ESPN Daily

Medina Spirit will race in this weekend’s Preakness, fresh off a win at the Kentucky Derby. The victory is clouded in controversy, because a drug test right after came up positive for a substance banned on race day. Longtime trainer and racing honcho Bob Baffert has denied wrongdoing, but this is just the latest in a string of concerning incidents around his massive horse training operation. Matt...

Joel Embiid’s 2021 season has been marked by seismic ups and downs. With the Sixers leading the Eastern Conference, Embiid was the front runner for NBA MVP through mid-March...until he went down with a knee injury that sidelined him for 10 games. The injury was just the latest roadblock in a career that’s seemingly always just on the cusp of fulfilling its potential. And off the court, Embiid has...

The WNBA celebrates its 25th anniversary this season, a historic milestone for a league that many thought would never last. From the league’s beginnings and the rise of stars like Lisa Leslie and Sheryl Swoopes to the modern game and the myriad of social justice initiatives undertaken by the players, the game has changed massively in the past quarter-century, both on and off the court. Rebecca Lob...

The reigning champion Lakers currently sit way down at seventh in the Western Conference, with LeBron James and Anthony Davis having been out for long stretches due to injury. With both stars returning, the Lake Show is pushing for a postseason berth. Brian Windhorst explains LeBron and company’s chances. And he breaks down what the play-in games mean, love them or hate them. Learn more about your...

The New York Rangers face drama on and off the ice, around the league’s response to Washington Capitals forward Tom Wilson’s latest incident and history of injuring opponents. This weekend, Edmonton Oilers star Connor McDavid reached the milestone of 100 points in 53 games, as he’s looking more and more like the favorite for league MVP. And that’s just the latest in a season of big NHL headlines,...

**NOTE: This episode originally aired on February 2nd, 2021** Twenty-nine-year-old Drew Robinson is attempting a Major League Baseball return unlike any other. Robinson worked his way through the minors for many years, and in 2017 he finally made the Texas Rangers’ Opening Day roster. But what followed was a bumpy path up and down between leagues and teams. All the while, Robinson struggled with m...

The NFL world was stunned last week by the report of Aaron Rodgers wanting out of Green Bay, and in the time since, little has emerged to suggest the situation will be easily resolved.  Rodgers has been teasing a departure for months for a myriad of reasons, from the unexpected arrival of QB Jordan Love last season to unhappiness with Packers leadership to the allure of a permanent new gig hosting...

As we approach the NBA playoffs, stakes are high for missing games, and coronavirus vaccines are tantamount. The person leading vaccine rollout, and all player health and safety amid this pandemic, is Dr. Leroy Sims. As Senior Vice President of Medical Affairs for the NBA, Sims has overseen every detail of fighting COVID-19. He shares insights from an unprecedented year, and what he sees ahead. Th...

There is no one in the NBA like Russell Westbrook. The former league MVP routinely puts up eye-popping stat lines and is now just four triple-doubles away from breaking Oscar Robertson's all-time triple-double record. But what’s even more impressive about Westbrook is how he’s elevating the Washington Wizards, and shockingly making them look like a contender this May. But Westbrook is not without...

As Europe’s Champions League Semifinals start today, the soccer world is still reeling from protesting fans in England. Hundreds stormed Old Trafford Stadium in Manchester on Sunday, injured police officers and led Liverpool and Man United to reschedule their game. It all stems back to a failed plan for Europe’s biggest soccer teams to form a breakaway league, that revealed team owners’ and populi...

Angels pitcher Shohei Ohtani is breaking MLB records that have been held for a century. He just became the first player since Babe Ruth to start a game as a pitcher...while also leading the league in home runs as a hitter. As he takes the mound again in Anaheim tonight, Alden Gonzalez explains what Ohtani’s success as a two-way player means for the game, and if we’ll see more like him going forwar...

The 2021 NFL Draft first round is in the books, and prospects are on the way to their new teams. From the 49ers’ secretive plan to take QB Trey Lance as the number three pick, to the Bears trading up for QB Justin Fields, quarterbacks remained the story at the center. And then there are the other wins down the roster, like the Falcons’ new tight end Kyle Pitts. But we also have to talk about Aaron...

The Seattle Seahawks drafted Richard Sherman with the 154th pick in the 2011 NFL Draft, behind 24 other cornerbacks. 10 years later, Sherman is still punishing the league for letting him fall that far, and created a legacy that will one day send him to Canton. But what did everyone miss when they were evaluating Sherman in 2011? And why didn’t they see his potential? On the day of the 2021 NFL Dra...

