She joins us today to discuss why Perfect Game and Fanatics’ marriage is potentially harmful for players and how these companies’ machinations impact amateur baseball more largely. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

The 2024 WNBA season begins tonight, and you’ve probably heard that women’s basketball is having a moment. But with ratings and excitement skyrocketing around the college game, and an incoming rookie class stepping into the W, bringing along more social media followers than ever, the question is: has that moment turned into an era? Hall of Famer and ESPN basketball analyst Rebecca Lobo is here to tell us how the game is evolving right before our eyes, and what Caitlin Clark and the rest of this rookie class has in store for them. Plus, she breaks down whether or not we’re heading for a rematch of super teams from New York and Las Vegas. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

Formula 1 races seem to have everything – the pomp of an A-list party, exotic locations, excited fans, and global superstars on the grid. So what’s missing from this scene? Women behind the wheel. Formula 1 hasn’t had a female driver qualify for a race in almost 50 years and as women’s sports continues to make great strides, the world of elite racing seems to be falling behind. Today, ESPN’s Alyssa Roenigk brings the story of two drivers working together to break barriers in the world of motorsports one race at a time. For more on this story, watch Roenigk in a new documentary that spotlights the women breaking barriers in motorsports for the Emmy-winning "In Real Life" series, premiering Sunday, June 2 at 8 p.m. Eastern, 7p.m. Central on Scripps News. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

Last month, news broke about Caitlin Clark’s $28 million shoe deal with Nike. It’s undoubtedly a great business decision for both Nike and Clark as she transitions into becoming the most hyped WNBA rookie of all time, but the announcement begets a conversation about equity in the WNBA. In a league that is nearly 64% Black, the most marketed, endorsed, and featured players are mostly white. ESPN’s Sean Hurd wrote about this for Andscape and ESPN’s Katie Barnes has extensively covered women’s basketball and its intersection with issues of race and gender. They’re both here today to discuss how Caitlin’s Nike deal will affect other superstars in the league like A’ja Wilson, Jonquel Jones and Angel Reese, and to provide context for how not only race, but also queerness and gender expression impact WNBA players’ access to capital. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

The Atlanta Falcons selection of Michael Penix Jr. in the first round was the biggest surprise of the 2024 NFL Draft. Especially when you consider that they had inked veteran quarterback Kirk Cousins to a massive deal just weeks before. So today ESPN NFL Draft and college football analyst Jordan Reid explains the plan to guest host David Dennis Jr. and tells us why there’s a chance that this leaves a huge mess down in Atlanta. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

The Arizona Coyotes have been a struggling franchise for most of their history. They have faced turmoil both on and off the ice –– a bankruptcy in 2009 and, as of late, a years-long failure to secure a new arena. This winter, with the Coyotes in the midst of a second season in a college hockey barn, the NHL finally had enough.  Enter Ryan Smith, owner of the NBA’s Utah Jazz. In an abnormal arrangement, Smith is taking over ownership and moving the team to Utah. But they won’t be called the Coyotes. Control of that brand, as well as its logos, records, and history remains in the hands of former owner Alex Meruelo, who intends to restore the Arizona club in the coming years.  Today, ESPN senior NHL writer Greg Wyshynski breaks down how we got here, how this sale works, and what the future holds for hockey in both Utah and Arizona.  Greg’s article is Inside the Coyotes' stunning move from Arizona to Utah. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

After coming off of a 4-8 season and losing more than two dozen players to the transfer portal, Coach Prime remains more optimistic and blunt than ever, promising long-time fan Miss Peggy and the world that the Buffaloes will make a bowl game this year. Today our Andrea Adelson recaps the Buffaloes’ spring game that got more than 20,000 fans excited for what’s to come and previews players to look out for and the future of Dieon Sanders in the chilling mountain tops of Colorado. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

Frank Sinatra, Derek Jeter, Christopher Walken, and The Notorious B.I.G. They have all been considered the King of New York at some point in time. And now it appears the time has come to place the crown atop the head of Jalen Brunson. But what kind of king would Brunson be? And where does this idea come from in the first place? There’s no king of Baltimore, or Tulsa, so why does this title exist for that city? Andscape’s Justin Tinsley has explored this concept in his book It Was All a Dream: Biggie and the World That Made Him. So today he explains it all, and tells us why Brunson is perfectly suited to rule the five boroughs right now. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

Phillies star Bryce Harper has always been about blue collar hard work – and the spotlight. From his Sports Illustrated cover story at 16 years old to being the number one pick in the MLB Draft to his record-setting contract, Harper’s headlines have followed him wherever he went. It’s that worth ethic and willingness to take everything notoriety brings with it that made his arrival in Philadelphia a match made in heaven. And in a town notorious for wearing their hearts – and hate – on their sleeve, Harper has become one with the City of Brotherly Love. Today, ahead of the Phillies’ Sunday Night Baseball matchup with the Giants, ESPN’s Jesse Rogers joins us to break down how this all happened and why the Harper Effect isn’t going anywhere. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

The world watched as Reggie Bush's Heisman Trophy was revoked in 2010 after an NCAA investigation that uncovered improper gifts to Bush. Now, 14 years later, we watched him finally get it back.  The Heisman Trust announced last week the formal reinstatement of Bush's trophy, citing "enormous changes in the college football landscape" as the reason. So today, ESPN's Ryan McGee is here to tell the story of where we once were and how the NCAA evolved to allow for Reggie Bush to get his trophy back, and what will come next as college athletes’ power continues to grow. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

​​From the suburbs of Chicago to the University of Tennessee, and onto WNBA courts. At every stage of her career, Candace Parker has left an indelible mark on the hoops world. But her influence extends well beyond basketball. So today, in the wake of Parker’s retirement announcement, Shakeia Taylor of the Chicago Tribune joins us to assess a career crucial to the sport's dynamic evolution and explores a legacy poised to resonate for generations. Shakeia’s Tuesday column for the Chicago Tribune examined Candace Parker’s impact. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

The life of a successful NBA executive requires you to fix everything, everywhere all at once. So when Utah Jazz general manager Justin Zanik found himself in a fight for his life, he was suddenly in the unfamiliar position of needing to be fixed himself. But this is nothing new to the resilient Zanick family who have been at the forefront of fighting diseases for their entire lives.  ESPN senior insider Adrian Wojnarowski spent time with the Zanicks and tells the story of this inspirational family and explains how they have been able to rally themselves, and others, to their cause. You can learn more about RUN - the Rare and Undiagnosed Network at https://rareundiagnosed.org/ Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

We’ve been waiting for Caleb Williams to be the number one overall pick in the NFL draft for what seems like years. And this past weekend, it finally happened. But with all of the hype around Williams the football player, and the focus on how his unique sense of style will fit into the NFL, there’s been little conversation about who this guy is in the locker room and off the field. So today, ESPN Chicago reporter and host Courtney Cronin tells us who Caleb Williams really is. By talking to the people who know him best: his friends, coaches, and teammates. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

