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The Impossible Return of USC’s Aaliyah Gayles Mar 19, 2024

Show notes

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+.

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The Mystery Behind the Greatest Bracket in History Mar 18, 2024

Show notes

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.

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The Wizards Want to Leave Downtown –– They're Not Alone Mar 15, 2024

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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.

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Are the 2024 Playoffs Make or Break for the Celtics? Mar 14, 2024

Show notes

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.

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Is Dartmouth's Unionization a Watershed Moment for College Athletics? Mar 13, 2024

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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.

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Can DeMar DeRozan Change Our Views on Mental Health? Mar 12, 2024

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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.

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Mina Kimes Previews NFL Free Agency Mar 11, 2024

Show notes

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.

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Hanif Abdurraqib’s Timberwolves Are Out of the Wilderness Mar 08, 2024

Show notes

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.

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Did Open Tryouts and Four Walk-Ons Save a Season? Mar 07, 2024

Show notes

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.

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Are the Oklahoma City Thunder Inevitable? Mar 06, 2024

Show notes

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.

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