ESPN Daily

Klay Thompson is one of the best shooters in NBA history. He’s one half of the Splash Brothers, a five-time NBA All-Star, and a four-time NBA champion. He is also an avid boater. But he’s 32 years old…and coming off a torn ACL injury which was immediately followed by a torn Achilles. Couple that with the emergence of younger role players such as Jordan Poole and Andrew Wiggins…and the Warriors’ sl...

For years One-and-Done has been the name of the game in men’s college basketball, with top programs courting superstar freshmen to play for one season before they head to the NBA. But now, with college players now legally raking in cash via Name, Image and Likeness deals, the calculus is starting to change. Many players can make as much, if not more in college than in trying their luck in the pros...

With Week 10 of the NFL in the books, Alex Smith stops by to talk about the Game of the Year…and catch of the year, courtesy of Kirk Cousins and Justin Jefferson in the Vikings’ win over the Bills. Josh Allen now leads the league in interceptions, but is it time to panic in Buffalo just yet? Elsewhere in the AFC East, the now-first place Miami Dolphins steamrolled the Browns…and MVP chants echoed...

There may be no more thankless job than referee. At best, your existence is completely invisible. No one notices when you do a terrific job. At worst, you become enemy #1 for fans or coaches or in lower levels, angry parents. Combine that with low pay and high pressure, and it's no wonder why officiating is undergoing a crisis at the moment. Not enough people are willing to do the job…a job withou...

It’s arguably the greatest play in college football history. November 20th, 1982. Stanford vs. Cal. A legendary rivalry known as the “Big Game,” that was made even bigger that year by the presence of Stanford’s all-world QB, John Elway. What happened in the final seconds still echoes across 40 years…the iconic call of Cal Radio’s Joe Starkey exclaiming, “The band is out on the field!” With a new E...

After being detained in Russia for 265 days, Brittney Griner is currently in the process of being transferred to a penal colony. Nobody knows where she is, and we might not find out for a while. The transfer comes shortly after U.S. officials were able to meet with Griner in person last week, and it was previously thought that the midterm elections could have been a turning point for Russia to beg...

You’ve probably heard about Brett Favre’s involvement in a welfare fraud scandal in his home state of Mississippi. The Hall of Fame quarterback is accused of accepting money intended for the poorest citizens of America’s poorest state, and using the money to fund a volleyball facility at his alma mater: the University of Southern Mississippi. But Favre’s role in that case only became known to inve...

When the news broke that Daniel Snyder enlisted Bank of America to help him explore a potential sale of the Washington Commanders on Wednesday, the reaction was shock…and, in some corners, celebration. Snyder has been embattled for years in controversies with fellow owners, accusations of a toxic workplace environment, and calls to change the name of the team…the latter of which came to fruition i...

In a few short weeks, one of the most controversial sporting decisions in recent memory will become a reality – Qatar will host the 2022 World Cup. Almost everything from the selection process itself, to the claims of human rights abuses, to the promises made by Qatar’s government to improve conditions for migrant workers, has been thrust into the spotlight on the world’s biggest stage. Since it w...

Since we last talked to Nick Friedell two weeks ago, the Brooklyn Nets’ vibes have gone from great to bad…to worse. Last Thursday, Kyrie Irving tweeted a link to a film littered with antisemitic tropes and later refused to answer questions about it. In addition, the Nets have lost 5 of their last 6 games and are in last place in the Atlantic Division. On Tuesday, head coach Steve Nash and the team...

When the Name Image and Likeness revolution arrived, we all assumed the biggest winners would be the obvious: The star quarterbacks, the All-Americans, the prospects already on their way to the pros. But in the social media economy, it turns out, what you’re really monetizing is your audience. So today, we tell the story of the NIL pioneer Cavinder Twins, Hanna and Haley, two college basketball pl...

There may be no other team that embodies the chaotic nature of college football more than Tennessee. The Volunteers have seemingly cycled through various head coaches since ousting the architect of their 90’s glory years, Phillip Fulmer, in 2008…and have done so with very little success. Lane Kiffin infamously left the program in flames after one year at the helm. Derek Dooley, Butch Jones, and Je...

Bengals QB Joe Burrow is one of the most exciting young players in the NFL: from his talent on the field to his gameday outfits to how he talks about football, Burrow’s development is considered to be ahead of schedule. In just his second season, Burrow led Cincinnati to the Super Bowl, and the Bengals have high hopes for this year and beyond. Alex Smith sat down with Burrow ahead of Monday Night...