As the last pick of the 2022 NFL draft, Brock Purdy accepted the title of Mr. Irrelevant as he entered the league for the San Francisco 49ers. He’s already gone 17-4 as a starter, with 44 touchdowns and 15 interceptions. He’s had a Pro Bowl appearance and of course, ended the season with an appearance in the Super Bowl. With the NFL draft continuing through the weekend, we will know who our next Mr. Irrelevant is on Saturday night. So today, ESPN writer Ryan Hockensmith joins us to explore Purdy’s relationship to the Mr. Irrelevant title and tells us the history of Paul Salata, the former NFL underdog who turned the final pick of the draft into an event in itself. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

The NFL Draft is one of the most anticipated events on the NFL calendar. Fans of losing franchises wait to see who will be their next savior, and fans of winning franchises look to see who will bolster their Super Bowl hopes. While first round picks get all the buzz, it's the later picks that make or break a teams’ fortunes.  So today ESPN’s resident football expert Mina Kimes joins the show to break down who will be drafted where, and which teams’ futures will be determined this weekend. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

Los Angeles Angels manager Ron Washington is the definition of a baseball lifer. The 71 year old has been a scrappy utility player, a pennant winning manager, and a coach with a knack for unlocking his players full potential. But there have also been downs in Washington’s career: a failed drug test, an extramarital affair, and a decade of thinking he would never manage again. Through it all Washington has done what he’s best at. Teaching the game.  Today, senior ESPN journalist Howard Bryant, who has known and covered Washington for 30 years, tells us the story of his career. And explains why this current job could be his greatest achievement yet. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

No one was surprised to learn that Timberwolves center Rudy Gobert experienced the same darkness retreat that Jets QB Aaron Rodgers made famous, or maybe infamous. And no one was surprised that the reaction was just as polarizing for Gobert, as it was for Rodgers. But what is it about the Timberwolves center that makes the Frenchman so dislikable to his peers? What exactly is it about his specific je ne sais quoi that has the man who’s won three Defensive Player of the Years awards, and a bank account to match, viewed as such a problem? ESPN NBA writer Tim McMahon actually knows Gobert quite well from his time reporting on him and breaks down the many things that sets Rudy apart from his peers in the NBA and the one thing that might be the key to his continued dominance. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

10 years ago this week, TMZ published bombshell recordings of Los Angeles Clippers owner Donald Sterling’s private conversation with his mistress, V. Stiviano. Sterling’s racist and sexist dialogue captured the world’s attention, and less than a week later, new commissioner Adam Silver had banned him from the NBA for life, forcing a sale of the Clippers. Today ESPN senior NBA writer, Ramona Shelburne, who covered the story and hosted the 30 for 30 podcast, The Sterling Affairs: Takes us back through the events of the scandal, explains how it was a seminal moment in the NBA, and ahead of the release of the FX mini-series Clipped, and tells us what it was like transitioning from a reporter to a producer. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

As the playoffs are about to start, all eyes are on the NBA. Instead of the focus being on the court, the attention is all on former Raptor’s reserve Jontay Porter. Porter was caught manipulating his time and performance on the court that tilted multiple prop bets in a specific direction and, shockingly, resulted in one bettor taking home a $1 million payday. It was later found that Porter had also placed bets himself, breaking the leagues sports betting bylaws.  So today, Brian Windhorst joins the show to break down the dangers of Jontay Porter’s story, where this saga heads next, and gives a NBA Playoff preview along the way.  Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

Since the 2023 CFB season came to a close, USC’s Caleb Williams has been penciled in as the presumptive No. 1 overall pick in the 2024 NFL Draft. The team holding that pick is the Chicago Bears, who are well known for their inability to draft and develop quarterbacks to their potential.  A couple of times throughout history, top prospects have used their leverage to force their ways out of unfavorable landing spots. The stories of John Elway, Bo Jackson, and most recently Eli Manning all come to mind.  Even though Caleb Williams does not look to be joining their ranks, there is still a conversation to be had about how these “can’t miss’ players can and have used their standing to buck the system and how NIL adds new leverage to that dynamic.  So today, Liz Merril tells us the story of those players who manipulated their landing spots, and why you never know what will happen until “the pick is in”.  Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

So ESPN MLB expert Jeff Passan updates us on: the latest happenings in the Shohei Ohtani sports betting case, discusses how now isn’t the time for the league and the player’s association to go to battle over who is responsible for the slew of elbow injuries costing pitchers their season, and explains how players approach trying to be on the field for a full 162 games. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

Technically, the NHL regular season does not finish until Thursday, with a few teams still fighting for the last playoff spot in the Eastern Conference. But the true contenders to raise Lord Stanley’s Cup have already become pretty clear. So with the playoffs officially starting this weekend, we find ourselves filled with pressing questions. Is Canada finally poised to end its three decade title drought? Can Connor McDavid get over the hump? Are the New York Rangers for real? Our NHL expert Emily Kaplan tells us what to watch for and why this year’s race looks as wide open and unpredictable as ever. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

When a six-foot tall, 265-pound bronze statue of Jackie Robinson went missing from McAdams Park in Wichita, Kansas, it felt like a hate crime. An ugly echo of America’s unjust past and a crime leveled not just at the man who broke Major League’s color barrier in 1947 but also at an urban community within the city. But as Bob Lutz, the founder of League 42, a youth organization geared towards exposing the city’s black and brown youth to baseball and more, learned, Jackie Robinson was more of an accidental victim than a target. So ESPN’s Anthony Olivieri, who spent weeks trying to understand what happened, joins the show to tell us how the people of Wichita reacted to the theft and how in the aftermath, the community could be made whole. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

When the starter’s gun goes off on Monday for the 128th Boston Marathon, sadly Kelvin Kiptum will not be among the runners. The Kenyan running superstar lost his life earlier this year and that tragedy has been compounded by what appeared to be limitless potential. In a brief three year marathon career, Kiptum had built a Hall of Fame resume that seemed to push the boundaries of what a human can accomplish. So today, ultramarathoner Kelaine Conochan joins us to explain just how much the world lost with Kiptum’s death and breaks down the possibility of the elusive record he was chasing. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

John Calipari’s tenure at Kentucky included a national championship and four Final Fours. At most other programs, that kind of resume would have guaranteed him a job for life. But things are different in Lexington, as the Wildcats’ five year streak of no Sweet 16 appearances made Calipari’s recent decision to jump to Arkansas shocking but not surprising. So today, SportsCenter anchor and lifelong Kentucky fan Michael Eaves gives us the view inside the Big Blue fanbase and explains why picking the next head coach is an unenviable challenge. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

On the eve of the Masters, it’s no secret that the world of men’s professional golf is currently in chaos. And there is nobody more in tune with anything and everything going on in that universe than Michael Collins, America’s Caddy. So as this year’s Masters gets ready to tee off down in Augusta, Collins delivers everything from the latest on the PGA/LIV cold war, who to watch on the course and why Tiger Woods isn’t ready to walk away just yet. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

