The Lead

The Philadelphia 76ers are sitting alone at the top of the Eastern Conference, and a huge reason why has been the early-season dominance of Joel Embiid. Today, we’re joined by The Athletic’s Derek Bodner to look at how some key adjustments — and key additions — have helped bring out the big man’s best, and whether the often-injured star can potentially bring home an MVP. Follow Derek Bodner’s...

One of the greatest baseball players of all time, and a civil rights icon, passed away last Friday at age 86. Today, five writers from The Athletic who knew Henry Aaron, grew up idolizing him, and drew inspiration from him join us to reflect on his incredible life and legacy. See Privacy Policy at https://art19.com/privacy and California Privacy Notice at https://art19.com/privacy#do-not-sell-my-i...

Last month, San Antonio Spurs assistant coach Becky Hammon made history against LeBron James and the Lakers, becoming the first woman to lead an NBA team in a regular season game. The Athletic’s Christopher Kamrani recently spoke with NBA players Hammon has coached during her time in San Antonio, as well as WNBA players she has played with, and he joins us today to talk about what makes Becky...

When Caris LeVert was dealt to the Pacers as part of the James Harden trade, his post-trade physical — usually a formality — revealed something scary: a small mass on his left kidney. Today, we’re joined by The Athletic’s Bob Kravitz to look at what’s ahead for LeVert, why the Pacers decided to still go through with the trade, and what makes him well-prepared to take on this challenge. Read B...

A year ago today, Kobe Bryant, his daughter Gianna, and seven other people were killed in a tragic helicopter crash outside of Los Angeles. In remembrance of that tragedy, we’re re-broadcasting an episode that originally aired in February of last year, three weeks after Kobe’s death. Reporter Michael Lee, who covers the NBA and lives in Philadelphia, joined us to talk about how the city helped mak...

Patrick Mahomes and the Kansas City Chiefs will be heading to Super Bowl LV in Tampa Bay to face off against Tom Brady and the Buccaneers in a quarterback storyline that writes itself. The Athletic's Arif Hasan joins us to break down how the Bucs managed to get by the Green Bay Packers in the NFC Championship game at Lambeau Field, how the Chiefs cruised past the Bills to repeat as AFC champions,...

Robert Tonyan has emerged as one of Aaron Rodgers’ favorite targets this year, especially in the red zone, as Rodgers has found Green Bay’s breakout tight end for 11 touchdowns. Today, The Athletic’s Dan Pompei tells Tonyan’s origin story as a football player, how he transformed from college quarterback to college wide receiver to NFL tight end, and the bond that he has formed with George Kittle a...

During the first month of the NBA season, CJ McCollum was well on his way to a career year for the Portland Trail Blazers. But this week, his season ran into a major setback with the news that he sustained a fractured foot. Today, The Athletic’s Jason Quick on how three conversations had the 29-year-old playing the best basketball of his life before the injury, and where McCollum and the Blazers g...

On Tuesday morning, the New York Mets fired GM Jared Porter, just hours after ESPN reported that he had sent inappropriate and graphic text messages to a woman reporter back in 2016, when he was the director of professional scouting for the Chicago Cubs. Brittany Ghiroli, a national baseball writer for The Athletic, joins us to explain what exactly happened between Porter and the foreign reporter,...

The New York Rangers surprised many by winning the #1 pick in last year's NHL draft lottery -- not least because they were nowhere near the worst team in the league. And winning the lottery meant winning the rights to French-Canadian teen sensation Alexis LaFreniere, who was the first player since Sidney Crosby to win Quebec Major Junior Hockey League MVP in back-to-back years. The Athletic's Scot...

It was another wild weekend in the NFL, with the Packers, Bucs, Bills and Chiefs all advancing to the Conference Championships. Lindsay Jones joins us to break down all the action, including howling winds, missed field goals, star quarterbacks suffering concussions, and backup QBs stepping up to make some heroic plays. More from Lindsay Jones: https://theathletic.com/author/lindsay-jones/?source=t...

Since Tommy Lasorda passed away last week at the age of 93, baseball fans have been remembering his life and legendary career as manager of the Los Angeles Dodgers, like the time he famously called on an injured Kirk Gibson to pinch-hit in Game 1 of the 1988 World Series. We reached out to writers and editors from The Athletic and asked them to share their own memories of Lasorda — including...