You’ll find several “Jalens” in the NFL draft this week, the NBA draft this summer, and any number of games you turn on ... from Jalen Suggs to Jalen Green to Jalen Mayfield. For years our colleague, friend and basketball veteran Jalen Rose has maintained that today’s Jalens are named for him (whether they know it or not). We honor Jalen Rose’s mother, the recently passed Jeanne Rose, exploring th...

The sports world is ripe with famous siblings like the Watt brothers, Williams sisters, Currys, Gasols, and on and on. But a superstar’s non-athlete sibling doesn’t usually make news. Enter Chase Lawrence, the offbeat older brother of the top player in this week’s NFL Draft, Trevor Lawrence. Chase is an artist worth knowing and big influence on Trevor Lawrence himself. ESPN’s Dave Fleming explains...

For the 2021 NFL Draft this week, we won’t have family cams or yacht cameos. Live and in-person from Cleveland, teams will match with top talent, including a handful of historically great quarterbacks. And we’ll see what franchises who traded up for higher draft picks have in mind. ESPN analyst Mina Kimes previews all the drama. Then, goodbye to a goat who’s truly a GOAT. Learn more about your ad...

It’s been a strange and turbulent NBA season, and the race for MVP is no different. While Nikola Jokic is leading the pack at the moment, familiar names like Steph Curry, Joel Embiid and even James Harden are all still very much in the race. Today, Zach Lowe breaks down the MVP favorites, and also explains how the New York Knicks, yes, the New York Knicks, became the hottest playoff team in the NB...

After squaring off on Fight Island last year, Kamaru Usman and Jorge Masvidal prepare to fight once again this Saturday at UFC 261 with the welterweight title on the line. Usman retained his belt by unanimous decision the first time around -- but simply beating Masvidal was not enough for Usman: this time, he wants to break Masvidal’s soul. ESPN’s Dotun Akintoye joins the show to share the story o...

Deion Sanders was one of the NFL’s most flamboyant characters, where he earned nicknames like “Prime Time” and “Neon Deion.” Now, he’s just finished his first season as head coach at Jackson State (yes, spring football due to COVID-19). Our guest, sports writer Jean-Jacques Taylor, covered Sanders’ career for the NFL and reported on his coaching season for The Undefeated. Then, Myron Medcalf joins...

Over the weekend, news broke that 12 of the biggest soccer teams from across Europe are attempting to break away and create their own “Super League.” The backlash was immediate and widespread, from politicians and royalty to fans across the world. Sam Borden joins the show to explain if the creation of the new league is even possible, and why it’s got the soccer world in an uproar. Then, Pablo sha...

MLB’s 2021 season is delivering wild numbers: eye-popping speed on the average fastball, and crazy-low batting averages. Look no further than the dominance of New York Mets ace Jacob deGrom. ESPN Baseball Insider Jeff Passan tells us why fastballs are faster and sliders more nasty. Hear how it’s all changing today’s game in ways that could harm its appeal, if MLB doesn’t take action. Then, an all-...

The NFL Draft is American institution. And for the past 40 years, the unmistakable voice of that institution has been Mel Kiper Jr. His “Big Board” and mock drafts have become a rite of spring, a yearly ritual that signals your team will soon be “on the clock.” It is a remarkable climb for someone who used a typewriter to compile draft reports as a teenager, before the NFL Draft was even televised...

Allegations of sexual misconduct and assault against Deshaun Watson have until this week played out through lawyers’ statements and accuser anonymity. Now, more women are attaching their names to court filings and speaking in public. While some of Watson’s corporate sponsors are suspending deals with him, some women are speaking in support of Watson, saying their experiences with him were not inap...

Quarterback Trey Lance is projected to be a top-10 pick in this year's NFL draft. But the 20-year-old from North Dakota State has largely flown under the radar, overshadowed by big names like Trevor Lawrence and Justin Fields. Lance and his family have bucked trends from the start, and his path to the NFL has seemed fast, and yet also circuitous. Tim Keown shares Lance’s story, and why he's captur...

Daryl Morey, Philadelphia 76ers general manager, co-founded an event 15 years ago that’s become the hub of all things data-driven in sports. At the MIT Sloan Sports Analytics Conference, researchers, athletes, coaches and commentators swap takes on the digital trends changing how games are played, and how business is done. Morey joins Pablo to definitely not apologize for anything, to discuss the...