This past Sunday, 18.7 million sets of eyes were on the women's NCAA Basketball National Championship game between the Iowa Hawkeyes and the South Carolina Gamecocks.  But beyond the meteoric rise in the game’s popularity, there was another underlying story unfolding on the sidelines. That was the coaches, rocking all types of exciting fashion, from bold prints, to designer pieces worth thousands of dollars. The ladies leading these teams are setting a trend for how a coach can look.  So today, Andscape writer Mia Berry breaks down the looks she's been watching, and explains how the styles mean so much more than just looking good. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

The finale of the men’s NCAA tournament is tonight, and features a matchup of the best two teams in the nation, UConn and Purdue, and the best big men in the country, Purdue’s Zach Edey and UConn’s Donovan Clingan. ESPN basketball writer and host Myron Medcalf breaks down the battle between the two behemoths, and explains how each side can come out on top. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

We spent much of the men’s college basketball season lamenting the lack of buzz and star power on the court. But few sporting events are as good at building stars and storylines as the NCAA tournament. And despite fewer upsets and no true buzzer-beaters, the 2024 edition has still delivered.  It all comes to a head in Saturday’s Final Four as DJ Burns and NC State face Zach Edey and Purdue, followed by Mark Sears and Alabama taking on Donovan Clingan and Connecticut.   So today, our Myron Medcalf shares everything you need to know about Saturday’s slate and gives his take on who’s on the verge of a history-making moment, as the tournament nears its end. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

If you need any more evidence of the explosive growth of women’s basketball, look no further than Monday night, when Iowa’s elite eight victory over LSU drew 12.3 million viewers. It’s not just the most ever for a women’s college game, it also eclipsed average viewers for last year’s World Series and NBA Finals. So as the Final Four gets ready to tip off in Cleveland Friday night, our expert Alexa Philippou reads between the now-officially measured lines to tell us everything we need to know. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

As expected, Max Verstappen and his Red Bull team are off to a strong start in the 2024 Formula 1 season. But despite Verstappen and his teammate Sergio Perez finishing first and second in two of the season’s first three races, the focus has been on things happening off the track. Team principle Christian Horner has had a complaint of sexual harassment, coercion, and abusive behavior lodged against him by a female employee of the team, leading to questions about whether Verstappen’s future is with Red Bull. So today, ESPN F1 Editor & co-host of the Unlapped podcast, Laurence Edmondson explains how this allegation opened the door to a power struggle at the top of Red Bull, that could ultimately lead to Verstappen switching lanes in the future. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

Ippei Mizuhara was more than a friend and interpreter for Shohei Ohtani. He was the man that held the door shut between Ohtani and the outside world. With Mizuhara gone in the wake of this massive sports betting scandal, Ohtani is now a man alone. Tim Keown spent time watching the Dodgers’ newest star up close and personal recently, and he explains to us how Ohtani’s newfound isolation might actually be the key to him opening up to the Dodgers, and maybe eventually the rest of us all. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

He may have been the biggest such star to become entangled in a gambling drama, but Dodgers’ star Shohei Ohtani was not the first. Days after the scandal surrounding the global baseball star’s interpreter came to light, a different set of suspicious bets emerged. Last Monday, news broke of an investigation into Toronto Raptors reserve center Jontay Porter. As more and more states have legalized sports betting, we’ve seen more and more athletes, many of them lesser known players, drawing headlines for potential betting violations.  So today, David Purdum joins us to explain this latest case out of the NBA and how it suggests that an even bigger scandal, somewhere down the road, is more likely than you may think.   Note: ESPN launched ESPN Bet in partnership with Penn Entertainment in November 2023. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

The women’s NCAA Tournament is back in action tonight with a slate of Sweet 16 games that could set the stage for an unforgettable weekend. Will Iowa and LSU renew their championship rivalry? Can UConn make a triumphant return to the Final Four? And can anyone even come close to stopping the South Carolina juggernaut?  ESPN women’s basketball expert Alexa Philippou joins us from Portland, to answer our questions, tell us what she’s seen so far in the tournament and predict what’s to come. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

March Madness returns tonight with the Sweet 16, and the storylines are just getting good. Following a pair of stunning losses by blue bloods Kentucky and Kansas, and a return to form by Gonzaga, we’re asking ourselves if UConn can be villainous enough to capture the first two-peat since the 2007 Florida Gators? Whether Zach Edey can get Purdue over the top? And if NC State can be the Cinderella story to sweep through this tournament? ESPN host and college basketball writer Myron Medcalf gives us his take on that and more as the tournament action gets back underway. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

Even as the Shohei Ohtani sports betting scandal dominates the headlines, there are other off-the-field stories bouncing around Major League Baseball.  Just last week, for example, following an offseason that saw free agent spending decline by nearly a billion dollars, there was a battle for control within the MLB Players Association. So today, ESPN MLB writer Jeff Passan details a story full of palace intrigue, conniving characters, and breaks down a battle for the future of the MLBPA more suited to a Hulu drama than a SportsCenter segment. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

For any star, the path to greatness is paved with pitfalls most of us will never encounter. The burden of being the best person on the court. The challenges of trusting teammates who’s physical gifts and talents are so far removed from your own. The responsibility of setting the tone for everyone around you. That is the road Iowa’s Caitlin Clark walks.   So today, in the wake of the Hawkeyes’ second Sweet 16 birth in as many years, our Wright Thompson brings us closer to Clark’s inner circle and reveals the personal conflict she copes with everyday.  Wright’s ESPN.com article is titled ‘Being Cailtin Clark: Inside the world of the player who redefined the game.’ Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

The escalating conflict between Israel and Hamas has been the biggest story in the world for months. And it’s been devastating for Palestinians in Gaza, where more than 30,000 people have been killed. But through it all, the Palestine national football team has continued to compete, as it seeks a World Cup bid for the first time ever.  So with their fourth of six qualifying matches scheduled for Tuesday, ESPN investigative reporter T.J. Quinn tells us what he’s learned about the team, and how in the player's eyes, just being on the pitch sends a powerful message to their people and the world. T.J. Quinn's Report: Palestinian men's soccer team unites amid Israel-Hamas conflict Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

This isn’t the kind of attention that Major League Baseball was looking for to open the season.  Almost as soon as the league got to celebrate Shohei Ohtani leading his new Dodgers teammates to victory in South Korea, news broke that Ohtani’s name was being dragged into a sports betting scandal involving his longtime friend and interpreter, Ippei Mizuhara. ESPN investigative journalist Tisha Thompson takes us through her reporting to tell us what happened, and how baseball's biggest unicorn finds himself embroiled in a massive controversy.  Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

There’s a new level of excitement surrounding the women’s college basketball game as the NCAA Tournament approaches. That’s because the rivalries are tougher, the game is faster, and the stars are shining brighter than maybe ever before. So today, ESPN women’s basketball reporter, Alexa Philippou, takes us through the teams, matchups, and players she has her eyes on, as the madness gets ready to begin. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