Months of speculation have finally come to an end: James Harden will be joining the Brooklyn Nets. The Athletic's Sam Amick joins us to break down how all of the recent Harden drama has unfolded, including his erratic play recently, and the messy press conferences where Harden and his Rockets teammates spoke their minds. And we break down how Harden will will fit in with Nets superstars Kevin Dura...

After being decimated by injuries and finishing at the bottom of the NBA last season, hopes were high for the Golden State Warriors coming into this year. But the feeling was that this team has a limited window to win another championship, with stars Steph Curry, Klay Thompson and Draymond Green not getting any younger. With Thompson now out with an achilles injury, could rookie James Wiseman be t...

For a while, it looked like Ohio State might give Alabama a run for the money in the CFP National Championship game on Monday night. But then the Crimson Tide did what the Crimson Tide does -- they got some stops and continued pouring on the offense, eventually winning the game 52-24 and helping Nick Saban earn his record seventh national title. The Athletic's Nicole Auerbach joins us to break dow...

This past weekend we had six NFL playoff games on the schedule, with Lamar Jackson and the Ravens getting revenge on the Titans, while the Bills and the Browns both picked up their first playoff wins since the 1990's. Today, we’re joined by The Athletic’s Arif Hasan to break down some of the weekend’s biggest story lines and takeaways, including how the Browns engineered a win over the Steelers wi...

During the first half of this NFL season, there was almost no stopping Russell Wilson, DK Metcalf and the Seattle Seahawks passing game. However, in the second half, it’s been a lot less #LetRussCook, and a lot more of Russ handing off, with the team grinding out wins on defense. Today, we’re joined by The Athletic’s Michael-Shawn Dugar to look at why Pete Carroll’s Seahawks have made such a drama...

After three straight years of incredible playoff disappointments (and arguably the worst no-call in NFL history), the New Orleans Saints might be facing their last real chance at a Super Bowl for some time. The Athletic's Larry Holder, who has been covering the team since Drew Brees' arrival 15 years ago, joins us to break down the story of the Saints' 2020 season so far, what to watch for in thei...

For the last few weeks, Kevin Harlan has been hard at work calling NBA games for TNT, with one notable exception. Rather than call these games from the arena, he’s been doing play-by-play from his basement in Kansas. The Athletic’s Richard Deitsch recently got a virtual tour of Harlan’s underground broadcast studio, and today he joins us to break down the setup — and consider whether this is the f...

Two weeks into the NBA season and things are already getting spicy. The Athletic’s Zach Harper joins us to look at three of the most interesting storylines thus far: the Suns’ possible playoff potential, the mercurial but perhaps too talkative Clippers, and the Milwaukee Bucks' quest to turn the page on their playoff struggles. More from Zach Harper: https://theathletic.com/author/zach-harper/ See...

The Cleveland Browns snapped an 18-year playoff drought, the Baltimore Ravens continued their hot streak, and the Tennessee Titans clinched the AFC South in dramatic fashion, setting up a mouth-watering first round game against the Ravens. Lindsay Jones joins us to break down the AFC's wild Week 17, and to discuss what these three teams will have to do to succeed in the playoffs. More from Lindsay...

With 2020 now officially in the books, we’re taking a final look back at the year in sports -- and replaying one of our favorite episodes of 2020. It’s about Baltimore’s most unforgettable young sports fan, Mo Gaba, who inspired people throughout the city and across the world before passing away from cancer. The Athletic’s Britt Ghiroli spoke with us about Mo’s brief, incredible life and a mo...

In late October, the L.A. Dodgers ended their World Series drought in one of most surreal nights in baseball history. Today, as part of our look back at the year in sports, we’re re-airing our episode about that game. The Athletic’s Pedro Moura joined us to discuss the strange night in Texas when the Dodgers won the title and the scene that unfolded after third baseman Justin Turner tested positiv...

Back in August, there was a stunning night when the Milwaukee Bucks refused to take the court against the Orlando Magic inside the NBA bubble. This was shortly after the shooting of Jacob Blake in Kenosha, Wisconsin -- an event that triggered protests in Wisconsin and across the country. As part of our look back at 2020, we’re revisiting that story today. The Athletic’s Michael Lee spoke with...

For years, the location of an iconic Joe Paterno statue, which once stood on the Penn State campus, has been unknown. Today, as part of our look back at 2020, we’re replaying an episode about the statue that first aired back in June. The Athletic’s Audrey Snyder spoke with us about why Penn State has gone to such great lengths to conceal its location, and what she discovered in her own quest to fi...