America was first introduced to Bryce Harper when he was just 16 years old, thanks to a Sports Illustrated cover story that proclaimed the teen as “Baseball’s Chosen One.” The article, written by SI’s Tom Verducci, chronicled Harper’s seemingly mythical feats: Hitting a 570-foot home run as a high school freshman. Crushing a homer off the back wall of Tropicana Stadium. Boldly stating he wanted to...

What’s your passion? That one thing that gets you out of bed in the morning? For John Urschel, it’s two things: football and math. Urschel followed the football path first, playing in college at Penn State and eventually for the Baltimore Ravens. But during his time in the NFL, he realized how much he missed math…and decided to go back for his PhD at MIT…while he was still competing on the field....

The way NBA prospects get to the league looks nothing like it used to. We’ve been importing future MVPs from overseas for years now: that’s the story of Victor Wembanyama, next year’s projected No. 1 pick. And we’ve watched the G League become the NBA’s own minor league system. That’s the story of Scoot Henderson, projected to go No. 2. But the story of Amen and Ausar Thompson — who could maybe ro...

It had been 533 days since we last saw Zion Williamson compete in a real live NBA game until this season. The 22-year-old phenom has dealt with a foot injury that kept him out all of last season, and struggled with the perception he was out of shape. But this season (despite a fall on Sunday that left him with a bruised rear end) Zion has looked every bit the sensation he was predicted to be comin...

Tua Tagovailoa is back: but does he need to learn how to slide? And is he the same QB he was before his frightening concussion three weeks ago against the Bengals? Elsewhere in the NFL’s Week 7, we got the Alex Smith Bowl, as the Kansas City Chiefs jet swept all over the San Francisco 49ers. Aaron Rodgers and Tom Brady continued to struggle this season as both their teams have now started 3-4 for...

In the 1980s NFL, barefoot kickers were a fleeting and rare phenomenon, with little to no evidence to back up any claims of a strategic advantage. The last known barefoot kick in the league was recorded in 2002, and executed by St. Louis Rams kicker Jeff Wilkins…or so we thought. Sam Borden kicks off an investigation into a football mystery… and embarks on a quest for truth…and justice…and a heel...

In Houston, everyone knows the name “Mattress Mack.” He’s a furniture store owner whose charitable efforts during Hurricane Harvey and in other times need have made him famous among Houstonians. But “Mattress Mack,” whose real name is Jim McIngvale, has become famous nationally for another reason: he consistently places some of the largest sports bets in history. But make no mistake, Mack is not y...

The Brooklyn Nets were the talk of the NBA offseason, and as their season tips off tonight, it seems like the dust has settled…for now. But what’s Kevin Durant’s future just months after he requested to be traded away? Can Kyrie Irving change the narrative around him this season? And what will Ben Simmons look like after more than a year away from the game? Nick Friedell shares his conversations w...

You may have heard that the NBA has just gone through the most dramatic offseason in memory. The league also has more star talent right now, top to bottom, than it has in years. And anyone who’s telling you that they know who’s going to win it all is a liar. So, today, as the season tips off tonight, we consult the very particular brain of Zach Lowe, who studies these games more deeply than anyone...

In Kansas City, Josh Allen hurdled to victory (literally) and led the Buffalo Bills on a game-winning drive over the Chiefs, in a rematch of last year’s explosive AFC Divisional Round matchup. Jalen Hurts and the Eagles preserved the only undefeated record in the NFL, beating the Cowboys 26-17. Across the NFC East, Giants defensive coordinator Wink Martindale helped beat his former team, the Raven...

If you watch football, you’ve probably heard the word “analytics” so many times, it’s lost all meaning. But what if we told you there’s a better way to understand football analytics…by instead using the word “evidence?” Our resident football professor Bill Barnwell is here with a lesson in making sense of analytics, what it means when coaches use information to make decisions on the field, and wha...

NFL ownership is one of the most exclusive, fiercely protected clubs imaginable. There is no American sport as profitable or as visible as the NFL, and there are only 32 teams — 32 pieces of the most valuable real estate in American culture… each of them worth billions of dollars. Which means that entering this club requires another powerful person to want to leave. Washington Commanders owner Dan...