This season of men's college basketball has lacked the buzz and attention we're used to seeing, but now that the tournament is here and bracket bets are rolling in, that is sure to change. We already saw the drama ramp up last weekend as several “bid-thieves” won their conference tournaments and stole slots from a handful of bubble teams.  So can UConn become the first back-to-back champ in 17-years? Can Purdue overcome the stigma of last year's first-round upset? And what’s the deal with Long Beach State? Our college basketball guide Myron Medcalf is here to explore it all and more. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

For the first time in 38 years, the University of Southern California has earned a No. 1 seed in the NCAA women’s basketball tournament. It’s the culmination of coach Lindsey Gottlieb’s three-year rehabilitation project for the once proud program.  But for former high school phenom Aaliyah Gayles, who’d committed to the Trojans before Gottlieb took over, injuries from a shooting in 2022 had her wondering if she’d ever be able to play basketball again.  ESPN Writer Katie Barnes started reporting on Gayles shortly after the shooting and over several months got intimate access to her family and the USC program. Today, Katie takes us inside Gayles’ long and courageous effort to return to the court. Katie’s E60 documentary on Aaliyah Gayles, titled “Only the Strong Survive,” premieres this Saturday at 11am ET on ESPN2 and will be available afterward on ESPN+. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

In 2019, Dr. Gregg Nigl, a neuropsychologist in Columbus, Ohio put forth what many consider the best bracket in history, correctly picking the first 49 games of the tournament while briefly bedridden with an illness. But the exact details of how he pulled it off have remained a secret for years.  So today, with this year’s bracket now revealed and fans everywhere entertaining their own dreams of perfection (looking at you dear listener), our Ryan Hockensmith gets to the bottom of the greatest run of tourney picks ever seen. And uncovers the method, or maybe lack thereof, behind the madness.  Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

In December, Ted Leonsis, owner of the Washington Wizards and Capitals, announced the teams were leaving their downtown home of 26 years and building a new arena south of the city in the Virginia suburbs. For many longtime fans of the team, moving to a community they didn’t feel welcome was seen as a betrayal. But it’s also a trend we’re seeing throughout sports, as owners increasingly use new venue projects as a tool to expand their real estate empires.  So today, Clinton Yates and Martenzie Johnson unpack the relationship between a downtown neighborhood, a fan base, and a team. And the charming state senator who’s made it her mission to stop Leonsis’ Potomac Yard project in its tracks.  Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

It’s hard not to notice that championships are often the end all, be all in sports discourse. But in the case of the 2023-24 Boston Celtics, it may just be true. Boston has been one of the most successful franchises in the NBA in recent seasons, but the Celtics have not yet captured a ring in 16 years. Today, ESPN NBA writer Tim Bontemps explains why this Celtics team has been as good as almost any other squad in basketball history. But he also tells us that without a title at the end of the day, that doesn’t matter at all. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

The day that college administrators have long dreaded has finally arrived.  Last week, the Dartmouth men's basketball team officially formed the first-ever labor union in college sports. And though it may prove to be a union-in-name-only, it is a watershed moment for student athletes, schools, conferences, and the NCAA itself. So today, ESPN senior writer Dan Murphy explains what it all means and why the professionalization of college athletes looks ready to go into hyperdrive. You can watch Dan Murphy’s interview with NCAA President Charlie Baker at the ESPN YouTube Channel. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

Six years ago, a simple 3am tweet from All-star DeMar DeRozan inadvertently kicked off a new conversation about mental health in the NBA. And in the years since, he's embraced his role as a mental health advocate.  Now, DeMar has launched a new web series, titled Dinners with DeMar featuring some of the likes of Draymond Green, Dwyane Wade, and Damian Lillard opening up about their own internal struggles. So today, our Jamal Collier takes us inside DeMar DeRozan's mental health journey, and how he's helping players around the league to up their game by elevating and advancing their minds. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

NFL free agency is set to start this week, meaning teams are looking to add talent, and players are looking to get paid. So today, Mina Kimes helps us understand who is available, and which teams will be looking to buy. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

The Minnesota Timberwolves are one of the NBA’s top contenders right now, battling for the #1 seed in the West. But it hasn’t always been this way. As a lifelong T-Wolves fan: author, critic, and poet Hanif Abdurraqib is a historian of the many eras of this franchise, from the Kevin Garnett era in the early 2000s through some dismal seasons in the 2010s.  Throughout it all, Abdurraqib has nurtured a love for the team and its key players.  Today he joins the show to tell the story of how the T-Wolves found their way back to the top of the rankings, and where they could go from here. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

The Big 12 Women’s basketball tournament starts today, but of all the teams in attendance, none have had a season of ups and downs like the Texas Christian University. After starting out the year surprisingly strong and entering the top 25, a series of injuries sidelined several players, including stars Sedona Price and Madison Connor. By mid-January, the Horned Frogs had only six players available.  So head coach Mark Campbell put an emergency plan into effect: hold open tryouts.   Today, Dave Wilson, who wrote about the team for ESPN, joins the show to explain how things got so dire for TCU, what it was like to walk-on to this team midseason, and why this real-life-sports-movie-in-the-making may still have a crazy final act.  The bracket for the Big 12 Tournament can be found here.  Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

The Oklahoma City Thunder are currently sitting at the top of the Western Conference, which is not bad for a team that’s also one of the youngest in the NBA. But how are they dominating the league the way that they are so quickly? ESPN Senior Writer Chris Herring recently wrote about how the Thunder’s on-court presence is starting to resemble a 2014 Golden State Warriors team preparing to make a dynastic, four-championship run. With an emerging big three featuring an MVP candidate in Shai Gilgeous-Alexander, a standout rookie in Chet Holmgren, and a fast rising second-year star in Jalen Williams. Oklahoma City is playing at a high level, despite barely having played together. But the results speak for themselves. So today, Herring breaks down the numbers and tells us how the Thunder’s rise just might be inevitable. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

The Chicago Bears are facing a critical decision as the NFL off-season kicks into gear. Do they stick with their incumbent quarterback, Justin Fields, who the Bears have spent a couple of seasons surrounding with talent. Or, do they draft Caleb Williams with the first pick of the 2024 NFL Draft, a player that some see as a generational prospect. It’s not as simple a decision as it might seem from the outside, especially when you look at how little Fields had around him early in his career, and how much he has grown alongside an improving roster. ESPN Chicago Bears reporter Courtney Cronin takes us through the most important off-season in recent memory for the Bears. And reminds us that this is a position the Bears haven’t gotten right since they drafted Sid Luckman…in 1939. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

March is a month synonymous with college basketball. The NCAA Tournament is just a few weeks away, but with the Super Bowl, the NBA, Spring Training, and the stars of women’s college basketball shining a spotlight on the sport like never before, it’s been a difficult men’s season to get a firm grasp on. ESPN Senior Basketball Reporter Myron Medcalf explains how schools are looking to draw fans in during a period of declining attendance, and then explains how the men’s side is facing more trouble than ever in connecting with casual fans. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

Long before stealing scenes, as Ashtray, in HBO’s hit drama “Euphoria”, Javon Walton was making waves as a young boxing prodigy. And this weekend, he goes back to his roots…. heading to Puerto Rico to make his global professional boxing debut, alongside Jake Paul and featherweight champion Amanda Serrano. So today, ESPN staff writer Marc Raimondi explores the potential of Javon “Wanna” Walton in the ring, and tells us why this fresh-faced 17 year old appears ready to conquer the fight game. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

All eyes are on the circuit as the Bahrain Grand Prix gets set to kick off Formula 1’s 2024 season this Saturday, on ESPN. It's not just the sexy cars and extreme speed driving the growth of the planet’s fastest sport, there's plenty of drama to go around as well. Today ESPN F1 editor Laurence Edmundson takes us through Lewis Hamilton’s bombshell decision to leave Mercedes, where he's been for more than a decade, at the end of 2024, to fulfill a childhood dream and drive for Ferrari, who haven't won a title since 2007.  Defending champion Max Verstappen is coming off his third straight title with Red Bull, but questions are starting to emerge about whether his teammate Sergio Perez can keep up.  So Edmondson, on the ground in Bahrain, breaks down what to watch for on Saturday, and all season long. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

Tonight, the Clippers and Lakers will play for the final time as co-tenants of Crypto.com arena, as Clippers owner Steve Ballmer is set to open the team’s shiny new arena next fall. It’s a big moment for the team as they continue to seek a path out of the Lakers shadow.  But on the court, that emergence may be even closer. After a disastrous start to the James Harden era in November, the Clippers went on an 8-game win streak in December, have won nearly 70% of their games since, and now have the third-best odds to win the title, per ESPN Bet.  So today, our resident Clippers reporter Ohm Youngmisuk explains how the four-year-old bet on Kawhi Leonard and Paul George is finally paying off, how Russell Westbrook found his place, and how this squad is set to be a force in this year’s playoffs. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

The second half of the NBA season is underway, and the MVP picture is starting to take focus. ESPN NBA writer Tim Bontemps conducts several straw polls every season, getting input from 100 media members across the country to get a sense of where the race sits at various points on the calendar. And with Joel Embiid ineligible for the award due to injury, Bontemps walks us through who the front runners are, and tells us what to make of the recent international flavor of the NBA’s most prestigious regular season award. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

As ESPN MLB Insider Jeff Passan tells us, spring training should be about hope and new beginnings. Relaying the smell of freshly cut grass, enjoying the Florida or Arizona sunlight, hearing the crack of the bat and the slap of the leather. But for Major League Baseball, there are still a number of issues that have caught people’s attention, and none of them relate to position battles, or players making debuts with new teams. The Athletics are still trying to find their way to Las Vegas, and with the city of Oakland less than enamored with them, they don’t even have a clear home beyond this season. Commissioner Rob Manfred has announced that he wants to retire in five years time, but first he wants to make sure that the league is ready to grow through expansion. And there are concerns about the new uniforms that players will be sporting this season, and how much they - ahem - reveal. So today, Passan tells us where the league is on all of these issues, and helps us clear the way for talk about baseball, on the field. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

There are more household names in women’s basketball than ever before, and another star is shooting her way to the top of the list. USC’s freshman phenom JuJu Watkins has been turning heads since the moment the season tipped off, dropping 32 points in her first collegiate game to upset current No. 2 Ohio State. And since then, she hasn’t let up, posting 30 or more points in 9 other games, culminating in a 51-point explosion in another upset over Stanford. So as the No. 7 Trojans stare down two top 20 matchups this weekend, Alexa Philippou is here to explain what has fueled the rise of JuJu. And how, despite the stiff competition, she may ultimately go down as the best of her generation. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

It’s been a long time since the New York Knicks have been one of the NBA’s premier franchises. And even names like Pat Riley, Patrick Ewing, and Allan Houston, weren’t able to deliver a championship to New York City’s rabid basketball fans. But according to writer, host, and displaced New Yorker Jason Concepcion, that all may be starting to change. After decades of being the joke in many basketball circles, this Knicks team is suddenly loaded with talent and depth, and being run as competently as any franchise in the sport. And Knicks fans are getting excited again, something they’ll gladly tell you all about. Concepcion, a Knicks fanatic himself, joins the show to break down the culture shift at Madison Square Garden, decipher a lingo and fan base that you needed to grow up around to understand, and explain why New York City will always belong to the Knicks. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

Despite huge expectations and two of the top five players in the world the Edmonton Oilers got off to a disastrous start, finding themselves near the bottom of the standings. But after a coaching change, suddenly they started winning … and winning … and winning.  So today, our NHL expert Emily Kaplan explains how the Oilers found their way – and gauges whether they’re ready to get where they always intended to be. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

In 1994, Steve McNair turned in one of the greatest seasons in college football history. He put his alma mater Alcorn State on the map, and finished third in the Heisman Trophy race. But nearly 30 years later, players at historically black colleges and universities (HBCUs) face a difficult path to the NFL. Jay “Sky” Walker, one of the great quarterbacks in black college football history, and a contemporary of McNair, helps us remember that amazing performance. And then explains how the HBCU Legacy Bowl is one attempt to help level the playing field for prospects coming from HBCUs. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

The 2023 NBA All-Star Game marked a new low for the event. A lack of effort (and defense) from the players prompted “Team LeBron” head coach Michael Malone to call it “the worst basketball game ever played.” And after years of declining competitive spirt, the contest saw its lowest television ratings on record.  So today, our NBA oracle Brian Windhorst explains what’s gone wrong, why the players no longer care to win this thing, and why it will be a hard problem to fix.   Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

NASCAR season is back, America. And it's time to tune in or, well … you’ll be missing out. Because where else in the sports world are you going to find drama, crashes, hugs, fights, confetti cannons, fireworks, oh and not to mention, Michael Jordan. And all of this is happening at 200 miles per hour.   So today, just ahead of the 2024 Daytona 500 – and the start of the NASCAR season – our resident motorsport savant Ryan McGee enlightens everyone on everything we are missing and why you should tune in. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

The puck dropped on the inaugural season of the Professional Women’s Hockey League, or PWHL, in January 2024, and fans have been excited so far. The nascent league has attracted eyes, and dazzled with its play, while big names like Hilary Knight, Marie-Philip Poulin, Alex Carpenter and Natalie Spooner have packed fans into arenas, proving that there’s room in North America for women to take the ice. But this is the fourth swing at establishing a professional women’s league since 2007, leaving some to ask, what makes the PWHL different from its predecessors? Today ESPN Senior NHL Writer Greg Wyshynski takes us through the PWHL’s inception, explores the history of women’s professional hockey in North America, and explains why there’s optimism that this time, it’ll stick. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

Everyone hopes that the NBA Trade Deadline is filled with thermonuclear Woj Bombs that stop us in our tracks. But this year it all ended with a whimper. Still, there were enough players on the move and that leads us to ask some questions: What happens next? What do you do with your family, your pets … and most importantly, your sneakers? As the NBA is past the midpoint of the season, with trades that did and didn't happen, the big question circling around is what’s next? Are there new title contenders in our midst? So today, our Ohm Youngmisuk joins us to break down what’s next and the realities of life in the league when you suddenly find yourself shipped out of town. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

It’s official. The Kansas City Chiefs are the NFL’s newest dynasty following their 25-22 overtime win over the San Francisco 49ers in Super Bowl LVIII. Becoming the first repeat champions in the NFL since the 2003-2004 New England Patriots. That’s three titles, and three Super Bowl MVP awards for Patrick Mahomes. And if the most flawed team of the Mahomes-Andy Reid era Chiefs can bring home a ring, what does that mean for the future? ESPN Senior NFL writer Jason Reid joins us from the press box at Allegiant Stadium to tell us what he saw, as the Chiefs won it all, again. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

Are you Ready for It? We should have known all along that the Travis Kelce - Taylor Swift romance was destined for the Super Bowl stage. And while many can’t wait to see how it all plays out, others are just asking Is It Over Now? Through it all, as the gossip columns, social media Swiftie commentary, and song lyric puns add up, diehard football fans are wondering if this will damage the game’s Reputation. So today, sports writer Louisa Thomas helps us understand why so many people are so angry about Taylor Swift. And why understanding it really might be The Story of Us all. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

Super Bowl LVIII kicks off in just a few days, marking the first time in history that the NFL’s biggest game will be played in Las Vegas. It’s a Super Bowl rematch, as the San Francisco 49ers and Kansas City Chiefs face off for the second time in less than five years, with the Lombardi Trophy on the line. But these aren’t the same teams now, and in some ways roles have switched. It’s the Chiefs who have featured the fierce defense lately, while the 49ers offense has paced the NFL basically all season long. Kevin Clark, host of This is Football, tells us what each team has to do to emerge victorious at the end of the day on Sunday. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

San Francisco 49ers head coach Kyle Shanahan is one of the best and brightest minds in the NFL. He’s overseen great success in the past five years, leading the 49ers to four NFC Championship Games, three divisional titles, and two Super Bowl appearances, one in 2019 in Super Bowl LIV and this year's Super Bowl LVIII.  But as he prepares to face a familiar foe on Sunday, the same Kansas City Chiefs team that beat him in Super Bowl LIV, the question is can he close out the game and finally claim a Super Bowl victory?  ESPN Senior writer, Seth Wickersham joins the show to explain how Shanahan’s mind is one that many in the league are inspired by, how he’s able to connect to his players, and how his offense took over the league. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

Frank Gore Sr. ran for exactly 16,000 yards in his prolific 16 year career in the NFL. Most likely, that longevity and endurance will never be replicated again, meaning Gore is more than worthy of the title, “The Last Running Back”. As the running backs' role in the NFL has dramatically shifted over the years, the Frank Gore archetype is fading into history. With his son Frank Gore Jr.’s impending selection in this year's NFL draft, has the game changed too much for him to pass down everything he knows? Today, Tom Junod joins the show to explain Frank Gore Sr.’s legacy, and how he plans to pass the baton to the next generation. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

There were two big questions about the Kansas City Chiefs throughout much of the 2023 NFL season. What was wrong with their offense? And was 2023 going to be a lost year? Now, with Super Bowl LVIII less than a week away, Andy Reid, Patrick Mahomes, Travis Kelce, and company, are poised to face the San Francisco 49ers, in what will be the Chiefs fourth Super Bowl appearance in five years. ESPN’s Adam Teicher has been covering the Chiefs from inside the locker room for more than a decade, and he’s seen how the season has played out in-person. Today he tells us: how a second round wide receiver stabilized the passing game, how this could be the best coaching job of Andy Reid’s career, and what the game means for the legacy of Andy Reid. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

In 2003, a team of marketers for the city of Las Vegas were ready to debut their soon-to-be iconic “What Happens Here, Stays Here” advertising campaign. And they turned to a natural platform for the launch — the Super Bowl. But the NFL, seeking to distance itself from the capital of and only legal outlet for sports betting, said no way.  Fast forward 21 years and sports betting is legal in 38 states, the NFL has countless partnerships with sports books, and the Super Bowl is coming to Vegas.  So how did we get here?  ESPN’s John Barr has been working with his colleagues at Outside the Lines to gauge the state of American sports betting in 2024. And today, as billions of dollars in Super Bowl bets roll in, he tracks how sports books have become a bigger and bigger part of the fan experience and whether or not we truly understand the costs. Note: ESPN launched ESPN Bet in partnership with Penn Entertainment in November 2023. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

ESPN NHL reporter Kristen Shilton explains how in the summer of 2018, members of Canada’s gold medal winning Junior Hockey team were in London Ontario, being celebrated as heroes for winning that year’s World Junior Ice Hockey Championships. But after a night of heavy drinking by some, then, underaged players on the team, sexual assault allegations emerged, allegations that would quickly be dismissed by the London Police Service. Over the last week, more than five years after the night in question, five former players, now professionals, took leaves of absence from their respective teams after being told to surrender to that same London police department. So today, Shilton: takes us through the timeline as first reported by The Athletic, explains the latest developments, describes the fallout for Hockey Canada – the governing body for amateur hockey in the country, and tells us why it has taken so long to arrive at this moment. https://theathletic.com/3441414/2022/07/22/hockey-canada-2018-sexual-assault/ Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

ESPN NBA writer Jamal Collier has been following the Milwaukee Bucks all season long. Today he explains to us how Adrian Griffin’s tenure with the team ended after only 43-games.  With transcendent stars Giannis Antetokounmpo and Damian Lillard on their roster, the Bucks entered the season with sky-high expectations. A 30-13 record had them near the top of the Eastern Conference. But cracks were forming both on and off the court.  Collier takes us inside the Bucks organization to pinpoint the moment the first-year head coach lost his grip on the locker room, and gauges whether new head coach Doc Rivers can right the ship and get this team back in the Finals. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

There’s one phrase in the NBA that reflects as crying wolf; The Knicks are back. Different shades of mediocrity have inhabited Madison Square Garden over the last 20-plus years, but this time it may actually be different.  Led by emerging NBA superstar point guard Jalen Brunson, the Knicks are the team that no one wants to play. Following the addition of OG Anunoby, the Knicks look as good as they have in years, but will the shoulder injury of Julius Randle put their playoff hopes in jeopardy? Chris Herring joins the show today to talk about how this team came together and why fans in New York have their sights set on a deep playoff run. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

All that’s left is Super Bowl LVIII. The San Francisco 49ers and Kansas City Chiefs will meet in a rematch of Super Bowl LIV at Allegiant Stadium in Las Vegas on February 11th. The Chiefs and Patrick Mahomes proved that they were not, in fact, dead - as much of the media tried to pronounce them throughout the season. As they went into Baltimore and bottled up Lamar Jackson and the Ravens all afternoon. Meanwhile, in the NFC Championship, the 49ers were down 17 to the Lions at halftime, before they came roaring back to life in the second half, on the shoulders of a quarterback, in Brock Purdy, who looked to do more than manage the game. But before we turn our sights on whether or not Patrick Mahomes can win four titles in five years, or if this third try at adding a sixth Lombardi Trophy to the case will work in San Francisco, Jason Reid tells us how these two teams got it done on Sunday. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

The Detroit Lions are usually considered one of the most hapless franchises in the NFL. They have never been to a Super Bowl, and are preparing to make just their second trip to the NFC Championship in the Super Bowl era. But most of that history predates their current head coach, Dan Campbell. He’s led an overhaul over his first three seasons that have the Lions on the cusp of their first Super Bowl appearance, and it’s safe to say that he’s got everyone in the Lions’ wake fired up. Televised tears of joy, fans dying their hair blue, even General Motors and the Ford Motor Company have joined in - issuing Lions themed logos in a show of support. Tim Keown took a trip to Detroit to witness firsthand just how much the culture has evolved under Campbell. And reports on a team, a fanbase, and a city ready to usher in a new era in Detroit Lions football. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

It’s time to get ready for championship Sunday in the NFL. In Baltimore, the Ravens host the Kansas City Chiefs, in the first playoff ever matchup between Patrick Mahomes and Lamar Jackson, with a trip to Super Bowl LVIII on the line. Charm City hasn’t hosted the AFC Championship game since the Baltimore Colts beat the Oakland Raiders in 1971, the first season of the NFL/AFL merger! Meanwhile out west at Levi’s Stadium, the San Francisco 49ers have to be feeling all the pressure as they host a Detroit Lions team coming into town playing with house money, and carrying all of Motor City behind them. Today, Kevin Clark, host of the This is Football podcast, tells us how each of these teams can punch their ticket to Las Vegas for a chance to lift the Lombardi Trophy as NFL champion. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

NBA fans have had Wednesday’s matchup between the Spurs and Thunder circled on the calendar for months. Because when rookies Victor Wembanyama and Chet Holmgren face off in San Antonio, it will be the latest battle of what is expected to be a long and historic rivalry.  And thanks to the likes of Nikola Jokic, Joel Embiid and Karl Anthony Towns, it’s all happening in an era where the big man has been reinvigorated.  So today, ESPN’s Brian Windorst takes us from Holmgren’s Minnehaha High School all the way to an epic battle against Wembanyama in the Under 19 FIBA World Cup to where we are now – the courts of the NBA where these two unicorns are battling it out for Rookie of the Year and where the future of the NBA looks brighter than ever. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

It’s been a season of scrutiny for the LSU women’s basketball team. First, the NCAA Division I reigning champions lost their season opener to the Colorado Buffaloes. Then, their most famous player, Angel Reese, mysteriously didn’t play for four games in November, igniting much speculation among fans and media. But under Kim Mulkey’s leadership, they’ve come back strong, earning an 18-2 record and a No. 9 ranking.  Now comes their biggest test versus undefeated, number-one-ranked South Carolina on Thursday night. So today, ESPN Feature Writer Katie Barnes previews one of the most-anticipated games of the season and considers whether the Tigers’ rocky start is truly in the rear-view mirror.  Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

The final four matchups are set: In Baltimore, the presumed MVP Lamar Jackson and the Ravens, who also boast the best defense in the NFL, will welcome in Patrick Mahomes and the Kansas City Chiefs, who looked like they remembered who they were, Sunday night in Buffalo. Across the country, the San Francisco 49ers, fresh off a sloppy victory over the Green Bay Packers, will host the Detroit Lions, a team and a city, with dreams of reaching heights the team hasn’t achieved in the Super Bowl era. So today, Jason Reid joins us from Highmark Stadium in Buffalo, where he tells us what he saw at the ballpark in a frigid Orchard Park as the Bills and Chiefs clashed. And then walks us through the rest of the divisional round action from the warmth of his hotel. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

The midpoint of the NBA season is here, meaning that the trade deadline is around the corner. That often raises more questions than answers.  Should the Sixers make a move in a wide open Eastern Conference? Is Chicago’s Zach Levine the answer for another franchise? And is there another blockbuster trade looming on the horizon? So today, Ramona Shelburne joins the show to break down all the possibilities and also honor the tragic loss of a beloved Warriors coach. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

This weekend, the divisional round of the NFL playoffs begin, and eight teams are still alive in the hunt for the Lombardi Trophy. Kevin Clark, host of the This is Football podcast, shares his analysis of this weekend’s matchups, and tells how each team got here, and predicts what they have to do to win.  He also looks at some of the hottest news from the NFL coaching carousel where names like: Bill Belichick, Pete Carroll, Jim Harbaugh and Mike Vrabel are waiting in the wings. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

It only became official last Thursday, but the writing had been on the wall for weeks, if not months. Bill Belichick’s reign in New England, the greatest run by any coach in NFL history, was ending. A 13-loss season, the worst of his career, and growing dysfunction in the organization were the ultimate undoing. But the seeds of his decline go back much, much further –– long before Tom Brady’s departure, in fact. So today, our Patriots whisperer, Seth Wickersham, helps pinpoint when Belichick’s fall started and how much of his so-called 'Patriot Way' was illusion and how much was real. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

Lionel Messi's MLS debut last summer with Inter Miami was spectacular with dramatic goals and record-setting ticket prices. But now Messi faces a tougher test with a somewhat aging super team getting prepared for a nine-month marathon of a season.  So today, Luis Miguel Echegaray checks in with us to talk about the evolution of the Messi brand and why, when it comes to The Beautiful Game, Lionel Messi is always the most important guy in the room… even when he’s not actually in it. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

We’re halfway through the NFL Super Wild Card weekend, and for some teams, the playoffs have been like kryptonite. The Dallas Cowboys were routed by the Green Bay Packers and the Miami Dolphins couldn't overcome a slew of injuries and temperatures so low in Kansas City that even Taylor Swift couldn’t bring the heat.  We also saw history as the Detroit Lions won their first playoff game in 32 years over the LA Rams, who couldn’t muster a strong finish. And the Texans brought Joe Flacco and the Cleveland Browns’ storybook season to a screeching halt.  ESPN Senior NFL writer Jason Reid puts these wins and losses into context and gives us a peek at what’s coming in tonight’s final wild card games. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

Naomi Osaka burst onto the tennis scene with a 2018 US Open championship win over Serena Williams. After winning four major titles in as many years, Osaka was anointed the next face of the game, on and off the court.  But in the years since, the superstar of Japanese and Haitian descent stepped away from the game twice –– first in 2021 to prioritize her mental health, and then again early last year to welcome her first child.  So today, on the eve of Osaka’s first grand slam match in 17 months, ESPN tennis writer D’arcy Maine brings us exclusive access inside Osaka’s comeback, examines how motherhood has changed her relationship with the sport, and discerns whether this Australian Open will see a return to greatness.  D'arcy's full conversation with Naomi Osaka is available on ESPN's YouTube channel, and Clinton Yates' commentary on Osaka's withdrawal from the 2021 French Open is on Andscape. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

The NFL postseason is upon us, with six games spread over three days, and a myriad of storylines so juicy, you’ve got to call it Super Wild Card weekend. So Mina Kimes drops by to take us inside the matchups. She tells us what to look for in “you can’t go home again” games, like Matthew Stafford’s return to the city of Detroit, as the Lions host their first playoff game since 1993. And Tyreek Hill’s return to Kansas City, where he’s hoping to send the Chiefs plenty of shivers at a frigid Arrowhead Stadium. Then there’s the “revenge games,” like the one Jared Goff hopes to deliver to the Los Angeles Rams, who sent him out of town as an afterthought a few years back. And for Mike McCarthy, who is looking to lead his Dallas Cowboys to victory over the Green Bay Packers, a team McCarthy once led to the promised land. There's also the matchup between the Pittsburgh Steelers and Buffalo Bills. Two teams who changed their seasons by firing their offensive coordinators. And you can't forget the two young quarterbacks C.J Stroud and Jordan Love making their own playoff debuts, with Stroud and the Texans facing the Cleveland Browns who had their season saved by Joe Flacco, who was literally throwing balls to his family on a pee wee football field a couple of months ago. It’s all here ahead of the wild card round kicking off on Saturday. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

This NFL season, we saw an alarming number of teams unravel after losing starting quarterbacks to injury, including the Jets (Aaron Rodgers), the Bengals (Joe Burrow), and the Vikings (Kirk Cousins), just to name a few. But week after week, Joe Flacco, the Super Bowl winning 38-year old veteran, remained stuck at home without a place to play. Mystified by the league-wide snub, Flacco held out hope. So, with help from the best NFL-wideout-impersonation his dad could muster, and the good fortune of an unlocked pee wee field near his home, Flacco kept his arm fresh and his body ready. And by mid-November he was rewarded. The Browns had just lost Deshaun Watson to a shoulder fracture and wanted to give the former Baltimore Ravens star a workout.  Now, more than seven weeks and five starts later, Joe Flacco is the hottest quarterback in the league, has led the Browns to the playoffs, and is setting records in the process.  So today, our Browns reporter Jake Trotter takes us inside one of the NFL’s great comeback stories, explaining why the Browns were excited from the moment their new QB showed up and why Flacco and this team are no fluke.  Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

Bill Belichick is thought of by many as the greatest coach in NFL history. His tenure as the head coach of the New England Patriots has produced nine AFC Championships, six Super Bowl rings, and put Belichick within striking distance of catching Don Shula for the most wins of any coach ever. But after two decades of dominance, and a little bit of controversy, the past few years have been anything but what we’ve come to expect from the Patriots. Instead of being “onto Cincinnati,” they’ve fallen onto hard times, ultimately ending up with their worst record since 1992, landing at 4-13.  And so now, with the season now over, we wait for the answer to the question people have been asking since midway through the 2023 season. Will Bill Belichick be the Patriots coach come next season? Or is it time for his career to move to a new city? Would the grass be greener in Atlanta, or Washington, or Los Angeles? Field Yates, host of the Fantasy Focus podcast, joins the show to tell us how this all looks to a lifelong New Englander. And explore what comes next for both Belichick and the Patriots. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

When Michigan and Washington meet tonight in the College Football Playoff National Championship, there’s more at stake than who can claim the top spot in the 2023 college football season. That’s because Michigan head coach, Jim Harbaugh, has accomplished nearly everything a high level coach can. He’s taken the 49ers to the Super Bowl, and appeared in the College Football Playoff multiple years in a row with the Wolverines. And Washington quarterback Michael Penix Jr., has gone from overperforming in Indiana, to becoming Heisman runner-up with the Huskies. Setting his sights on the first round of the NFL draft in the process. But neither has done one thing…win a championship. So today, Kyle Bonagura reports on what he’s learned about both men, and how their paths led them to this moment, a national title matchup, tonight on ESPN. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

Last month Ja Morant returned to his Memphis Grizzlies after a 25-game suspension for repeated gun related incidents and accusations. Now his every move is being watched closely. While his presence on the court has been an electrifying boon to his team, off the court, it’s unclear what the league expects out of his “rehabilitation.” So ESPN’s Senior NBA Writer Chris Herring joins the show to explore the complexities of Ja Morant this season and beyond. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

The NFL regular season comes to a close this weekend, and while some of the questions have been answered, plenty still remain. With playoff seeding still undecided in some cases – to say nothing of the AFC East – and other questions that will slide to the back burner until after the postseason, Kevin Clark joins the show to help guide us through the finale of America’s favorite TV show … the NFL. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

There’s nothing quite like the tradition of the college football postseason. Whether it's the tradition of the Rose Bowl or newer, more eclectic offerings like the Pop-Tarts Bowl, there’s something for everyone. Games that decide the National Championship juxtaposed with pomp, circumstance, and edible mascots.  So today, Bill Connelly joins the show to recap what he saw on New Year's Day, as Michigan and Washington advanced to the College Football Playoff National Championship, and to explain how bowl season stands to change, in the 12-team playoff era. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

You’ve probably seen the image: Tommie Smith and John Carlos standing on an Olympic podium in Mexico City in 1968, accepting their medals, heads bowed, with a gloved fist raised in the air. It’s one of the most enduring moments not just from that Olympics, but in all of American history. It was a representation of the Black Power and Civil Rights Movements on a global stage…and you probably don’t know the full story. So today, 55 years after his iconic act of defiance, we revisit one of our favorite moments of the year, when Dr. John Carlos sat down with David Dennis, Jr. to discuss the impact it had on himself and those around him…and we delve into the mind of a 23-year-old who was ready to change the world. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

For years, Super Bowl winners have used a four-word phrase to commemorate their iconic victory: “I’m going to Disney World!” (or alternately, “I’m going to Disneyland!”) In all its simplicity, this phrase has stretched across many generations of winners….all the way up to the most recent champion, Super Bowl MVP Patrick Mahomes. Sam Borden tracked down the origin of this famous sentence for SC Featured, and he explains how this “magic” phrase became an institution unto itself. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

If you live in the United Kingdom, you probably know the voice of Wayne Mardle. But at the beginning of the year, millions of people around the world suddenly got a taste of him calling the World Darts Championship final – a genuinely historic duel between Michael van Gerwen of the Netherlands and Michael Smith of England. And Wayne’s commentary helped make it the most globally viral thing that’s pretty much ever happened to this admittedly strange game. So, today, for everyone who watched that clip with awe (and maybe a little confusion too) we once again bring you Wayne Mardle himself, as he tells the glorious story of the darts game that was heard around the world. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices